Judge — April 13, 1929 — page 36: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a Life Savers candy advertisement, not a political cartoon. It uses visual wordplay to market the product to smokers. The ad shows a cigarette next to Life Savers mints and decorative objects, with the tagline "A Refinemint to Smoking!" (pun on "refinement"). The slogan "They Take Your Breath Away" appears at the bottom. The advertisement exploits a common mid-20th century marketing strategy: positioning candy as a solution to smoking's unpleasant effects (bad breath, stale taste). Rather than discouraging smoking, it simply sells Life Savers as a complementary product. This reflects the era's casual attitudes toward tobacco before widespread health warnings were mandated.