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Page 32 The Antique Shoppe August, 2019
Lawson Wood’s Frolicking Chimp
GRAN’POP’S GREAT AMERICAN ADVERTISING ADVENTURE
by Roy Nuhn
During the 1930s and ‘40s, Americans forum for advertising, especially by local
fell under the spell of a mischievous merchants and businesses.
humanized chimpanzee named Gran’pop. Brown and Bigelow also published some
The elderly, merrymaking simian took the vertical-style souvenir postcards, some with
advertising world by storm. He also enjoyed advertising and some without, in the 1940s.
great popularity in the marketplace, even These also had a hole at the top for easy
briefly giving Disney’s Mickey Mouse a run hanging.
of his money. The company sold general stock items.
He was a Brit import, the creation of Gran’pop merchandise was just one of
Lawson Wood, one of that country’s most dozens of offerings listed in their catalogs.
renown illustrators of the era. Gran’pop Ordered goods, mostly intended as handouts,
had already achieved great popularity in Calendar ink blotter (April 1948), advertising by a Portland, OR roofing contractor. were overprinted with local advertising.
England and elsewhere. Besides being the spokesmonkey for
The antics of Gran’pop and his pals local firms on all types of promotional
decorated a multitude of paper products ranging from ink blotters to calendars ephemera, and a staple in retailers’ stock, Gran’pop appeared regularly on the
and postcards. These were imprinted with advertising by gas stations, auto cover of Collier’s weekly magazine throughout the 1930s. More than anything
repair shops, a mix bag of retailers, banks and else, this gave him national exposure and enhanced
various other local and regional businesses. his commercial appeal.
Nor was Gran’pop a laggard commercially, The largest publisher of Lawson Wood’s
either. souvenir postcards was Valentine & Sons (Dundee,
Five-and-dimes, stationers, department stores, Scotland). Their cards portrayed not only Gran’pop
and neighborhood pharmacies carried a vast array and his co-conspirators but also a wide variety of
of merchandise portraying his misadventures. A other Lawson Woods’ playful animals engaged in
bonanza of paper novelties - folded greeting cards, all sorts of comical adventures. Though mainly
napkins, writing tablet, notebooks - filled store marketed throughout the British Commonwealth,
shelves and racks. a small selection was sold in this country through
In the late 1930s, Whitman Publishing Co. the company’s Canadian branch in Montreal.
distributed Gran’pop coloring books nationwide as Lawson Wood, Gran’pop’s creator, was born
part of that novelty’s sudden popularity. They also in London in 1878, the son and grandson of two
sold a series of story books about the chimp. very famous British artists. He spent his childhood
The powerhouse behind the successful marketing roaming the countryside with pencil and sketch
of Gran’pop in this country was giant calendar book. His preference was drawing animals, to
publisher Brown and Bigelow (St. Paul, Minnesota). which later was added a great love for military
They produced tons of calendars and blotters, all subjects.
with local advertising added. Theirs was the largest Though mostly self-taught, Wood received
merchandising effort involving Gran’pop. some training at the prestigious Slade School of
Pictured on these and other products was Gran’pop Fine Art. In 1902 he married Charlotte Forge, a
and his buddies - young chimps, pigs and piglets, a fashion artist, and within a few years he was the
lady chimp friend, teddy bears, etc. - engaged in all father of twins - a boy and a girl - and another son.
kinds of activities We find him riding a kangaroo, Collier’s weekly magazine cover (July 17, 1937). These children would later serve as models for
getting drunk, bartending, and playing doctor; other some of his artwork.
pursuits included shooting pool, soaring aloft in a balloon, barbering -,and, His output included landscapes, animal studies, children and caricatures
on an April 1948 calendar style ink blotter, being mesmerized by a primitive of everyday British life. He also did a lot of military themes, “an interest
television set. inspired by a stint in the Royal
Illustrated calendars of Gran’pop Flying Corps during World War I.
came two ways: Standard size with a But his greatest creation was
page for each month, and small-sized “Gran’pop,” whose escapades
calendar cards in sets of 12. These had delighted generations of adults
a nail hole at the top for placement on and children on both sides of the
a wall for easy viewing. Atlantic. A cartoon film series about
Most ink blotters with advertising “Grand’pop” was in the works with
were the monthly calendar type. They Hollywood when Lawson Wood died
offered an excellent way to publicize in 1957.
a product or service since the local Because of the gigantic quantities
firm handing them out enjoyed of calendars and blotters published by
month-long consumer attention. Brown and Bigelow, large amounts
Until the 1950s, when ballpoint pens of Gran’pop ephemera have survived
were first introduced, the fountain down to our modern day. Besides
pen had been the most commonly being enjoyable for their comedy
used writing instrument. Blotters, and artistry, they’re an interesting
an absolute necessity for fountain Calendar ink blotter (September 1944), Calendar ink blotter (January 1945), footnote in the annals of American
pen use, long remained a favorite advertising by an Allentown, PA company. ad by a Baltimore, MD welding company. advertising history.
