Burma-Shave Signs seen along Route 66 in 1953
Historical Notes:
In 1926 the first Burma-Shave signs appeared along the roadside just outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Burma-Shave was the first brushless shaving cream developed by the Burma-Vita Company. Within weeks of
introducing the roadside signs the struggling company was a thriving business.
The original Burma-Shave signs were dull and unrhymed. An example of an early Burma-Shave sign:
Shave the modern way
No brush, no lather
No rub-in
Big tube 35 cents
Drug stores
Burma Shave
By 1929 the familiar Burma-Shave rhymes were common. Signs began as 10 by 36 inches, but as highway speeds
increased, the signs were enlarged to 18 by 40 inches. Lettering started at 3 1/4 inches high and eventually
the it was increased to 4 inches. The signs were placed 100 feet apart.
Rhymed signs first appeared in 1935. In all, some 35,000 individual signs dotted the highways across the
United States.
The signs were red with white lettering or orange with black lettering. The colors were alternated
yearly until it was determined that the orange/black signs made less impression on the public. After that,
the company went exclusively to red signs with white lettering. Blue signs with white letters were used
only in South Dakota where red signs could not be used for anything except stop signs.
By 1963, due to declining sales, the Burma-Vita Company was sold to Phillip Morris and the roadside
signs were removed.
Our best
advertising space
is your smooth
shaven face
Burma-Shave
The hairy devil is
forced to dwell
in the only place
where they don't sell
Burma-Shave
His was the
mushy type
until his beard
grew overripe
Burma-Shave
The wolf is shaving
neat and trim
and now red riding hood
is chasing him
Burma-Shave
Five star generals
privates first class
show equal rank
in the looking glass
Burma-Shave
No, No she said
to her beastly beau
I'd rather eat the
mistletoe
Burma-Shave
Past Schoolhouses
take it slow
let the little
shavers grow
Burma-Shave
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Reproduction of Burma-Shave signs |