Whenever the claim of a “golden age” in the mid-20th century is presented, there are many easy counterexamples: civil rights conflicts, the threat of nuclear warfare, and the treatment of women as inferiors. But another, more unorthodox example is the sheer positivity surrounding cigarettes at the time. Tobacco was first brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus in the late 15th century. By 1610, Francis Drake was already noting its addictive qualities, and in 1950, the first published report linking tobacco to lung cancer emerged. Still, ethics and facts were ignored as big business eagerly began advertising smoking to children.
Television and Early Exposure
By the 1950s, half the world’s population smoked, and in the UK, 80% of men were smokers. For the tobacco industry to sustain itself, it needed new customers – and that meant advertising smoking to the next generation.
Most infamously, early series of The Flintstones were sponsored by Winston cigarettes. Some episodes ended with Fred and Barney lighting up while Wilma did chores, with Fred declaring they were “the one filtered cigarette that delivers flavour 20 times a pack” and that “Winston’s tastes good like a cigarette should.”
Cartoon Mascots and Christmas Icons
One early marketing example targeting young audiences was Willy the Penguin, created by Kool in 1934. Willy appeared dressed in various professions, including as a doctor – fitting, given that at the time many doctors promoted smoking. Batman co-creator Bob Kane even claimed Willy inspired the Penguin supervillain.
Lucky Strike used Santa Claus in a 1936 ad to claim “Luckies are easy on my throat.” Chesterfield had Santa say: “Light up and share the very best of Christmas… Chesterfields have all the benefits of smoking.”
Marlboro went further, using babies in ads alongside lines like: “Never feel over-smoked,” “My dad smokes Marlboro… he knows it’s a good thing,” and “That’s the miracle of Marlboro.”
Philip Morris International paid $40,000 (about $140,000 today) to splash their brand across Superman II, watched by millions of children. Superwoman was shown as a relentless chain-smoker, with around 20 significant Marlboro brand sightings – sparking a congressional investigation.
The Joe Camel Campaign
The most successful youth-targeted mascot was Joe Camel. Created in 1987, Joe was portrayed as a cool, sunglasses-wearing, leather-jacketed camel driving convertibles and surrounded by women.
Although TV ads were banned under the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1970, Joe Camel’s impact was enormous. R.J. Reynolds executive Tom C. Griscom denied the campaign increased youth smoking, but data told a different story:
- Camel’s share of cigarettes bought by minors rose from $6 million before Joe Camel to $476 million by 1992.
- A 1991 study found 91% of six-year-olds could identify Joe Camel as being linked to cigarettes – a recognition rate similar to Mickey Mouse with Disney.
- FTC official Jodie Bernstein noted: “After the initiation of the Joe Camel campaign, the percentage of smokers under 18 who smoked Camels became larger than the percentage of all adult smokers [using Camels].”
Even US President Bill Clinton weighed in: “We must put tobacco ads like Joe Camel out of children’s reach.”
Free Cigarettes and Flavoured Temptations
The Lorillard company allegedly gave away free cigarettes at schools, sometimes to children as young as nine. Marie Evans, first supplied at that age, died of lung cancer decades later; her son won $70 million in a lawsuit against the company.
Brands also created flavours appealing to younger consumers – vanilla, cherry, chocolate, blueberry – and even cereal-inspired varieties. Meanwhile, companies kept quiet publicly about the dangers of ETS (secondhand smoke), despite internal memos acknowledging the risks years earlier.
Punishments and Legal Battles
In 1988, the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement required the four largest US tobacco companies – Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds, Brown & Williamson, and Lorillard – to pay $206 billion to cover smoking-related medical costs across 46 states. This sum exceeded the GDP of over 150 countries.
Courts forced admissions that the companies had lied about the dangers of smoking. One read: “Cigarette companies intentionally designed cigarettes with enough nicotine to create and sustain addiction.”
There are claims that cleaner alternatives to cigarettes were developed but abandoned to protect sales.
Anti-Smoking Measures
The 1980s saw high-profile anti-smoking campaigns, such as Superman defeating the villain Nick O’Teen. Today, ID checks are required to buy cigarettes, and packaging features graphic health warnings.
In 2009, the US FDA banned candy- and fruit-flavoured cigarettes. In April 2021, President Joe Biden announced plans to remove menthol cigarettes and flavoured cigars from the market – though this is yet to be implemented.
Limited Deterrents?
Despite fines, regulations, and bans, the tobacco industry remains strong. The $206 billion settlement, while huge, was manageable for companies already earning vast profits.
Youth smoking rates remain concerning:
- In the UK, 6% of 11–15-year-olds (around 207,000 children) have tried smoking.
- In the US, 1,600 youths smoke their first cigarette each day, and nearly 200 start smoking daily.
- The CDC estimates that 5.6 million Americans currently under 18 will die early from smoking-related illness.
Smokers die an average of 13–14 years earlier than non-smokers – meaning one in three who start young will lose over a decade of life.
Unbelievable Quotes from the Tobacco Industry
- Imperial Tobacco, 1990s internal report: “The desire to quit seems to come earlier now than before… they soon learned they became slaves to their cigarettes.”
- R.J. Reynolds chairman, 1996: “If children don’t like to be in a smoky room, they will leave. At some point, they begin to crawl.”
- Philip Morris International, 1981 memo: “We do realise that today’s teenager is tomorrow’s potential customer.”
- Philip Morris president, 1971: “Babies born from women who smoke are indeed smaller but… just as healthy. Some women would prefer to have smaller babies.”
- Philip Morris CEO, 1998: “What do you think smokers would do if they didn’t smoke?… maybe you’d beat your wife.”
- Tobacco Institution, 1992: “If it were legal to sell to them [children], we would be glad to, but it’s not.”
- R.J. Reynolds executive, 1992: “We don’t smoke that shit, we just sell it… to the young, the poor, the black, and the stupid.”
Epilogue: Advertising Smoking
These companies have long been accused of prioritising profit over ethics, deceiving the public, and endangering generations of young people. While some healthier alternatives have been developed, such moves appear to be driven by regulation rather than moral responsibility.
Even beyond advertising to children, the industry’s history includes alleged bribery of doctors, concealing evidence, resisting healthier alternatives, and exploiting addiction cycles to secure lifelong customers.
As author Fletcher Knebel once quipped: “Smoking is the leading cause of statistics.” For decades, tobacco companies ensured those statistics included millions of young people who might otherwise have had healthy, long lives.