by Neena Strichart
Publisher
Earlier this week one of my much-younger-than-I-am employees made a statement that I thought sounded like a perfect example for a Burma-Shave sign campaign— and I told her so. I could tell she had no idea what in the heck Burma-Shave signs were, as illustrated by the puzzled look on her face. I quickly ushered her into my office, started typing away at my handy-dandy laptop computer and proceeded to look up information on Burma-Shave advertisement road signs. Not having a lot of time for deep research on the subject, I logged on to what many agree is not the most scholarly source, Wikipedia. Yes, I said Wikipedia.
I found a photo or two of the vintage road-sign advertisements to use as a visual explanation and then read her a few of the examples listed. Some of my favorites are ones grouped under those used in 1955— the year of my birth. They are:
• Dinah doesn’t / Treat him right / But if he’d / Shave / Dyna-mite! / Burma-Shave
• The big blue tube’s / Just like Louise / You get / A thrill / From every squeeze / Burma-Shave
• To change that / Shaving job / To joy / You gotta use / The real McCoy / Burma-Shave
• The monkey took / One look at Jim / And threw the peanuts / Back at him / He needed / Burma-Shave
• Slow down, Pa / Sakes alive / Ma missed signs / Four / And five / Burma Shave
Later that evening I found myself jotting down my own version of road signs— ones I would like to use for some of our advertisers— if I owned the wood, and the road!
Here’s what I came up with:
• Have iced tea / and beat the heat / good food too / just up the street / Café Bixby
• Make your auto / shine and gleam / get rid of dirt / and leave the clean! / Bixby Knolls Car Wash
• We always / serve up / tasty food / and leave you full / with happy mood! / Blackbird Café
• For tacos leaving / smiles on faces / only visit / authentic places / Guadalupe’s Mexican Grill
• For modern haircuts / all the fashion / see a stylist / full of passion! / Donato’s Hair Salon
• To look more rested / wrinkle-free / Hickman & Joy / will set you free! / Plasticare
• With logo wear / promote your biz / whether you need / hers or his! / The Undershirt
• A restaurant / with crème’ brulee / and wine as well / will make your day! / Delius
• Just new in town / where Bob’s once was / anticipation / is the buzz! / Black Bear Diner
• If fixing shingles / is your goal / an expert called / will plug that hole! / Bartlett Roofing
• Sake is / has always been / best when having / sushi yen! / Kashiwa Japanese Restaurant
• Home décor / can be a waste / when not thought out / when done in haste! / House to Home Furniture
• Repair shop auto / be five star / to trust the engine / of wife’s car! / Orozco’s Auto Repair
• Hot or mild sauce / beans and rice / homemade tamales / taste so nice! / Patricia’s Mexican Food
• Bixby Knolls / for sushi flair / tempura served / is light as air! / Bamboo Teri House
• Need a bike / are you a buyer / handlebars / a seat / and tires! / Bixby Knolls Cyclery
Can you think of more examples for local modern-day Burma-Shave-type signs? If you can, please send them to me at neena@signaltribune.com or by regular mail (address on this page). If I get 10 or more suggestions, I’ll think about running them in an upcoming column.
