Gaaah!

This bulbous tyke was featured in a series of ads for Van Camp's products around '53--sometimes he'd leer at you from behind a can of beans on the left-hand page, then from behind a can of corn on the facing right page. The layout is reminiscent of the Arthur Godfrey bleach/laundry rinse ad duo posted below--and doesn't this kid look a bit like a young Godfrey?

Shudder.

Anyway, I'm struck by the outsize markers of what passed for good health in the '50's: plump cheeks, ruddy complexion (to the point of floridity), a general greasy sheen, and goo oozing down the chin. Overindulgence was a patriotic duty in those days, sure, but if I've ever seen a four-year-old candidate for a heart attack, it's this kid.

I'm cooking up (that's a pun, did you catch that?) a little something special for next week, in honor of the approach of Father's Day. Keep your fingers crossed that Blogger doesn't pitch a snit-fit.