Gas Station Give Aways

[WileE]

While reading Crankys thread about gas prices in the past, I thought about stuff they used to give away when you filled up. Yes, back in the 60's & 70's before the first oil embargo, they used to give you a gift, or something, when you fiiled up. Green stamps, drinking glasses, & other things I've forgotten. Here in the NY/NJ area, one of the things was these cool tinted drinking glasses, with either the football Giants or Jets logos, which I still have a few. How about anywhere else, what kind of stuff did they give away at the gas stations in your areas ?

 

[hemirod]

I remember those days as well, of course the S&H Green Stamps and here in Minnesota the Viking Tumbler Glass was very popular. when I was younger I always would ask for STP stickers, what a great day when I did get one.

 

[Brandy]

In northwestern PA the Sonoco stations gave out green transistor " Dino" radios.

 

[Moparsmitty]

They also used to give you "service'. When I worked at a Richfield (ARCO to you young guys) station eons ago if we didn't check your oil, tires, and clean the windshield you'd get an *** chewing from the boss.

 

[cr8crshr]

Well...69a100 and my Father was an employee of the Pure Oil Company which was later bought and incorporated by Union 76. We have a bunch of the Prue Firebird Racing Stuff along with Pure Oil items and then Union 76 items. I still have my Union 76 Racing Jacket and I think he does too. Seeing as how Pop was working for those Company's all we ever got was that stuff. No other brands as that is all we grew up knowing. I still even have a box full of the Union 76 Antenna Styrofoam Balls that I continually display on my cars. Oh...And of course S&H Green Stamps which both Company's also gave out. Mom was always saving those things from the Service Stations and other stores she shopped at. Lotso neat stuff back then...cr8crshr/Tuck

 

[Dennis H]

Atlantic 'Red Ball' Service.

 

[BIGSHCLUNK]

I grew up directly across from a Spur station. Glasses, platters, stamps (cant say they were S&H tho) , calendars, toys, the list goes on and on. Guess you just gotta be one of the "older" guys here to remember....

 

[themechanic]

45 years ago when I was just a wee lad we had a filling station that gave tickets to the Giant Slide next door. What a hoot!

Not many fat kids could handle the 500 steps to the top, either.

 

[Roadcuda]

When the Steve McQueen movie "La e Mans" first came out Gulf was giving out posters with was a picture of McQueen and the Porsche he drove in the movie. Why I really remember this is because we were on vacation and while getting gas I told my dad that I wanted the poster. The station attendant brought one out and somehow while handing it to my day he managed to knock the still pumping gas hose out of the car and which sprayed all over my dad. Needless to say he was po'ed both at me for wanting the thing, and at the attendant. They did step up and gave him money to buy some new clothes!!! I still have that poster around here somewhere.

 

[khryslerkid]

Esso gave out tiger tails, Sinclair gave out dinos,

You had to buy these

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o88ecTEeWEU

 

[64BEL]

Well...69a100 and my Father was an employee of the Pure Oil Company which was later bought and incorporated by Union 76. We have a bunch of the Prue Firebird Racing Stuff along with Pure Oil items and then Union 76 items. I still have my Union 76 Racing Jacket and I think he does too. Seeing as how Pop was working for those Company's all we ever got was that stuff. No other brands as that is all we grew up knowing. I still even have a box full of the Union 76 Antenna Styrofoam Balls that I continually display on my cars. Oh...And of course S&H Green Stamps which both Company's also gave out. Mom was always saving those things from the Service Stations and other stores she shopped at. Lotso neat stuff back then...cr8crshr/Tuck

Some of your pics lead to "impure" thoughts.:eusa_angel:

I have a toy firetruck that I think came from a Hess station. It has a working rotating light. Probably not a pure giveaway, though. I'll have to look at it to see if my memory is correct.

 

[Bruzilla]

When my Dad was working for the Bell System and there would be a strike, he would work at an ARCO gas station and get us all kinds of giveaway stuff. I remember when they had a Noah's Ark deal going where every week you got a pair of animals and then you could buy a big plastic ark to put them in for like a dollar. Gulf was heavy into the space program and gave away paper models of the Lunar Exploration Module (LEM) that our Dad built for us. I also remember them giving away sets of plastic horseshoes for their No Knocks campaign that you would put on the trunk lid. I think the last item I got was in the late 1990s when Texaco was giving away MLB team glasses and I got several Marlins glasses down here in FL.

One of the favorite promotions was in 1971 when ARCO did a campaign with the Pittsburgh Pirates and you would get 8x10 pictures of twelve players, and bumper stickers with announcer Bob Prince's favorite calls on them. I still have a couple of original ones that my Dad brought home and always wanted to put them on a Roadrunner, but the vinyl is so old it wouldn't last a month outside. So I had re-pops made of them and put one on my car.

 

[super-bee_ski]

I can remember back in the late 60s...

as kryslerkid shows...
ESSO gave out a 6" Tiger Tail....
People would hang them from the mirror OR on the gas cap...(back bumper location)
The log was: "Put a Tiger in your tank"

Atlantic Gasoline had a styrofoam "RED BALL" and you'd put it on your antenna.

 

[69a100]

I had one of those Fire Chief hats.

 

[Bruzilla]

Esso gave out tiger tails, Sinclair gave out dinos.

I had a big inflatable Sinclair dinosaur when I was a kid. It was about four feet long and had a dozen or so bicycle inner tube patches on it to keep it on life support.

 

[YY1]

I worked at the last independently owned (and full serve only) Union 76 Station in Dayton OH in 1986.

Full mechanic service, too.

During that time, you could drive down that 4 lane road each week, and see either a gas/convenience combo open, or a "service" station close (or both).

Closer to my house that same year, the full serve and "mechanic on duty" Philips 66 got torn down and six months later in it's place, we got the first "mega pump" United station in the area complete with 44 oz drinks, six pump islands, 25 cents for air or water (instead of free) and a clueless girl behind the register (but no bullet proof glass yet, and pump first then pay was still the norm).

 

[WileE]

When the Steve McQueen movie "La e Mans" first came out Gulf was giving out posters with was a picture of McQueen and the Porsche he drove in the movie. Why I really remember this is because we were on vacation and while getting gas I told my dad that I wanted the poster. The station attendant brought one out and somehow while handing it to my day he managed to knock the still pumping gas hose out of the car and which sprayed all over my dad. Needless to say he was po'ed both at me for wanting the thing, and at the attendant. They did step up and gave him money to buy some new clothes!!! I still have that poster around here somewhere.

Lol ! That's funny, I could just imagine.

 

[Outlaw525]

Anybody else remember the Arco Noah's ark that you could purchase and the animal pairs that they used to give away with a fill-up. My sister and I each had a set. WOW, I'm old!

 

[roadrunnerh]

I also remember the ARCO Noah's Arc and the give away pairs of animals each week. I had 'em. They are long gone, thanks for posting the pics!!!

 

[Bruzilla]

Yep, I had a set of those too.