334. “Little Car on 2 Wheels”: VESPA SCOOTERS, 1964

VESPA SCOOTER, Philippine ad, 1964

VESPA SCOOTERS are considered prized classic scooters, what with their sleek, streamlined midcentury design. The Piaggo family of Italy started the business after World War II,  manufacturing their first vehicle in 1946 using spare aircraft parts from Benito Mussolini’s airplanes.

VESPA SCOOTER, Philippine ad, 1964

Piaggio & Co. Inc., the family company,  eventually ventured into scooters to boost mass transportation in the country, naming the line VESPA--Italian for ‘wasp’--as the unique handle bars and the roundish body reminded them of the insect. 

VESPA IN ROMAN HOLIDAY FILM, 1953
Photo: allposters.com

The new VESPA SCOOTER was such a hit in Europe and by 1956, 1 million VESPA units had been sold. In 1964, VESPA SCOOTERS made their first appearance in the Philippines when units wereimported by East Asiatic Co., Ltd. with business offices in Buendia Avenue, Makati. VESPA was distributed nationally by Olympia International Inc. with dealers in Baguio, Angeles, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga and Davao City.

VESPA PHILIPPINE DEALER

Italy’s “little car on two wheels” was perfect for Philippine roads, and rides smoothly with astonishing economy—45 kilometers to a meter. The iconic style icon—VESPA was featured being driven by Audrey Hepburn in her 1953 film, “Roman Holiday”---is still in production today—available through Vespa Philippines Motoitalia, along Ortigas in San Juan.

SOURCES:

History of the Vespa: https://vespapizzeria.com/history-of-the-vespa/

Vespa Philippines: https://www.vespa.com/ph_EN.html

333. WHITE KING FLOUR AND MIXES, Republic Flour Mills, 1960S Ads

AN EARLY WHITE KING FLOUR AD, check out the king mascot, 1962

Republic Flour Mills (now known as RFM Corporation), was the country’s first flour mill, established all the way back in August 16, 1957—even though wheat wasn;t really grown locally. It introduced Filipinos to a brand of all-purpose flour named WHITE KING, which, through appealing advertising and strong sales promotions, became very popular in the Philippines. By 1962, WHITE KING was an established flour brand, bolstered by a new Cake Flour line.

WHITE KING OMNIBUS AD, 1964

But much as Filipinos craved for cakes, the baked confections were just too inconvenient to common families who only had wood-fed or gas stoves in their kitchens; even with cake flour mixes, they were just too cumbersome to create. Thus, things took a turn for the better with the introduction of the WHITE KING Hotcake, Waffle,  Doughnut  and Bibingka Mixes—all-time Filipino favorites that didn’t require baking, frosting, and much fuss.

WHITE KING HOTCAKE MIX & DOUGHNUT MIX AD, 1962

WHITE KING Hotcake and Waffle Mix became the company’s bestseller through the years, and today, it continues to be produced by RFM,  in the Creamy Classic and Complete varieties (just add one egg, maple syrup comes free!). The original WHITE KING All-Purpose Flour, Bibingka and Chocolate Cake are still very much around too, but Brownies, Crinkles, and Puto are also now part of the current offerings of  this  heritage brand that has been around for over 60 years. 

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332. ISUAN SOFT DRINKS, of ISUAN Inc. 1935-1937

ISUAN SOFTDRINKS PRINT AD, 1937

One of the most popular line of softdrinks of the 1930s Philippines is the ISUAN brand (pronounced E-Swan), produced by ISUAN, Inc. The softdrinks were made from the famous ISUAN Mineral Water, sourced and bottled at Deep Hot Springs, Km. 66, Los Baños, Laguna. Aside from the all-purpose mixer , Soda Water, the flavors include Tru-Orange and Ginger Ale. Another sub-brand Dixo-Cola was added to the ISUAN line around 1935.

FORMULA FOR REFRESHMENT, ISUAN, 1935

ISUAN GINGER ALE & TRU-ORANGE, 1935

WHISKY-ISUAN, 1930s

DIXO-COLA, by ISUAN, 1930s

331. Just Add Ice and Milk! JUDY’S HALO-HALO IN CANS, 1963

JUDY'S HALO-HALO, print ad 1963

 Now here’s a product innovation that’s theoretically brilliant—a canned halo-halo! Imagine, your favorite refreshing Filipino dessert, yours to enjoy straight from the can—just add shaved ice and milk!  JUDY’S HALO-HALO, which came out in the early 1960s, packed a halo-halo mix of sweet beans, preserved kamote, banana, langka bits and sakobi (tapioca pearls) in a tin can. By adding shaved ice, evaporated milk, and a scoop of leche flan or ube haleya, you can easily make your own halo-halo creation. But the idea, however clever, did not take off. It’s probably because halo-halo was readily available in any neighborhood, and can be made using fresher, more natural ingredients—no preservatives needed.  At a cheaper price too, since in those days, you had the option of bringing your own glass. JUDY’S HALO-HALO even had the budget to advertise in national weekly magazine, using strip ads, but no amount of marketing push could help the product.  You could say that the reception to JUDY’s HALO-HALO was cold, its sale, well, frozen.

330. Choco-craze of the 70s!: RICOA CHOCOLATES, Commonwealth Foods, Inc. 1971

In the 70s, the favorite chocolate treats that came in personal boxes were the flavor-loaded treats from Commonwealth Foods, Inc. Three years earlier, it had merged with Fibisco and Ricoa, the first local company to produce chocolate products in the country.

The RICOA CHOCOLATE line featured this chocolatey array of affordable boxed choco terat,

·         CURLY TOPS, the line’s best-selling chocolate comes in small crinkle cups, with a signature swirl at the top. Favorite as gifts during special occasions, like valentine and Christmas.

·         FLAT TOPS, are similar to Curly Tops, but have a lighter color, and harder in texture.

·         PEANUT CRUNCH are peanut filled chocolate confections.

·         C’BON are milk chocolate macaroons.

·         BABY CHERIE are soft chewy candies with layered filling of cream and chocolate

·         ROLL-O NUT is a short chocolate bar layered with nuts.

·         BABY CREAMY WAY are candies filled with soft, gooey chocolate

·         RICO NUTS are round chocolate treats laced with peanut bits.

·         SWEET TWENTY are assorted chocolate candy treats