KOOL Penguin
Magazine Advertising

There are dozens, perhaps hundreds, of different KOOL cigarette magazine ads featuring the KOOL penguin.  Assembling a complete collection would be a daunting task, indeed.  This page presents a representative selection only, divided by general category, in an attempt to give the would-be collector a guide to the field.

I have designated ads of less than a full page in terms of the column width.  Thus, a one-column ad in a large format magazine might take up only one-quarter of the page, while the same ad in a smaller format magazine might occupy one-third of the page.  With this in mind, you will understand that I have not given measurements in inches.

The "one-color" in all of these ads is a shade of green, consistent with the general use of the green color in all KOOL cigarette related promotions.  Several of these ads feature the penguin in sports-related activities.

As seen in the image at left, nearly all of them also feature some of the merchandise premiums that could be acquired by saving coupons that came in each pack of smokes.  Click the image to view a selection of other ads in this category.  All of the images found thereby have been cropped so as to highlight only the penguin.

As with the other two-column ads, these generally feature some of the merchandise premiums that the purchaser could order by mail, assuming a steady hand despite the coughing.

Some ads which appear to be identical, are found, upon examination, to have different premiums at the bottom.  Thus, the completist will need (and I use that word in a manner that collectors understand) all variations, even though the casual observer might not detect any difference between two "lifeguard image" advertisements.  Click the image to view a selection of other ads in this category.  All of the images found thereby have been cropped so as to highlight only the penguin.

The "story theme" class of one-color, two-column, ads is distinct enough to be regarded as a separate class.

In each that I have seen, the story is presented in five "panels" and the "story" is such that the penguin is shown at the end in a costume such as the one shown here (a jockey from Liberty magazine 9/23/44) or a railroad brakeman (Collier's 2/2/46).

All of these that I have seen are in the same format as seen here; the penguin above, with the cigarette pack and premium coupon below.  Most are black and white, but a one-color version is also known.  There may have been a great many of these.  I have seen at least 20 different ones.  A few are from the larger format magazines, but they seem to be more common in such titles as The Literary Digest, The American Magazine, and The New Yorker.

These little guys, dating to the period 1950-51, are a variation of the "Willie the Penguin Says:" poems that appear on the back of the cigarette packs.  I'm calling them "quarter-page," although I have seen one in a large-format magazine that occupies less space than that.  Click the image to view a selection of other ads in this category.

In 1958, as poor Willie penguin approached the end of his run, he was incorporated into a transitional advertising campaign.  Reduced to a subordinate role, he seems out of place as a mere appendage in the ads for "Snow Fresh" KOOL cigarettes.  Brown & Williamson had decided to dump our little friend and shift the focus to happy couples engaged in a healthy, fresh-air, outdoor life style.  In the 1959 "Snow Fresh Filter" ads, Willie was moved to the bottom of the page and appeared in an even smaller size.  It was his last hurrah.