Life, 1920-06-03 · page 51 of 52
Life — June 3, 1920 — page 51: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Whistle soft drink advertisement** from Life magazine. The cartoon depicts a child enthusiastically whistling while holding a Whistle bottle, with radiating lines emphasizing excitement. The ad uses the phrase "Sure as Sam Hill" (a common American idiom meaning "certainly"), playing on the product name. The copy claims that children love Whistle and that adults describe it as "liquid happiness in bottles." The satire appears gentle—the exaggerated child's expression and the claim that a soft drink brings "happiness" reflect early-to-mid 20th century advertising's bold, unironic product claims. Modern readers would note how casually the ad markets sugary drinks to children and promises emotional fulfillment through consumption—messaging now considered problematic. This represents vintage American consumer advertising before modern health and marketing regulations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The kids are on Sure as Sam Hill, the kids do like to ‘*Whistle.’’ And grown-ups say it’s liquid hap- piness in bottles. You’ll say so, too! Look around = and you'll see a place to OS Leupy www WHISTLE comicbooks.com