Chesty Bond

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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.

Advertising[]

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 Thompson.[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] (every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday)[7] and by 1942 it had been extended initially to four days, and then to five days a week.[8][9][6] Later the four days scheme was re-established.[10] 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[11] 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 prominent.[12]

Acquisition[]

In 2009, Pacific Brands, the owner of Bonds, announced seven manufacturing site closures and job cuts totalling 1,850[13] and that the manufacture of all Bonds products will now be in China.[14]

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. ^ a b c d e f g John Ryan (1979). Panel By Panel: an Illustrated History of Australian Comics. Cassell. pp. 18–24. ISBN 0-7269-7376-9.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Foyle, Lindsay (Autumn 2009). "Testy Chesty Noodled by Bonds Move". Inkspot. Australian Cartoonist's Association. p. 6. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  7. ^ Miller, Syd (19 March 1940). "CHESTY BOND — Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday". The Sun (Sydney) (9425). New South Wales, Australia. p. 22 (LATE FINAL EXTRA). Retrieved 11 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ Miller, Syd (27 April 1942). "CHESTY BOND and his Bond's Athletic -- Every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday". The Sun (Sydney) (10080). New South Wales, Australia. p. 6 (LATE FINAL EXTRA). Retrieved 11 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ Miller, Syd (7 September 1942). "CHESTY BOND Monday to Friday". The Sun (Sydney) (10, 194). New South Wales, Australia. p. 6 (LATE FINAL EXTRA). Retrieved 11 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ Santry, John (27 March 1951). "CHESTY BOND Every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday". The Sun (Sydney) (12, 841). New South Wales, Australia. p. 19. Retrieved 12 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ Kerr, Joan (2007). "Terence John Santry". Design and Art Australia. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  12. ^ "Chesty Bond was a gentle giant". Sydney Morning Herald. 3 May 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  13. ^ Pacific Brands Half Year Results - Presentation Briefing Slides 25 Feb 2009 Archived 26 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, accessed July 11, 2011.
  14. ^ Pacific Brands Chairman's Address to Shareholders 20 Oct 2009 Archived 26 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, accessed July 11, 2011
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