Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) Creates Artwork for the 'Flit' Ad Campaign

In 1928 Flit, then marketed by a newly formed subsidiary of Jersey Standard, Stanco Incorporated, became the subject of a very successful long running advertising campaign.

Theodor Seuss Geisel created the artwork for this campaign, years before he started writing the children's books that made him famous as Dr. Seuss. The ads typically showed people threatened by whimsical, menacing insect-like creatures that will look familiar to fans of Dr. Seuss's later work and contained the tagline "Quick, Henry, the Flit!". This advertising campaign continued for 17 years and made "Quick, Henry, the Flit!" into a popular catchphrase in the United States.

The Flit was manufactured by Standard Oil of New Jersey. Geisel eventually contracted for a 17-year association for the Flit campaign, which brought his work to even more magazines. The Flit relationship lasted until 1945. The phrase "Quick, Henry, the Flit" was developed by Geisel and was a play on Sherlock Holmes' "Quick, Watson, the needle!"