Put a Tiger In Your Tank 1959 Posters and Art Prints

“Put a tiger in your tank” was a slogan created in 1959 by Emery Smith, a young Chicago copywriter who had been given the task to produce a newspaper ad to boost sales of Esso Extra gasoline. The tiger wasn’t Smith’s invention, as he first appeared as a mascot for Esso in Norway at the turn of the century. The end of WWII and the resumption of petrol advertising is when the tiger made his US debut. The message was that Esso fuel was so powerful that it was the equivalent of having a roaring beast powering engines. From glass globe pump heads and gas cap tiger tails, to stuffed animals and bumper stickers, the campaign was a hit, both in the U.S. and abroad.