1970 59x36" 7Up UnCola "Wet Un Wild" Yellow Submarine Billboard Poster Ed George

Description

NOTE:                    - - - Please see my many other 7Up UnCola billboards and posters for sale from the same era and award winning ad campaign. - - -
Giant 59" x 36" 7Up UnCola unused vintage paper billboard poster
Title/Nickname:    "Wet Un Wild"
(a.k.a. "Yellow Submarine", "Green Submarine")
Illustrator:               Ed George
Rainlap Code #:     69-9  (located on the back side of upper left panel A1 on my 21'x10' Size "A" billboard* version).  This was the ninth billboard image out of about 54 used to introduce "The UnCola" to the USA in 1969.
Year:                      1970  (Image #4)    Note:  This smaller Subway Size "B" has a 1970 Copyright date, but my 21' x 10' billboard Size "A" has a 1969 Copyright date (Image #8).
Size:                       58 5/8" wide x 35 5/8" tall  (148.91 cm x 90.49 cm)
Copy Number:         2 of 2 in my collection.  I retain premier copy #1 and sell the rest.  This may be the holy grail for 7Up UnCola collectors.  It's exceedingly rare (they all are), but it's also one of the most remembered and representative of the 60's era.
Printed Signature:    No signature.  Ed worked in-house at the J Walter Thompson [advertising] Co. in Chicago, and as such, he was not allowed to add his signature.
Condition:                NEAR MINT CONDITION.  There are 3 short pieces of scrapbooking tape on the back side of the right edge to repair small rips (left side in Image #6).  There's a skinny vertical stain in the upper right corner (Image #3).  There have been no other touch-ups.
This poster:
Image 1 is the front side of the poster.
Images 2-5 are closeups of the 4 corners.
Image 6 is the back side.
Image 7 is a Photoshop re-creation* of what some really lucky viewers could possibly have seen months before the Woodstock Festival in August of 1969.  The actual double billboard structure in the background image is located in the trendy "Crossroads" area south of downtown Kansas City, MO.  The vintage "30-sheet" structures are the same size and proportions as my vintage paper billboards so they make excellent digital backdrops for displaying my billboard collages.  Look for an actual 21'x10' original paper billboard in a separate listing.
Image 8 is a photo collage of my premier copy #1 21'x10' Size "A" billboard version* of this same image.  It has a 1969 Copyright date and it's comprised of (12) 43" wide x 59" tall paper panels installed per a rainlap diagram to shed rain water like shingles.
Images 9-11 show 3 different billboard and poster offers* with expiration dates between 12/31/69 and 6/30/74 making this image available to the general public in various sizes.
Image 12 is an album cover for The Beatles 1968 "Yellow Submarine" music which was very popular at the time this award winning ad campaign was introduced.  In reality, this 7Up submarine is actually green and the background is yellow, but the connection to the audience was still made by simply using recognizable graphics, color and next to no text.
"The UnCola" story:
My listings come from the largest, one-of-a-kind collection of 7Up UnCola posters and billboards in the world.  To learn more about this award winning ad campaign, search for in-depth articles by Collectors Weekly (Collecting 7Ups Most Beautiful Hallucinatory Billboards), Dangerous Minds (The UnCola 7Up And The Most Psychedelic LSD Friendly Ad Campaign of All Time) or DJ Food's (7Up The UnCola Posters) blogs.  Alternately, search <7Up UnCola> on flickr dot com and you'll quickly find out more about these art competition winning advertising images issued in the late 60's & early 70's:
These outdoor ads (billboards) were commissioned by the J. Walter Thompson [advertising] Co. of Chicago (JWT) between 1969 and the mid-1970's.  I consider them the "Midwest Mad Men".  Most of the 54+ extremely colorful billboard & poster images were illustrated by invited outside freelance artists who were allowed to sign their names on the originals if desired - not all did.  If their design was selected, they received ,000 for the final artwork.  My collection includes at least one each of over half of the billboards and only my duplicate copies are being offered for sale.  A few images were produced in-house at JWT, and never with the artist's name on them.  JWT wisely chose to invite only up and coming artists and not well known graphic stars so as not to let their notoriety overshadow the 7Up product itself.  FYI - Peter Max did NONE of the 7Up posters, contrary to popular belief.  This famous ad campaign increased sales by 30% in a short time and rescued Seven Up from near bankruptcy.  Since then they've lost their fizz.
Many of the artists have gone on to great fame in the graphics community Milton Glaser (I [heart] NY logo) (Mad Men final Season 7 poster; co-founder of Push Pin Studios), Seymour Chwast (co-founder of Push Pin Studios) with Isadore Seltzer (Push Pin), John Alcorn (Push Pin), Barry Zaid (Push Pin), Kim Whitesides, Jacqui Morgan, Simms Taback (1st Happy Meal Box in Smithsonian & Caldecott Honor for children's books), Skip Williamson (underground comics), Robert Abel (1st Tron movie animations), Charlie White III (permanent collection at MOMA), John Craig, Ray Lyle, Heather Cooper, Nancy Martell, Roger Chouinard, Pat Dypold, Bob Taylor, Tom Kamifuji (original rainbow logo for Apple), Bill Bosworth, Ed George, Joanne _ and probably several others.
From time to time Seven Up offered other billboard and poster images to the general public for prices ranging from {{detail_product_description}}.50 to .50 for posters and .50 up to .50 for billboards.  My collection also includes a number of billboard & poster offers that helps me to pin down issue dates.
Check out this recent 69 second 7Up Vintage Limited Edition Art Series video that features several 7Up UnCola images from my collection:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd8EonCcyAs
0:31      "Butterfly & Bottle”
0:33      "The UnUsual”
0:35      "UnCanny In Cans”
0:36      “See The Light”
0:40      “# Un In The Sun”
0:41      "Wet Un Wild”
Check back regularly to see my rotating stock of other poster offerings, including many more smaller 7Up UnCola posters.
- - - Please note that ALL of my images are "All Rights Reserved" and are posted for educational purposes only.  Please do the right thing and contact me in advance if you wish to discuss the use or reuse of my images and provide a link to my originals.  I would also ask that I be given a "first look" at any 7Up UnCola billboards or posters before you market them to the general public in return for my extensive investment in time, money and research, including interviewing some of the surviving artists.  Thanks, and enjoy. - - -
This is a vintage item and is not in perfect condition.  Please view all of my high resolution photos and contact me if you would like to see any more.  Shipping will be to verified addresses only.  A Delivery Confirmation may be required.  International sales will be shipped via eBay's Global Shipping Program only.  International buyers are responsible for all import fees, taxes and customs delays and I will not mark this as a "gift" to circumvent import fees.
Local pick-up in Dallas, TX is OK (contact me before paying).
* = As a clarification, this listing is for one unframed poster only.  All other objects included in the listing photos are for reference only unless noted otherwise.  Shipping will originate from U.S.A. Zip Code 75287.