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Long Live Mr. Whipple

In all the hullabaloo of the Thanksgiving holiday, I neglected to acknowledge the passing of Dick Wilson, the actor who played Mr. Whipple for more than twenty years. Mr. Whipple was the star of an ad campaign for Charmin toilet paper, and in a 1978 survey, he was the most-recognized American after Richard Nixon and Billy Graham.

Actors who specialize in commercial work are often dismissed as less than serious about their craft, but Wilson once said, "The kind of pictures they're making today, I'll stick with toilet paper." By "sticking with toilet paper," the man was able to work twelve days a year for an annual salary of $300,000. Beat that.

In honor of Dick Wilson's place in pop culture, here are a couple of his earlier commercials.

Comments

dive said…
Robyn, that's hilarious!

I've never seen him before, but I must admit I'd far rather watch him than Nixon or Graham!
8:08 AM
Mrs. G. said…
I loved Mr. Whipple and his refusal to squeeze the Charmin. Thanks for the tribute.
1:58 PM
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