Rinso Washing Powder: A Bachelor Grey (c1943)

Narrating the life of bachelor Henry, this cartoon-style advertisement for Rinso washing powder shows how this miraculous laundry product can turn anyone’s life around!

A Bachelor Gray is a self-contained narrative in which the main character’s life is introduced, his troubles shown, and then how the product (Rinso washing powder) solves all his problems, getting him a wife along the way. This story format can be seen in a number of other early Rinso advertisements including Then Came Happiness (1931) for Rinso soap powder, Rinso Washing Powder : Fairy Story Comes True (1935) and Rinso Laundry Powder: Hilda and Hugh Jones (1940). The creation of fictional characters and familiar situations aided in the identification of the consumer with the advertised product.