The Stomatol toothpaste sign has become throughout the years one of the most recognisable Stockholm’s landmarks.
Maybe it doesn’t look so amazing in this picture, but it was considered as revolutionary when it was first installed since it predated neon lights as the first animated ad sign in Sweden. Indeed when the light bulbs are switched on the toothpaste looks as if it’s being squeezed from the tube.
Originally placed on the Katarinahissen elevator, the sign was moved in the early 30s to the roof of a nearby building at Klevgränd 1 B. Electricity was shut down between 1963 and 1972 and during the 80s because of technical problems, but, soon afterwards, the sign started shining again for the joy of locals and visiting tourists.
The toothpaste brand was rather popular in Sweden in the early decades of the 20th century, becoming one of the first Swedish brands that recognised and used the power of mass media.
Many film commercials by this toothpaste brand entered history: a few animated adverts produced in the mid-20s (among them those ones narrating the adventures of a little boy eating blueberries, of African natives brushing their teeth with Stomatol, of an athlete who gets superpowers after brushing his teeth with the toothpaste and of the Stomatol mouthwash curing a terrible hangover) were drawn by Arvid Olson and illustrator Victor Bergdahl, also known as the first man in Sweden to make animated cartoons (his most popular character was Kapten Grogg).
The sign looks rather interesting and, every time I see it, I think about transposing it onto T-shirts (guess it would look cute if made in sequins). Yet I think the most fascinating thing about it remains it's connection with the animated adverts that often make me think about early animated "Caroselli" from Italy.
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