ten billion butterfly sneezes

Beloved TV advertising icon, Dick Wilson, known to a generation as Mr. Whipple, has passed away at age 91.

George Whipple, the character, ran a small grocery where he guarded the Charmin display, admonishing customers,

Please, don’t squeeze the Charmin.

A simple slogan like that was part of popular culture for a good many years. There were over 500 different spots; they aired from 1964-1985. The slogan even spawned a country song called Don’t Squeeze My Sharmon, performed by the likes of Ernest Tubb and Charlie Walker. This was another country song that I doubtless first heard at my grandparents’ farmhouse; my Granddad got tickled every time he heard it. At least I think the ads spawned the song; all I know is I saw the commercial before I heard the music.

Dick Wilson seemed a humble man, content with his lot in life:

“Everybody says, ‘Where did they find you?’ I say I was never lost. I’ve been an actor for 55 years,” Wilson told the San Francisco Examiner in 1985.

Though Wilson said he initially resisted commercial work, he learned to appreciate its nuance.

“It’s the hardest thing to do in the entire acting realm. You’ve got 24 seconds to introduce yourself, introduce the product, say something nice about it and get off gracefully.”

and:

After Wilson retired, he continued to do occasional guest appearances for the brand and act on television. He declared himself not impressed with modern cinema.

“The kind of pictures they’re making today, I’ll stick with toilet paper,” he told The Associated Press in 1985.

Thanks for the memories, Mr. Whipple. I’ll squeeze a roll in your memory.

-k-

tbbs tags: RIP, Charmin

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