“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On.”
Robert Frost

Friday, March 8, 2013

Fairy Tales and The Bon Ami Chick . . .

I came across this very unusual little booklet in a batch of old cookbooks. It is one of those peculiar things that just grabs your attention because it is so different. It is quite old, the booklet was printed in 1926.

The Chick That Never Grew Up by George W. Davey was published in 1926 by the Bon Ami Corporation. It is a clever fairytale that explains how Bon Ami cleanser and the little chick came together. 



This is the story of Princess Bon Ami (pronounced Bon Amee). The Princess gave her Bunny Nation a task. They were to find the 'Household's Greatest Friend', a product that would clean without scratching. Below are a few excerpts of text I pulled from the booklet. I quite enjoyed the lyrical quality of the rhymes and the lovely illustrations.















"So Bunny Bright and Bunny White
Set forth that very day,
They traveled both by day and night,
Till they were far away,
And when they reached the rainbow's end
They found the 'Household's greatest Friend'."





"Now as they traveled, homeward bound
A Chick they chanced to meet.
They said "Good morning, Little Chick."
The little Chick said "Tweet."
Said they, "You've never scratched, we'll bet."
The Chick replied, "No, never yet."





Said Bunny Bright,"O, Little Chick,
I can most plainly see
That you must come right back with us
To Princess Bon Ami;
This magic cleaner will not scratch
So you and it are just a match!"





Then to the little Chick she said:
"Drink from this golden cup
And you shall always be a chick
And nevermore grow up;
And everywhere the world shall see
A little chick with Bon Ami."





Then said the Princess Bon Ami,
"This cleaner is so fine
That I will name it 'Bon Ami'
And thus will make it mine.
And this wee chick shall always be
The sign and seal of Bon Ami."





And now you know the story of Bon Ami and the Little Chick.



15 comments:

  1. Jeez, do they still make Bon Ami? I haven't seen a can of that cleanser since Christ was a boy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Debra, you make me laugh so! Yes indeed they still make it, I have a can under my kitchen sink. It works great for cleaning off grime from some of my pottery that I find at estate sales. It won't scratch!

      Delete
  2. This is so adorable. You post about the most darling things. And the story is from 1926! Amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think you have a little gem there! I use Bon Ami too, it will take just about any stain off of a formica countertop.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What can I say, absolutely charming book. Thanks so much for sharing.

    Happiness,
    Jan

    ReplyDelete
  5. AWWw...So beautiful and whimsical..I love how colorful and bright the artwork is..stunning..and such fun!
    Wishing you a Happy March!
    Victoria

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, that is the sweetest find. I've never seen this before.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Haha.. "Household's Greatest Friend".. What a fascinating vintage find!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I keep hearing about Bon Ami on lots of blogs, but this is the best post ever. I love it, it's so cute!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I don't think I know this product? I love the story!! I will have to look for it! I just read what you wrote to Debra.

    ReplyDelete
  10. how adorable. I never ever heard of it...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Very sweet! Love the illustrations! I've seen Bon Ami power, but I can't imagine what a cake of it would look like or how you would use it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Diane what a lovely story and the illustrations are beautiful. Makes me want to only use Bon Ami for my cleanser. Wasn't the past advertising so much better? It would be so nice if there were little booklets produced again to entice consumers to purchase their products. Thanks for sharing this sweet story. Have a wonderful day.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love finding things like this! This one is certainly very pretty thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

ATTENTION SPAMMERS! COMMENT MODERATION IS TURNED ON. ONLY AUTHORIZED COMMENTS WILL APPEAR.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.