F is for Freebe!

A follow-up to be read in conjunction with the original posts, which were right back at the start of this blog...B is for Betterwear

A quick perusal of those posts will reveal that I talked then of 'Incentives', having always been told and therefore believing that these were issued for total purchases, or total value of purchases or success as an 'agent' for neighbours or something, however; it would seem that in fact they were randomly shoved through the nation's letter-boxes as an advertising gimmick...

A quick read of the leaflet/flyer that accompanied the 'gift' would seem to suggest a rather physical version of cold-calling, in which the local agent introduced his or herself by going round the neighbourhood posting free cowboys, dancers or spoons (what else was there?) through peoples doors...oh that they were doing so today, they are still going as a direct/mail-order marketing concern with 'local agents', as are Avon and Kleeneze.

How the assembly seems to have been delivered; the flyer and figure together in a paper-backed cellophane window envelope of the type stamp-collectors used to use (well; they may still, I'm no expert!). The tear-off slip states that you exchange it for a free gift? Was this the cowboy so clearly accompanying the uncut slip or a further gift? Did some agents just place the gifts with the coupon as a further incentive, or was the policy changed after the flyers were printed?...or; has the cowboy been married to an uncut leaflet with a stamp-collectors envelope by a toy collector?!

A slightly fuller set than we looked-at last time, the photographs are courtesy of Gareth Morgan (Morgan Miniatures) who has also sent me some shots for the Charbens section of the Khaki Infantry page! I'm still missing the cannon from my collection.

Maybe you got one figure/spoon through the door and the rest of the set with your first contact? Can anyone remember?

It would also be nice to know if these are taken from another - probably US - origin (like the World Dolls which were previously margarine premiums), as they have something of the Alamo or Philippine expedition about them, rather than being just plain 'cowboys'?

 

Much latter - Yes, they are taken from a set of Euro-premiums credited to Mayer-Lippinghausen (German margarine), where they were issued in hard, brittle polystyrene, rather than the soft polyethylene of the Betterware examples.