Gulf Solar Heat mechanical advertising piece
[ no place ]: [ Gulf Oil ] 1952. A mechanical advertising piece in the shape of a toucan dressed oddly and with an oversized beak. The lower portion of the bill moves when a separate but interconnected wheel at the bottom moves. As the wheel is turned one sees "Gulf Solar Heat Budget Plan" sequence through the window, the bird's eye opens, and "No Large Bills" appears on the bottom portion of the bird's beak. The mechanism is easily seen in the reverse, and the words "Copr. 1952 - Spot. Spec. Co., Lex. Ky." are printed on the paper connecting the moving parts. The object appears original and works nicely (turning the wheel clockwise as designed), noting the bird's head has an unoffensive crease at about the level of the top of the eyeball. Near Fine. [27207]
Gulf Solar Heat was a cleaner heating oil solution marketed in the 1950s by showing consumers the difference between the furnace oil filter used with and without Gulf Solar Heat. We aren't sure why the bird image was sued - perhaps it was just a way to get people to look carefully at budget plans (consumers got a predictable fixed monthly bill year round, and conversely the suppliers had more predictable cashflow).
A cool piece of advertising creativity.
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