Chesty Bond

The Chesty Bond logo

Chesty Bond is a long-lived fictional cartoon character and trademark for the Australian clothing company Bonds. Originally created in 1938 as part of a merchandising campaign to sell men's underwear (and the singlet in particular), Chesty Bond is recognised by many Australians as a popular national icon.

The character was a co-creation of cartoonist Syd Miller[1][2][3] and Ted Maloney,[4] the Bond's account executive at advertising agency, J. Walter Thomkpson.[5][6] Devised in 1938, Chesty Bond only made periodic appearances along with another Bond's comic strip, Aussie History,[5] until it was decided in 1940 to make the strip a regular feature.[5] Beginning in March 1940, Chesty Bond was featured three times each week in Sydney's Sun newspaper,[5][6] and by 1942 it had been extended to five days a week.[6] When Miller joined the Herald and Weekly Times in 1945[6] the strip was taken over by Francis 'Will' Mahoney, who continued to draw it until 1950.[5][6] The strip was then handled by Virgil Reilly before being passed on to Cee Linaker, followed by John Santry[7] until it was retired in 1964.[5][6] Chesty Bond was one of the most successful daily advertising strip running for over 20 years.

Chesty, with his characteristically powerful jutting jaw and impressive physique, became a superhero when he pulled on his trusty Chesty Bond Athletic vest.[5] As a result of the successful campaign, Chesty Bond became the archetypal Australian hero synonymous with Australian masculinity and an icon recognised Australia-wide. Chesty Bond also wears Bonds Boxer shorts, known for their comfortable fit. In 1951 North Sydney and Manly-Warringah rugby league player Max Whitehead was selected to be the human model for the Chesty Bonds character, though a prosthetic chin was fitted for his photo shoots to make it a little more jutting.[8]

In 2009, Pacific Brands, the owner of Bonds, announced seven manufacturing site closures and job cuts totalling 1,850[9] and that the manufacture of all Bonds products will now be in China.[10]

External links

References

  1. ↑ "How Chesty Bond was born". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 29 December 1982. p. 6. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  2. ↑ Kerr, Joan (2007). "Sydney Leon Miller". Design and Art Australia. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  3. ↑ "Syd Miller". Lambiek Comiclopedia. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  4. ↑ McGregor, Richard (16 December 1982). "150 million singlets sold - Chesty Bonds says: that's expansion". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 9. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 John Ryan (1979). Panel By Panel: an Illustrated History of Australian Comics. Cassell. pp. 18–24. ISBN 0-7269-7376-9.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Foyle, Lindsay (Autumn 2009). "Testy Chesty Noodled by Bonds Move". Inkspot. Australian Cartoonist's Association. p. 6. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  7. ↑ Kerr, Joan (2007). "Terence John Santry". Design and Art Australia. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  8. ↑ "Chesty Bond was a gentle giant". Sydney Morning Herald. 3 May 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  9. ↑ Pacific Brands Half Year Results - Presentation Briefing Slides 25 Feb 2009, accessed July 11, 2011.
  10. ↑ Pacific Brands Chairman's Address to Shareholders 20 Oct 2009, accessed July 11, 2011
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