| The Umbrella Girl | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Sarah Peldon |
|
First Appearance |
Blue package table salt advertising campaign (1914) |
|
Original Publisher |
Morton Salt company |
|
Created by |
N.W. Ayer and Company |
Origin[]
Sarah Peldon, better known as Morton Salt Girl, is the official mascot of Morton Salt. She was introduced in 1914 and is always seen holding an umbrella and a pouring salt container, referring to the company's slogan "When it rains, it pours" (referring to how Morton Salt stays free flowing even in rainy weather after they began adding magnesium carbonate as an absorbing agent to their table salt in 1911 so it poured freely). Sarah is a human female between the ages of 7 and 9 years old. Her attire has always been a gold dress and gold patent Mary Jane shoes, holding an umbrella, and a pouring salt container in rainy weather.
The company sells associated memorabilia and makes some of its vintage advertisements freely available. In 2005, the Morton Salt Girl was shown in MasterCard's "Icons" commercial during Super Bowl XXXIX, which depicts several advertising mascots having dinner together. The logo has its centennial in 2014, which was celebrated with 100 parties in 100 cities, Morton Salt Girl Centennial Scholarships to benefit certain fine arts and culinary arts students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, Morton Salt Girl day at Wrigley Field, Facebook and Instagram lookalike contests, and other activities. Also in 2014, the Morton Salt Girl was voted into the Advertising Week Walk of Fame on Madison Avenue in New York City; it is the first icon featuring a woman to be inducted.