Röltex Rózsi, Skála Kópé and the others — the advertising mascots of the socialist era who once ruled the city
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Despite the fact that the decades after World War II brought socialism rather than capitalism, we too adopted many of the West’s innovations—officially disdained by the countries of the COMECON bloc. Although there was no real market competition, there were state enterprises that promoted themselves and their products much like private firms in the West. We knew what brand identity, logos, mascots, and advertising characters were—and countless examples of these were created over the forty years of socialism.
Some enjoyed enormous popularity. These characters dominated the market so completely that genuine fandom formed around them. Even the mascot characters that never inspired widespread adoration were familiar to everyone, because they were part of everyday life— with only slight exaggeration, like a neighbor.
Their former glory vanished with the regime change, evaporating as if it had never existed. We’ve forgotten almost all of them, though there are exceptions. Here we review the once–trendsetting advertising and mascot figures of the socialist era.