Lorain Telephone Company Ad – Nov. 13, 1956

Here's an ad that hearkens back to the days when utility companies used advertising mascots to pass along important information to their customers. It helped put a friendly face on what were otherwise soulless corporations.

The ad, which ran in the Lorain Journal on November 13, 1956, provided a handy tip to help its customers remember their new, longer telephone numbers.

Our telephone 3-digit prefix back then was AVenue 2 (282).

It sure was nice to able to tell just by recognizing a local telephone prefix where someone lived or a business was located. Nowadays – with landlines rapidly losing favor – a cell phone prefix can be associated with any location. They're harder to remember too.

Anyway, by 1961, the Lorain Telephone Company advertising mascot had been redesigned (below) to be a little cuter.