Did you do a double take when Peggy asked for a condom by brand name? 

It’s difficult to find Trojan ads from 1963 because they advertised directly to pharmacists and drugstore owners because of obscenity laws. They also used to be called: Youngs Rubbers.

They were named after patent owner Merle Leland Youngs, Presbyterian from upstate New York. Until the year of the Great War, condoms were considered instruments of vice. Though they were an essential acessory for American soliders stationed in Europe, back in the States, they were mostly sold in bars. Eventually, through some clever marketing Youngs Rubbers slipped their way into mainstream. 

From a Slate piece about Trojan condoms:

Youngs knew, however, that condoms needed a new image in order to thrive. He countered the product’s dicey reputation by stressing manufacturing standards and building a state-of-the-art factory in Trenton, N.J., that produced condoms of uniform quality. He also favored austere packaging emblazoned with nothing but a Trojan helmet, a symbol meant to connote protection and virility.

The picture above is what a single-serve condom wrapper looked like in the Before Time. Today, 70.5 percent of condoms purchased in United States drugstores are Trojan.

(image via copyranter)

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5. growingpangs reblogged this from madmenfootnotes and added:

   Ridiculously good call. I totally paused...moment when Pegs dropped

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   Mad Men Footnotes...so incredibly fascinating. madmenfootnotes:

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