Elsie the Cow

Elsie the Cow

Elsie the cow was first seen in a series of Borden company medical journal print ads in 1936.  She was part of a group of cartoon cows that were advertising the purity of Borden’s milk.  Commercial ads were also broadcast on the radio.  The spots were so popular that Borden singled out Elsie as its only “spokescow,” and she was to symbolize the “perfect dairy product.”

By the end of 1939, Elsie had shown up in consumer magazines, billboards, and had even made her appearance on Borden’s milk bottle caps.  Her most famous appearance was at the New York World’s Fair that same year.  For this showing, Borden needed to come up with a real cow to be their mascot.  The most beautiful of their cows was selected for the job.  She was a seven year-old blue-blooded Jersey, born in Brookfield, Massachusetts, and named “You’ll Do Lobelia.”  The cow was given a blanket with her new name, Elsie, embroidered on it, and was shown to the public as they walked through the Borden Futuristic Agricultural Exhibit.

In 1940, another Borden exhibit was created for the New York World’s Fair.  This time, it was specifically catered to Elsie.  It was called the “Bovine Boudoir,” and was complete with furniture and props.  Due to the publicity and successful advertising campaign, RKO asked if Elsie could co-star in the movie “Little Men.”  This presented a great opportunity for Elsie, but it left the exhibit with no cow.  Borden invented a husband, Elmer, to take her place.  Elmer stood at the center of his bachelor pad until Elsie returned.  Elsie returned before the closing of the fair with a surprise.  She had given birth to a baby named Beulah.  That year the Borden exhibit was the most popular exhibit in the fair, even more popular than the General Motors multimillion-dollar Futurama.

For the next couple of years, Elsie continued to appear in print ads for Borden’s dairy products, and she went through a few changes in her image.  She could already talk, and she was given the ability to stand upright.  Eventually she became a mixture of cow and housewife.  She became the mascot for Borden’s, not just advertising milk anymore.  She promoted all of Borden’s dairy products.

Elsie and her daughter Beulah went on several live tours to advertise Borden’s and also to promote U.S. War Bonds.  She even appeared on television’s “What’s My Line.”

In 1947, Elsie had another calf on the way, and a contest to name the baby brought in over one million entries.  She actually gave birth to the bull at New York’s Macy’s department store, and he was named Beauregard.  This contest was so successful that in 1957 another contest took place to name her new babies, bringing in over three million entries.  The winning names for the twins were Larabee and Lobelia.

Elsie continued to tour with her family.  She made a stop at Freedomland USA, a theme park in the Bronx depicting America’s history.  She also made another appearance at the New York World’s Fair in 1964.  The Borden’s exhibit was called the Better Living Pavilion and featured Elsie in a musical revue.

Elsie was seen in advertising campaigns for over 30 years, but she was never able to make the transition to television.  Except for the rare promotional appearance, she was retired in the late 1960s.  Borden’s kept her image on their products, and she is still on many products today.

In 2000, Elsie was named one of the Top Ten advertising icons of all time by “Advertising Age.”  In 2007, she helped Borden’s celebrate 150 years of products.  In 2008, the “Friends of Elsie” campaign is launched to help foster a relationship between American families and American farmers.

Elsie the Cow is an American advertising icon, and shows no signs of disappearing. For over 70 years she has helped sell Borden’s products, and she is still loved by people today.  Merchandise ranging from dolls to salt and pepper shakers were created in Elsie’s likeness, and today, some of these items are rare collectibles.

If you have any interesting stories about Elsie the Cow, please write in and let us know.