Learn about Burma Shave signs history and the intriguing advertising campaign that put rhyming signs on the road for motorist enjoyment.
Before there were smart phones and the internet, before there were disc brakes on motorcycles, even before there was color television, there were Burma-Shave roadside signs that, starting in 1925, popped up along America’s highways and byways. And every one of those red-and-white signs helped tell a story to passing motorists. It was a tradition that existed for more than 40 years.
Burma Shave Signs History
Burma-Shave was a brushless shaving cream (starting out as a liniment product) that got its name when the Burma-Vita company was formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the early 1920s. The primary product was a topical preparation for shaving; part of the cream’s ingredients originated in Asia on the Malay Peninsula, which contains a region known as Burma. Thus, the name Burma-Shave, which helped explain the shaving cream connection to consumers.
Specifically, though, Burma-Shave road signs served as marketing gimmicks to entertain motorists and motorcycle riders during long stints on the highway. A series of six signs, each spaced about 100 feet apart to give travelers time to read each sign, included a humorous rhyme verse that told a minor story. The signs’ verses also reminded motorists that driving (and riding) can be hazardous if vehicle operators are careless.
Decline of the Burma Shave Sign
In their peak through the 1950s, Burma-Shave signs totaled about 7,000 that, through the years, featured as many as 600 rhymes. Burma-Shave’s controlling company was acquired in 1963 by Phillip Morris, and the corporate takeover eventually led to the demise of the road signs and their entertaining prose.
Not all states had allowed the road signs, though. Apparently Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Massachusetts prohibited them along their roads. Years later, following the formation of various historic Route 66 organizations, Burma-Shave “tribute” signs made a comeback of sorts. Ironically one group of signs can be found in Arizona where the longest continuous stretch (approximately 125 miles) of the Mother Road exists today between Seligman and Kingman. Those signs are featured here.
If Burma-Vita still existed, what would a string of Burma-Shave signs read like today? We can only imagine:
Even though you’re alone,
Put down that phone,
Keep your eyes ahead,
You might end up dead.
Burma-Shave!
