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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 American President Lyndon B. Johnson as an eagle, symbol of America. The George Brown owl (at E.3708-2004) was the most popular of the range; he was a senior Labour cabinet minister at the time and his caricature is a reference to the 'brown owl' in the Brownies. Other politicians in the set were, second most popular, British Prime Minster Harold Wilson (a lion), Conservative Party leader Edward Heath (a unicorn), these two referring to the legendary battle between the two animals over the crown of the jungle, 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 7 parts.

  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
TitleSlottiwhoswho (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Printed card
Brief description
'Slottiwhoswho', American eagle-themed unassembled toy, designed for the Slotty Range by Clifford Richards, 1960s
Physical description
Unassembled slot-together-yourself eagle, a caricature of American President Lyndon B. Johnson, with Stars and Stripes print. With instructions on how to assemble.
Marks and inscriptions
  • '4 / SLOTTIWHOSWHO / EAGLE' (front)
  • [assembly instructions] (reverse)
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 American President Lyndon B. Johnson as an eagle, symbol of America. The George Brown owl (at E.3708-2004) was the most popular of the range; he was a senior Labour cabinet minister at the time and his caricature is a reference to the 'brown owl' in the Brownies. Other politicians in the set were, second most popular, British Prime Minster Harold Wilson (a lion), Conservative Party leader Edward Heath (a unicorn), these two referring to the legendary battle between the two animals over the crown of the jungle, 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.3706:1 to 7-2004

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Record createdNovember 12, 2004
Record URL
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