WorldWide Drilling Resource

58 SEPTEMBER 2015 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® The Early Career of Dr. Seuss Compiled by Bonnie Love, Editor, WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Before the Grinch stole Christmas and we met a cat with a hat, Theodor Seuss Geisel, the man we know as Dr. Seuss, created advertising campaigns for Standard Oil Company. It was the 1920s, and the U.S. was in the midst of the Great Depression, when the strange and wonderful creatures Geisel cre- ated were used to sell Essolube and other products. It all began when, Geisel created a dragon cartoon which mentioned Flit bug spray. This caught the attention of the wife of the company’s ad ex- ecutive who convinced her husband to hire Geisel. They eventually hired him to create several ads. Meanwhile, Standard Oil expanded their advertising department, which had focused on selling Standard and Esso gasolines; lubricating oil; fuel oil; and as- phalt; to promote other petroleum by-products including Flit insecticide. The Mandeville Special Collections Library, located at the University of Cal ifornia San Diego houses The Dr. Seuss Collection in Geisel Library. Ac- cording to the library, these ads, along with those for several other companies, supported the Geisels throughout the Great Depression. His critters promoted many diverse goods, including ball bearings, beer, sugar, Essomarine oil and greases, and Essolube Five-Star motor oil. Essolube continues to be a product offered by ExxonMobil today. Smiling, toothy creatures such as the Zerodoccus and Karbo-nockus appeared in advertisements warning motorists of the hazards of driv- ing without the protection of Standard Oil lubrication. Dr. Seuss said his experience with Standard Oil taught him “conciseness and how to marry pictures with words.” His contract with Standard Oil Company restricted him from a lot of things, but not children’s stories. In his book The Beginnings of Dr. Seuss: An Informal Reminiscence Geisel said, “I would like to say I went into children’s book work be- cause of my great understanding of children. I went in because it wasn’t excluded by my Standard Oil con- tract.” This lead to the creation of one of the world’s most beloved and inspirational authors of all time. The former advertising illustrator wrote his first children’s book, And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street and submitted it to 27 publishers, all of which turned him down, before it was actually published in 1937. Although his unique style was unlike anything else on the market and publishers feared it wouldn’t sell, it quickly became a best seller and the rest is literary history. His ability to spark a child’s imagination and creativity revolutionized children’s literature. Dr. Seuss went on to write more than 40 children’s books, bringing the world such beloved favorites as The Cat in the Hat , How the Grinch Stole Christmas , and one of my children’s favorite stories Green Eggs and Ham . His alma mater, Dartmouth College presented him with an honorary doctorate in 1955 making him officially Dr. Seuss. Photos courtesy of the American Oil & Gas Historical Society (www.aoghs.org ). This cartoon ultimately launched Geisel’s 17-year career with Standard Oil.