Nostalgic retro milk signs for National Milk Day
These photos of retro milk-themed signs and restaurants (shared by Rolando Pujol) were posted to celebrate National Milk Day, which fell on January 11. The collection of nostalgic photos shows adorable signs advertising milk, featuring lovely designs: an anthropomorphic milk bottle in a top hat, a grinning cartoon cow, a giant milk carton, and retro fonts that bring these signs to life. These charming advertisements of the past would have convinced me to buy their milk if I’d been around back then.
National Milk Day celebrates the first home delivery of milk in glass bottles in 1878. It’s also a day to appreciate dairy farmers and enjoy dairy-related treats like milkshakes or ice cream. It may also be an important time to remember to take a Lactaid pill.
From Rolando Pujol on Instagram:
“They say it’s National Milk Day, giving me a perfect excuse to dig through my archive for photos to mark the day. Our tour begins with Mr. Milk Bottle. This delightful character is an icon of Pomona, California. The business he represented for more than 65 years is gone, but Mr. Milk Bottle is expected to stick around in a new role representing an apartment complex that will be built on the property. Mr. Milk Bottle was once connected to Driftwood Dairy, with its adorable mascot, Drifty, a beloved part of the streetscape in El Monte, California.
Next is the gorgeous sign for the Milk Farm in Dixon, California. This roadside stop off I-80 is long gone, but the towering sign remains. I’m over the moon for it. We jaunt up the West Coast to Spokane, Washington, where we can get some ice cream at Mary Lou’s Milk Bottle, the mimetic structure once part of a small dairy chain in the area, the Benewah Creamery Co. The sign for Vandervoort’s Dairy makes quite an impression in Fort Worth, Texas. As the neon tubing spells out, ‘It’s Sure Good.’ We head to North Carolina and this salvaged-in-place sign for Pine State Milk in Durham and this giant milk carton at Pet Milk in Mount Airy, the inspiration for TV’s Mayberry and Andy Griffith’s hometown.
Finally, I spotted this sign back in 2013 at a farm in Meshoppen, Pennsylvania. It dates back to the mid to late 1980s, an era when dairy industry commercials urged us to ‘have more milk, ‘cause milk’s got more.’ Several of these signs are featured in my book, ‘The Great American Retro Road Trip.’ Like downing a Vitamin D-rich glass of milk, fortify your knowledge of roadside Americana by picking up your own copy!”
See also: If your coconut cream smells like soap, here’s why (toss it!)
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