Stomatol is a brand of

toothpaste Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: it is an abrasive that aids in removing dental plaque and food from the teeth, a ...

first sold in Sweden at the beginning of the 20th century. It was particularly notable as having been one of the first Swedish brands to recognise and to use the power of

mass media Mass media refers to a diverse array of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a variety of outlets. Broadcast media transmit information ...

. The brand was originally made by the soap manufacturer Grumme & Son, acquired 1985 by pharmaceutical company

Cederroth AB Cederroth AB is a Swedish pharmaceuticals company which manufactures and markets personal care, healthcare, wound care, household and first aid products. Founded in 1895 in Gävle, by Christian Cederroth, it is based in Upplands Väsby. In 2015 No ...

. The company made extensive use of press, film and signs, both enamel and neon. Stomatol 2009

It is particularly known for the large advertisement sign which has been a prominent local landmark at Slussen in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

since 1909. The

Stomatol Sign The Stomatol Sign is Sweden's first animated commercial display and the oldest still working. It represents a toothbrush and a toothpaste tube of the Swedish brand Stomatol. It was first erected on November 22, 1909, on the old Katarina Elevator, ...

, made from lightbulbs, not neon tubes, was the first animated advertisement sign in Sweden (one can see the toothpaste being squeezed out of the tube). It was originally placed on the

Katarinahissen The Katarina Elevator or Katarina Lift ( sv, Katarinahissen) is a passenger elevator in Stockholm that connects Slussen (the sluice/lock area) to the heights of Södermalm. The lift was a shortcut between Katarinavägen, Slussen and Mosebacke to ...

elevator, but was moved in 1933 to the roof of the nearby building at Klevgränd 1 B. Technical problems forced the electricity to be shut down between 1963 and 1972 and from 1981 until 1986. Many Stomatol film commercials were animated. At least ten of the commercials produced in and around 1930 were drawn by Arvid Olson and Victor Bergdahl, creator of ''Captain Grogg''. Live action, near-feature quality ads were produced around that time by Kinocentralen and which starred popular Swedish comedic actor

Thor Modéen Thor Modéen (22 January 1898 – 28 May 1950) was a Swedish actor and comedian who was active in both movies and on stage. Thor Modéen Teatern, a 3D cinema and theater in Kungsör, was named in his honor. Biography Thor Odert Folke Modéen ...

. Modéen was well known for living a rather extravagant lifestyle, mostly paid for through his work for Stomatol. The brand's slogan was "Stomatol - the only way to obtain healthy and strong teeth!" Stomatol was also manufactured and sold in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. Stomatol toothpaste was first manufactured by ''Carl A. Høyers Stomatolfabrikk A/S'' i

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, which got the exclusive rights for the Norwegian market in 1896. They continued to make Stomatol until they were acquired by competitor Marwell Hauge in 1970, and the Stomatol brand name was discontinued in Norway some time after. From its beginnings, Stomatol devoted part of its budget to advertising, whether in newspapers or in the streets. At the turn of the twentieth century, a building located at the 92-94 Rue Regersgatan in Stockholm sported a large Stomatol painting.

References

External links and references

History and photographs of early Stomatol film advertisements
at the website of the

Swedish National Archive of Recorded Sound and Moving Images The Swedish National Archive of Recorded Sound and Moving Images, in Swedish ''Statens ljud- och bildarkiv'', SLBA, was founded in 1979 (originally having the name ''Arkivet för ljud och bild,'' ALB) with the aim of collecting and preserving all f ...

(SLBA) *Martin Stugart,
Vem har skapat Stomatolskylten?
("Who has created the Stomatol sign?"), reply to a letter from a reader, in a regular column on local Stockholm history in '' Dagens Nyheter'' (accessed January 18, 2006) Brands of toothpaste Swedish brands Products introduced in 1895 1895 establishments in Sweden Goods manufactured in Sweden {{product-stub