1940s Gibbs Dentifrice Ad – Vintage British Dental Hygiene Print Ephemera

🔍 eBay Listing Spotlight

Item ID: 297240848740
eBay Seller ID: britishfareasttraders
eBay Store Link: View this item
Category: Collectables:Advertising Collectables:Other Advertising Collectables
Condition: In decent condition. Please check our images.

1940s Gibbs Dentifrice Ad – Vintage British Dental Hygiene Print Ephemera

A delightfully nostalgic piece of wartime children’s health advertising — a must-have for collectors of vintage dental ephemera, mid-century public health, and social history prints.

Measurements: approx. 2 x 5 1/4  inches
Dates: n/a
Condition: In decent condition, please see images. 
Internal notes: QC passed

It’s a crisp morning in 1940s Britain. A mother calls her son from the hallway — it’s time to brush his teeth. But like many boys of the era, he tries to dodge the task… until she mentions Gibbs Dentifrice. With its “clear, fresh taste”, even the most reluctant youngster might grin and comply. This delightful advert, featuring a cheeky cartoon lad and bold wartime typography, transports us back to a time when even toothbrushing was part of a national call to cleanliness, pride, and progress.

Produced by D. & W. Gibbs Ltd., London, and priced at 7½d for the original and 7d for refills, this circa 1940s piece exemplifies Britain’s marketing strategies during and just after the war — highlighting good health, modern hygiene, and accessible solutions for families. The playful question at the top — â€œDoes your boy try to dodge cleaning his teeth?” — echoes the universal parental challenge, giving this ad a timeless charm. Measuring approx. 2 x 5 1/4 inches, it remains a superb specimen of mid-century health product promotion, ideal for framing or archiving.

Collecting items like this is not simply about nostalgia — it’s about honouring the everyday lives, routines, and values of past generations. These pieces were part of daily life: on bathroom shelves, pinned to shop windows, and seen in newspapers across the nation. Today, they serve as quiet time capsules that connect us to an era shaped by resourcefulness, health campaigns, and post-war optimism.