Selling the Presidents

I recently wrote about licensing the likenesses of dead people. But you have a little more leeway when talking about public figures...such as U.S. presidents.

John Breneman has collected some of the results:

A couple years ago on President's Day, I read in the newspaper that Abraham Lincoln was rated by a panel of scholars as the nation's greatest president ever. Said so right on Page 3.

Then I turned to the automotive section to find a sad-eyed Abe in wearing a conical birthday hat and tooting a party horn to trumpet the "Historic Deals" at some Volkswagen dealership.

Further down the page George Washington (ranked #3 in the greatest-ever poll) is sporting the same red-and-white striped chapeau with the tassel on top as Lincoln. But his party horn is cut off by a '98 Jetta pricetag, making it look like he's smoking something or sucking his thumb....

Word balloons put "quotes" in the mouths of our greatest leaders. Lincoln exclaims, "All options at dealer cost!" And Washington chimes in "Instant financing too!" This is in an ad for Subaru Legacy sedans and wagons.

More here.