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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C , Case MB2E, Shelf DR113

Slottiwhoswho

Print
ca. 1967 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Graphic designer Clifford Richards designed some of the most memorable packaging and printed ephemera of the 1960s. Vibrant, witty and fun, they are an exuberant expression of the Pop Art decade.

Richards designed a number of slot-together animals called Slotizoo for Michael Stanfield Products, some of which are in the collection E.3704-2004, E.3705-2007 and E.3707-2004. One range of animals were wittly made as caricatures of famous politicians, in this case George Brown, who was a senior Labour cabinet minister at the time. He is caricatured as an owl, a reference to the 'brown owl' in the Brownies. The George Brown owl was the most popular of the range; other politicians in the set were, second most popular, British Prime Minster Harold Wilson (a lion), Conservative Party leader Edward Heath (a unicorn), the two referring to the legendary battle between the two animals over the crown of the jungle, American President Lyndon B. Johnson (an eagle, symbol of America, in the collection at E.3706-2004)) and French President Charles de Gaulle (a chicken, after the saying that the cock crows better on his own dunghill).

The politicians, called 'Slottiwhoswho', were exclusive to Austin Reed and, according to the Daily Express, sales exceeded demand; 6000 were originally ordered but the range had to be restocked.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 9 parts.

  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
TitleSlottiwhoswho (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Printed card
Brief description
'Slottiwhoswho', slot-together-yourself toy owl designed by Clifford Richards
Physical description
Unassembled slot-together-yourself owl, a caricature of Labour Cabinet Minister George Brown, with Union Jack print. With instructions on how to assemble.
Credit line
Purchased through the Julie and Robert Breckman Print Fund
Subjects depicted
Summary
Graphic designer Clifford Richards designed some of the most memorable packaging and printed ephemera of the 1960s. Vibrant, witty and fun, they are an exuberant expression of the Pop Art decade.

Richards designed a number of slot-together animals called Slotizoo for Michael Stanfield Products, some of which are in the collection E.3704-2004, E.3705-2007 and E.3707-2004. One range of animals were wittly made as caricatures of famous politicians, in this case George Brown, who was a senior Labour cabinet minister at the time. He is caricatured as an owl, a reference to the 'brown owl' in the Brownies. The George Brown owl was the most popular of the range; other politicians in the set were, second most popular, British Prime Minster Harold Wilson (a lion), Conservative Party leader Edward Heath (a unicorn), the two referring to the legendary battle between the two animals over the crown of the jungle, American President Lyndon B. Johnson (an eagle, symbol of America, in the collection at E.3706-2004)) and French President Charles de Gaulle (a chicken, after the saying that the cock crows better on his own dunghill).

The politicians, called 'Slottiwhoswho', were exclusive to Austin Reed and, according to the Daily Express, sales exceeded demand; 6000 were originally ordered but the range had to be restocked.
Bibliographic references
  • Products, interiors, events, ideas. Design. 1967, no. 228. pp.56.
  • Daily Express. 21 Dec. 1967. p. 9.
  • The Political Jungle, for Children only. Daily Mirror. 26 Oct. 1967, p. 15.
Collection
Accession number
E.3708:1 to 9-2004

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Record createdNovember 12, 2004
Record URL
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