Joe Camel (officially Old Joe) was the advertising mascot for Camel cigarettes from late 1987 to July 12, 1997, appearing in magazine advertisements, billboards, and other print media. Prior to 1987, the character had appeared in animated television advertisements. The company denies every god-damned piece of truth regarding their mascot. FACT: Joe Camel IS a cock and balls. Camel's explanation: It is NOT a cock and balls. FACT: The mascot was created to drive gay men crazy. Camel's explanation: The mascot was NOT created to drive gay men crazy. Do NOT support this immoral brand!^[1] Millie, once mascot of the City of Brampton, is now the Brampton Arts Councils representative. ... Camel is a brand of cigarettes introduced by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco (RJR) in 1913. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Animation refers to the process in which each frame of a film or movie is produced individually, whether generated as a computer graphic, or by photographing a drawn image, or by repeatedly making small changes to a model (see claymation and stop motion), and then photographing the result. ... A television advertisement or commercial (often called an advert in the United Kingdom) is a form of advertising in which goods, services, organizations, ideas, etc. ...

History

Joe Camel was conceived in the 1950s by Billy Coulton, art director in Long Island working on a T-shirt promotion for the brand in Europe. The R.J. Reynolds U.S. marketing team, looking for an idea to promote Camel's 75th anniversary, re-discovered Joe in the company's archives in the late 1980s. At that time, R.J. Reynolds' staff found that the Camel brand had a reputation as an "old-man's cigarette." The staff wanted a new campaign to make the brand more attractive to contemporary smokers. Richard Joshua R.J. Reynolds (1850-1918) was an American businessman and founder of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. ...

Controversy

In 1991, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study^[2] showing that more children 5 and 6 years old could recognize Joe Camel than could recognize Mickey Mouse or Fred Flintstone, and alleged that the "Joe Camel" campaign was supposedly targeting children—despite R.J. Reynolds' contention that the campaign had been researched only among adults and was directed only at the smokers of other brands. At that time it was estimated that over 30% of all cigarettes sold in the U.S. were Marlboros. Subsequently, the American Medical Association asked R.J. Reynolds Nabisco to pull the campaign. R.J. Reynolds refused, and the Joe Camel Campaign continued. In 1993 and 1994, more appeals to end the campaign followed. 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... JAMA, published continuously since in 1883, is an international peer-reviewed general medical journal published 48 times per year. ... Mickey Mouse is an Academy Award-winning comic animal cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. ... Fred Flintstone. ... Marlboro logo Marlboro is a brand of cigarette made by Altria. ... The American Medical Association (AMA) is the largest association of medical doctors in the United States. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ...

In response to the criticism, they instituted "Let's Clear the Air on Smoking," a campaign of full-page magazine advertisements consisting entirely of text, typically set in large type, denying those charges, and declaring that smoking is "an adult custom."

Under pressure from Congress and various public-interest groups, on July 10, 1997, RJR announced it would voluntarily end its Joe Camel campaign and cease to disseminate all ads showing the character. A new campaign with a more adult theme debuted: instead of Joe Camel, it had a plain image of a quadrupedal, non-anthropomorphic camel. Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups (as of November 7, 2006 elections) Democratic Party Republican... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Zebra is an example of a quadruped. ... Anthropomorphism, also referred to as personification or prosopopeia, is the attribution of human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, forces of nature, and others. ... Species Camelus bactrianus Camelus dromedarius Camelus gigas Camelus hesternus Camelus sivalensis Camels are even-toed ungulates in the genus Camelus. ...

R.J. Reynolds to this day has denied Joe Camel was intended to be directed at children; the company maintains that Joe Camel's target audience was 25–49-year-old males and current Marlboro smokers. Marlboro logo Marlboro is a brand of cigarette made by Altria. ...

References