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Lyons Maid - The
Good Time Sign (Three Dancing
Children)
Courtesy Alan
Chappel
By the end
of the 1960s the Lyons' ice-cream business
was disappointing with their market share
of hard ice-cream having fallen to 37%. In
1971 it was decided to create a new 'fun
food' image and in keeping with other
parts of the food group they introduced
what became known as the 'slab of cake'.
The larger cartons of ice cream displayed
cheerful pictures of figures and scenes
drawn in children's story-book style. It
is not known whether this 'dancing
children' image, as it became known, was
created by Lyons' own design team or
whether an outside agency was
commissioned. Between April-September 1971
many promotions were run including a TV
campaign which ran continuously during
this period.
In January
1973 the 'Good Time Sign', as it was
officially known, was introduced on all
Lord Neilson's ice cream vans replacing
the sign which had been used since 1966.
Neilson Holdings Ltd, the ice-cream
subsidiary of Associated British Foods,
had been acquired by Lyons in 1962. In the
same year they also acquired Eldorado from
the Union International Company.
Progressively from this date the Good Time
Sign, or the Three Dancing Children as it
is more commonly known, was introduced
across all of the Lyons Maid
products.
Although
the Good Time Sign first appeared on the
Neilson ice-cream vans it bore a
remarkable resemblance to a logo which had
first appeared on Horniman vans in 1936
and the Lyons Maid design was probably
based on this. The Horniman tea business
was acquired by Lyons in 1918.
The Good
Time Sign continued to be used by Lyons
Maid until they disposed of their
ice-cream business in 1992. They were
bought by Clarke Foods Ltd, who went into
receivership in October 1992 and the
ice-interests were eventually sold to
Nestle Ltd later in the year. As far as I
know Nestle acquired the production
facilities and the brand names of Zoom,
FAB, Mivvi etc. Nestle do not appear to
use the Good Time Sign and so it must be
assumed that the Good Time Sign was last
used in 1992.
.©
Peter
Bird 2002
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