361. Before the Movie, there was the Pomade: : BLACK PANTHER, 1940s-50 Ads

BLACK PANTHER , 1957 Print Ad

Nope, this cosmetic brand was not inspired by Stan Lee’s character, BLACK PANTHER, who first appeared in comic books in 1966 as ruler of the kingdom of Wakanda. It was subsequently made into a blockbuster superhero film in 2018, starring Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther.

BLACK PANTHER, 1953 Ad

The cosmetic products BLACK PANTHER Hair Pomade predates Stan’s superhero by almost 2 decades, first appearing in post-war 1948. Heart throb Pancho Magalona was tapped to endorse the product in 1948 before he became a Glo-Co hair tonic model too). Subsequent ads featured line drawings.

PANCHO MAGALONA for BLACK PANTHER, 1948 Ad

BLACK PANTHER was manufactured by Lander New York, and sold in the Philippines by Peter & Co., in Manila. The came in attractive dark cobalt blue bottles. “The slumbering fire of BLACK PANTHER…attacks a man’s heart…attack a woman’s heart…until they merge in a flame of ecstacy”—so goes a line from its print ad, worthy of an Oscar. T’Challa would have approved.