Monday, March 30, 2009

The Best of Both Worlds with Ovaltine

With Easter so close, I was thinking about Chocolate Malted Robin's Eggs, which then led to thoughts of Chocolate Malted's at a Soda Fountain, and I ended up thinking about Ovaltine. I know, I'm just odd like that. Though I have tried Ovaltine, it wasn't a staple in my Mom's pantry while I was growing up. Instead, I was a Nestle's Quik Chocolate Milk drinker. At anyrate, I found myself searching for information about Ovaltine... I did have a few Vintage Ads in my digital collection, and further research turned up even more.


It was originally introduced as a nutritional supplement by Swiss chemist Georg Wander. In 1904, his son improved upon the bland taste by creating Ovomaltine; adding such ingredients as sugar and whey. It was exported to Britain in 1909, where it was renamed Ovaltine, and to the United States in 1915. The Ad, above, is from a 1924 French publication.

This 1927 Ad claims Ovaltine "to be supreme for wooing sleep naturally, and creating new energies and strong healthy nerves." This "Tonic Food Beverage" is well on it's way to being known as the "Good-Night Beverage throughout the world."

Below is a Sports related Ad from 1934.

Ovaltine is a powder-like substance, enriched with vitamins and esential nutrients, which is mixed with hot or cold milk.

In the late 1930's, a "University Sleep Investigation" was done, as seen in the above Ad from 1938, claiming that "Ovaltine was the only thing that improved the quality of sleep." Their slogan, The World's "Nightcap" was born.

Their success with marketing and advertising campaigns continued with an association with the U.S. children's radio program, Radio Orphan Annie, from 1931 through 1940. Children would beg their parents for "More Ovaltine, Please!", in hopes of getting radio premiums for a "Secret Decoder Ring" badge or pin that could be used to decode messages in the program.

In the 1940's, if you wanted "to wake up gay in the morning", and "hop out of bed happy", all you needed to do was drink Ovaltine before bedtime!

Even with all of that good news about sleeping and waking up in the most wonderful of ways... Ovaltine continued to remind parents to turn to their product if their "child eats poorly, or is thin and nervous."

Apparently, Ovaltine also would lead to Family Pillow Fights. Who would've guessed?

Claims of healthy children continued on through the 1950's.

They shared with the world, their Ovaltine Factory and Farms in the UK. In the above Ad, you can see their Factory, Dairy Farm, and Egg Farm. Below are more images of the same.

Beginning in 1915, Ovaltine was also being manufactured in Villa Park, Illinois, for the American market.

"Ovaltine is not habit forming... but a good habit to form."

I love the graphics in these two Ads.

For those of you who may be fond of children's books... wouldn't this be a whimsical additon to your collection?

Hopefully there'll be no "noise" in your home, and you'll be able to have "The Best of Both Worlds"

God bless...

Until another time... Pearl

Sources were gleaned from various Google searches, including Wikipedia, and Ovaltine USA Website

5 comments:

Tracie~MyPetiteMaison said...

Hi Pearl,
I love (or loved) Ovaltine. My great grandma introduced it to us as children and we were treated to it each time we visiting with her at her home. They changed the recipe and it's just not the same as I remember. I can still taste the old Ovaltine though and think about my grandparents passing their love of the chocolate malt drink on to us four children! Thanks for the memories (that's a different story... Bob Hope ;) Love your lyrics on your banner. I guess I had forgotten you were a Heart person? Happy night! xo~Tracie

Kathi said...

What a cute post Pearl. I loved Ovaltine too. The adds are adorable. Thank you so much for your kind words and understanding wisdom. I appreciate you greatly. Everything is going along smoothly for my own dear family and Sharon's and our sister Kelli's. It's our parents we are concerned about. Please pray that God will be mericful to them and that they will be fine through this financial crunch our country is going through. I will tell you more later in an email. Hugs and thanks for your prayers, Kathi

Lori said...

Oh I have a fond memory of Ovaltine! Mom would mix the malted flavor with milk and then whip in some vanilla ice cream! Tasted like the insides of malted milk balls, was so yummy!!! Have a good week, hope your feeling well! Just wanted to let you know I'm geting my supplies together for something yummy for you!!! Love,Lori

Twyla and Lindsey said...

Wonderful post! I loved the old advertising. Twyla

errant_rogue said...

Just thought I would chime in for people (like me) who STILL love that taste of real Ovaltine. In the 70's Wander sold the name of "Ovaltine" to Nestlé and that's when the US lost it's favorite drink, however Wander (the original company who came up with the Swiss formula in the 19th century) still makes Ovaltine! I've found it most often in Asian food markets and can sometimes find it at British import stores. It has the same crystalline consistency that I remember as a kid - where you mix it with milk and crunchy chocolaty goodness comes floating to the top. Yum!

Cheers, fellow Ovaltine lovers!

Lance