Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

We have one more Christmas gift for our listeners! Today we’re going to be talking about a holiday icon that began as a marketing stunt. (Let’s be honest. Sometimes it feels like Christmas is just one big marketing stunt.) But we’re with friends, so we're getting into the Christmas spirit. (Or spirits!)

Today we’re going to be talking about everyone’s favorite red-nosed reindeer, Rudolph, and his origin story from a retail store’s marketing department to being the guide at the front of Santa’s sleigh.

So ask the bartender for a couple of Rudolph’s Tipsy Spritzers because it’s the holiday season back here in the bar.

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Mentioned in this episode:

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-123-rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit our merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

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Just in time for Christmas, we've brought some classic toys with us that have become iconic collectibles.

First, we suggest you grab your seat belt and buckle-up as we white knuckle the wheel and talk the fast-paced glitz of Hot Wheels cars, and then we’re gonna fight for truth and justice as we get our hands on some highly collectible Mego superhero action figures.

So order up a couple of Caped Crusaders. We’re gonna be crossing the finish line with all of our Super Listeners, right here in the bar. (And just like airline-size liquor bottles, these toys make perfect stocking stuffers.)

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Mentioned in this episode:

• Hot Wheels Cars

• Mego Action Figures

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-122-trailblazing-toys

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit our merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon or subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we head into the holiday season, we’re giving thanks by spotlighting the four freedoms—Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Fear and Freedom from Want—along with the man who brought them to life in ways everyone could understand: Norman Rockwell.

We talk about how while critics threw shade his way, Rockwell created what is arguably the most iconic Thanksgiving image of all time, parodied and remixed over the years.

So mix up a couple of vodka and cranberries and serve them up in a gravy boat. It's time to join us as we give thanks to be with you, our listeners, back here in the bar.

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Mentioned in this episode:

Norman Rockwell

Four Freedoms

Freedom From Want

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit our Merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Magazines. They’re still big business, but today’s magazines are a pale imitation of what they once were. And being on a magazine cover meant that you hit the big-time. Sometimes that was amazing, other times not so much.

Today we’re discussing some iconic covers that made statements from the shelves of newsstands and delivered surprises to unsuspecting mailboxes. John Lennon, Demi Moore, Richard Nixon, New York City, Apple and Batman have all made the cut.

So ask your bartender for a round of Boulevardiers and make sure all your subscriptions are up-to-date. We’re bringing a tall stack of reading materials with us to the bar.

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-120-noteworthy-magazine-covers

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit our Merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since it’s still October, we’re continuing with the second of our two Horror Month episodes here in the bar. If you didn’t get enough shock and terror from our last episode, you just weren't listening closely...Come to think of it, that could be said about any of our episodes.

Today we’re discussing a couple of amazing horror movie posters for The Thing and Creature from the Black Lagoon. The stories that inspired them, the artists who created them (Reynold Brown and Drew Struzan) and what makes these posters great.

So order a round of Black Magic Margaritas for everyone. We’re dimming the lights and lighting some candles back here in the bar.

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Mentioned in this episode:

The Thing

Creature from the Black Lagoon

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-119-scary-good-posters

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit our Merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since it’s October, we’re gonna jump into the next two episodes with Horror Month here in the bar.

Horror? Sure, regular listeners will wonder why this month is somehow different from any other, but don’t worry. The quality is still the same, only this time we’re talking about some characters created for the amusement of both the young and the young-at-heart. We’re talking about the origin stories of Monster Cereals from General Mills and the mascot Gritty from the ice in Philly.

So order a couple of Corpse Revivers. We’re moaning and groaning as we shake off the cobwebs back here in the bar.

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Mentioned in this episode:

Monster Cereals from General Mills

Gritty

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-118-monster-sponsors

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit our Merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While we don't recommend drinking and driving, we do recommend talking pop culture and cars while sitting safe and sound on a couple of bar stools.

Buckle up as we travel back in time to discuss what are arguably the two most popular cars in pop culture: the original 1960s Batmobile and the DeLorean from Back to the Future. Sometimes they worked, oftentimes they didn't. If you smell some burning rubber, it's not from us thinking—at least not this week. Instead, it's a high-octane topic coupled with some Golden Cadillacs from our bartender. Enjoy.

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-117-iconic-pop-culture-cars

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit our Merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re taking a short break. In the meantime, grab a drink and kick back with one of our classic episodes.

Cats. You may love ‘em, hate ‘em or feel indifferent, but there’s no escaping their power, especially if you spend any time online.

Cats have a long history in the world of advertising. In this classic episode we invited friend and poster expert Paul Hennessey back into the bar to discuss the appeal of cat posters aesthetically and financially, discuss a few of our favorites and decode why their traits and quirks make them perfect for so many different types of products.

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-116-cat-posters-with-paul-hennessey-classic

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit our Merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we say "TV network," what do you think of? When we say "TV network brand," what pops into your head? Is it a logo or a sound? Is it an animation or an app? Is it a signature show?

Today we’re going to be talking about a couple of identities made for NBC and Netflix. We discuss the origin stories for both their visuals and their sounds.

So add us to your queue. We're gonna be sipping on a couple of Cobra Strikes as we get this show underway back here in the bar.

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-115-network-branding

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit our Merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve been exploring the Polynesian Pop trend that swept suburbia. From the 1930s to the ‘70s, tiki culture was everywhere. And then, like the tide going out, it was gone.

Today we talk about the factors that brought it back in the late ‘90s and early 2000s (hint: swing, thrifting and SpongeBob) and how tiki is influencing artists today.

Grab a Bahama Mama and join our conga line as we swing, sway and sashay back into the bar.

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-114-tiki-culture-part-3

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit our Merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices