Who Remembers the ‘Burma Shave’ Signs
Iconic words of rhyme and wit with a twist of wisdom
Unless you’re over sixty and born in the USA, you’re probably scratching your head and wondering what on earth is a Burma Shave sign. Let me help you out.
Burma-Shave advertising signs, with their humorous, serial jingles, were spaced far apart on the roadside and made sense only to someone traveling at 35 miles per hour. From the 1920s to the 1960s, motorists had fun piecing the rhymes together, one phrase at a time, and reaching the wry, witty punch line. ~Source
I remember those long, long, long drives across the desert highways that were pure torture for a kid, except for one thing. The anticipation of the next set of Burma Shave signs. The whole family would get excited and dad would purposely slow down so all four of us kids in the back seat could read them out loud.
Over time, there were 7,000 sets of signs in 45 states. I can’t remember many of them myself so I polled a group of ‘Old Timers’ for their input. Since memory is not always infallible, these may not be totally accurate but it will give you a general overview and a few chuckles to boot!
- Listen birds, those signs cost money so roost awhile but don’t get funny ~Burma Shave
- On curves ahead remember, sonny, that rabbit’s foot didn’t save the bunny. ~Burma Shave
- Don’t stick your arm out too far. It might go home in another car. ~Burma Shave
- Ben and Anna were a hit. Ben left Anna. Ben-Anna split. ~Burma Shave
- Lover Boy Your Photo Came But Your Doggone Beard Won’t Fit The Frame. ~ Burma Shave
- Car in ditch, man in tree, the moon was full and so was he! ~Burma Shave
Besides being one of the most ingenious advertising strategies of its time, these signs attest to the power of words to impact our lives.
