Coppertone is the brand name for a suntan lotion, owned by Schering-Plough HealthCare Products Inc.

It dates to 1944, when pharmacist Benjamin Green invented a lotion to darken tans. The company became famous the following year when it introduced the Coppertone girl, an advertising symbol showing a young girl in pig-tails, with a small, black, Cocker Spaniel puppy yanking on the back of her swimsuit bottoms, exposing her buttocks, showing the difference between her tanned body and her bare white backside. Accompanying the ads was the impish slogan, "Don't be a paleface!"

The original artist, Joyce Ballantyne Brand, created this iconic image using her daughter Cheri as model. Later, Jodie Foster made her acting debut as the Coppertone girl in a television commercial, when she was 3 years old.

At the turn of the 21st century, Coppertone revised drawings of the Coppertone Girl, so that they would be less revealing in an era of changed moral views. Some recent versions show only the girl's lower back, as opposed to her buttocks (see the current icon, to the left).

The image has been frequently parodied, often using older female models duplicating the pose for a pin-up effect. Jim Carrey's 1995 Rolling Stone cover and Carmen Electra's 2004 Esquire cover are two examples.

Parodies

External links

• Showing image of Coppertone Girl in logo
• Interview with Joyce Ballantyne Brand

Advertising characters