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The Real Mad Men of Chicago | Chicago Stories

The Real Mad Men of Chicago

You may not have heard of Albert Lasker, Eugene Kolkey, Carol H. Williams, or Tom Burrell, but you most certainly know their creations. They’re Chicago’s own “Mad Men” – the local executives who created iconic figures such as the Marlboro Man, Tony the Tiger, Charlie the Tuna, and the Pillsbury Dough Boy. In Chicago, advertising agencies created their own Midwestern style of advertising from which would emerge a spate of iconic characters, taglines, and jingles, and each of those has its own story. Read more...

The Story of the Real Mad Men


Lead support for Chicago Stories is provided by The Negaunee Foundation and the Jim and Kay Mabie Family.

Additional support is provided by an anonymous donor, TAWANI Property Management, the Walter E. Heller Foundation, and Northern Trust.

Support for Chicago Stories: The Real Mad Men of Chicago is provided by Barbara Molotsky.