History of Buster Brown: 1913 – 1943
1913
With the introduction of movie theaters throughout the country, Brown Shoe adds short films to the receptions and brings them indoors.
1917
Brown Shoe Company updates Outcault’s cartoon, Buster Brown, with a new, more lifelike look and creates the classic logo of a winking Buster and a grinning Tige.
Brown Shoe Company launches a national advertising campaign for Buster Brown shoes, one of the first lines of shoes for children to be marketed across the country in the most popular magazines, like The Saturday Evening Post and Ladies’ Home Journal. The success of the Buster Brown campaign establishes Buster Brown as a national brand.
1925
Universal Studios release the “Buster Brown Comedies,” a series of silent movies.
1926
The Buster Brown Radio Club hits the airwaves. Every Monday and Friday evening, Buster and Tige entertain for one hour.
1943
On behalf of the Buster Brown brand, Leo Burnett Advertising Company launches “The Buster Brown Gang” with Smilin’ Ed McConnell — a children’s radio show.
1945
Smilin’ Ed McConnell introduces the Buster Brown comic book, free with a purchase of Buster Brown
shoes.
