Sepia Saturday 293: M'm M'm Good!

Would I like to own that Campbell's soup vending machine in the photo. But, that's not going to happen. The only one vaguely similar sold for $14,000 on eBay, well out of my price range.  

The machine below, about the same vintage as in our prompt, dispensed soup, hot in the can. The lady standing next to the machine is using that huge standing opener to remove the lid. As you can see, the seated women are pouring hot soup into the cup. I'm guessing the huge electric can opener pre-dated the much smaller electric home appliance of the same persuasion. Can you imagine dispensing hot soup in a can today? - you'd be liable if the soup was too hot, sued if the opener hurt anyone and on and on. 

The Campbell's vending machines became obsolete eventually with the advent of the microwave. They reworked most of their packaging to make the soup microwaveable and convenient to eat straight out of the package.

 

Campbell's is a great American brand and the company has resisted pushing and pulling the image around based on au courant marketing whims. I have to say though that I don't like their newest offering very much - the black and white hipster faces turn me off. The packages are always creased up and whatever the art looked like in the beginning, it doesn't resemble in the finished product. The facial expressions are just too shocked and surprised for soup! I hate to say it but they all look like they've just discovered the shock and awe of suppositories. Forgive my over-active imagination. 
Note to self: "Shock n'Awe" - potential name for suppository. 

I always liked the Campbell's kids but they're too cute for today's market. Don't you adore their rosy cheeks? And wide-eyed amazement?

However, if they're going to go modern and startling, I'd love to see them do a really dark ad campaign. Something to give you soupy nightmares.  

Mr. Gluttony and his niece enjoy a bowl of tomato soup together.

("Run little girl. Run as fast as you can.")

Drawing original by www.artbytroy.com

As far as vending machines go, they seem to be waning in popularity around here. I don't like them but I do think a champagne dispenser has it's place - even though it seems like a gross contradiction in style to dispense a luxury brand from a machine. But think of how convenient it would be at Disney Hall when everyone wants champers at the same time and the crowd around the bar is ten deep...and there's only 15 minutes left for intermission! No tips required and I'm guessing the bottles must be easy to open. A glass?? Oh, who needs to bother with a glass - just guzzle that stuff right out of the bottle. 

Epilogue

 From Wikipedia:

"The first Campbell Kids were drawn by Grace Drayton. A prodigious illustrator, she was a staff artist for the Philadelphia Press and Evening Journal, and also a children's book illustrator. Her husband, Theodore Wiederseim, who worked for the Ketterlineus Lithographic Manufacturing Company in Philadelphia, recommended her services to Campbell since she had been drawing little kids with round faces and rosy cheeks for years. She adapted her drawings for Campbell and they became the basis for the Campbell Kids. There were not just two or three kids; the company used many different kids, up to 16."

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