Last Monday I visited the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, California. The museum was filled with countless amazing things (by the way, I highly recommend going if you have the chance), but there was one particular poster that caught my eye…

I just love old nutrition public service announcements, and  this one from 1943 is one of my all-time favourites. After researching its history, I learned from an old Milwaukee newspaper that this was not the only public service poster Disney contributed to…

These posters were created by the California War Council with an aim to “educate the (California War) workers who are turning out stuff for our fighting men to the fact that the war will end sooner if they eat wisely and well”.  They believed that you can get anyone to do anything if you can get them laughing, thus, the general public would be more responsive to their messaging if it was humorously put.

Overall, the caption at the end of the Milwaukee newspaper article said it best:

“California workers are not only getting a smile out of (these posters), but they are also learning something about the kind of meals that people should eat if they are going to make their best contribution to victory.”

I learned about this fact from: The Disney Family Museum;  and The Milwaukee Sentinel, “Funny Pictures that are Full of Common Sense”, 1943.