The original plastic, metal and neon
Coppertone girl
Coppertone is the brand name for an American sunscreen. Coppertone is headquartered in Whippany, New Jersey. Coppertone uses a variety of branding, including the Coppertone girl logo and a distinctive fragrance.
Product line
The original produ ...
sign was designed and made in 1958 by Tropicalites, a sign company owned by Morris "Moe" Bengis. Before producing the original Coppertone Girl sign, Bengis met with
Benjamin Green, who invented the Coppertone product in his kitchen in 1944 and Abe Plough, the founder of
Schering-Plough
Schering-Plough Corporation was an American pharmaceutical company. It was originally the U.S. subsidiary of the German company Schering AG, which was founded in 1851 by Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering. As a result of nationalization, it bec ...
; which bought Coppertone in 1957.
After Schering-Plough bought Coppertone, the original designs were lost in a fire.
In 1959
Joyce Ballantyne Brand recreated the now iconic Coppertone Girl artwork with very minor changes using her daughter Cheri as the model. As of late 2011, the sign has been in need of repair and funding. The owner, MiMo Association said they could not continue paying for insurance and maintenance.
Merck, the parent company of Coppertone sunscreen makers
Schering-Plough
Schering-Plough Corporation was an American pharmaceutical company. It was originally the U.S. subsidiary of the German company Schering AG, which was founded in 1851 by Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering. As a result of nationalization, it bec ...
agreed to help and promised to pay US$1800 yearly for insurance and upkeep for the next five years.
References
External links
# Tomb, Jeffrey. 6 February 1995
”COPPERTONE GIRL ON NEW TURF."Miami Herald
# Klinkenberg, Jeff. 5 September 2004
"Real Florida: Red-faced with the Coppertone Girl" St. Petersburg Times (2004-09-05). Interview with Joyce Ballantyne Brand
# Griffis, Margaret. Mar 2008
Biscayne Times
# Viglucci, Andres. 17 May 2008
Miami Herald
# Griffis, Margaret. Uploaded 14 December 2008
Flickr.com
# Bengis, Jerome. May 2008
“Get the story on the fate of Miami’s 1959 vintage Coppertone sign.”Bengis Fine Art & Appraisal.
# TV News Segments. 2008
Coppertone Sign Removal YouTube.com.
# City of Miami Historic and Environmental Preservation Board. 7 October 2008
Agenda# Viglucci, Andres. 8 October 2008
Miami Herald
# Tropical Signs. 2008
Bengis Fine Art & Appraisal
# Griffis, Margaret. July 2007. "New Life for the Coppertone Girl." Biscayne Time
# Griffis, Margaret. December 2008. "Home At Last!." Biscayne Time
# American Tropical Signs & Service. 2009
Removal, restoration and installation{{Schering-Plough, state=autocollapse
Miami Modern architecture
Schering-Plough
Merck & Co.
Bayer
Beiersdorf brands
Individual signs in the United States
1958 establishments in Florida