o.b. ads, booklets & actual tampons: German (1970s) - German (1972) nude woman on bed - German nude (1970s) - French (1989) - folder, Germany, early 1950s (tells what o.b. means!) - Dutch, two ads from 1959 giving THEIR take on what o.b. means, which was wrong - Dutch ads, 1962, 1967 - o.b. puberty booklets (excerpts): German, Dutch (2004) - o.b. actual tampons: Switzerland (o.b.é.), 1970
CONTRIBUTE to Humor, Words and expressions about menstruation and Would you stop menstruating if you could?
Some MUM site links:
HOMEPAGE |
MUM address & What does MUM mean? |
Email the museum |
Privacy on this site |
Who runs this museum?? |
Amazing women! |
Art of menstruation (and awesome ancient art of menstruation)|
Artists (non-menstrual) |
Asbestos |
Belts |
Bidets |
Birth control and religion |
Birth control drugs, old |
Birth control douche & sponges |
Founder bio |
Bly, Nellie |
MUM board |
Books: menstruation & menopause (& reviews) |
Cats |
Company booklets for girls (mostly) directory |
Contraception and religion |
Contraceptive drugs, old |
Contraceptive douche & sponges |
Costumes |
Menstrual cups |
Cup usage |
Dispensers |
Douches, pain, sprays |
Essay directory |
Extraction |
Facts-of-life booklets for girls |
Famous women in menstrual hygiene ads |
FAQ |
Founder/director biography |
Gynecological topics by Dr. Soucasaux |
Humor |
Huts |
Links |
Masturbation |
Media coverage of MUM |
Menarche booklets for girls and parents |
Miscellaneous |
Museum future |
Norwegian menstruation exhibit |
Odor |
Olor |
Pad directory |
Patent medicine |
Poetry directory |
Products, some current |
Puberty booklets for girls and parents |
Religion |
Religión y menstruación |
Your remedies for menstrual discomfort |
Menstrual products safety |
Seguridad de productos para la menstruación |
Science |
Shame |
Slapping, menstrual |
Sponges |
Synchrony |
Tampon directory |
Early tampons |
Teen ads directory |
Tour of the former museum (video) |
Underpants & panties directory |
Videos, films directory |
Words and expressions about menstruation |
Would you stop menstruating if you could? |
What did women do about menstruation in the past? |
Washable pads |
Leer la versión en español de los siguientes temas: Anticoncepción y religión, Breve reseña - Olor - Religión y menstruación - Seguridad de productos para la menstruación.
© 1999-2008 Harry Finley. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute work on this Web site in any manner or medium without written permission of the author. Please report suspected violations to hfinley@mum.org

The Museum of Menstruation and Women's Health

Site directory for actual menstrual tampon examples & their history
(Directory for some early American tampons and for menstrual pads;
directories for ads for teens, company booklets for girls;
washable menstrual pads.)

Women have probably used tampons for contraception and menstruation for thousands of years, and of course made their own. For centuries doctors used tampons to carry medication into body cavities - the vagina, for example. A prominent American gynecologist said in 1945 that medical tampons "used to pay the office rent," which stops you in your tracks, doesn't it?

(A researcher found many non-vaginal mentions of tampons in early 20th-century American newspapers - read what she found in Words and expressions for menstruation under Tampon.)

But the first commercial menstrual tampons seem to be those from the late 1920s or early 1930s in the United States and probably derived from medical tampons

Who knows who made the first commercial tampon? Maybe someone from Chicago, probably a man, made it, simply because this museum has likely candidates from that city [here], and because men generally have controlled business in America, especially in an earlier era. (Lydia Pinkham may have been the first widely successful businesswoman.)

Tampax sold the first tampon with an applicator, in the early 1930s, developed from the patent of Dr. Earle C. Haas of Denver, Colorado.

(Read the important Tampons as menstrual guards ("The Dickinson Report"), from the September 1945 issue of the American magazine Consumer Reports; it was a simplified version of an article by Dr. Robert L. Dickinson (who made the office rent comment) in the Journal of the American Medical Association. This report boosted the tampon industry and encouraged women to switch from pads to tampons. Or read the longer original report.)

(See many American ads at http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu:80/dynaweb/adaccess/beauty/)

Site directories for early American tampons, pads, ads for teens, and underwear.

Accessories

"Vinnie's" tampon case (U.S.A., 1998)

"Vulvar deodorant system" (U.S. patent 3,948,257, [1976]), a deodorant attached to the suspended string of a tampon; also reminded user that she had a tampon inserted

Definition Read a meaning ot the word tampon from a 1900 nurses' dictionary from the U.K.. Read also a discussion of the word with examples. See a stock certificate (1916) for probably a company that made medical tampons used in World War I. Read ads for Pond medical tampons, 1910, U.S.A. See also Menu with tampons and Medical tampons mentioned in newspapers, below.
History

"Small Wonder," Tampax's 48-page history of itself from 1936-86. Beautiful book, interesting photos. Tambrands kindly donated it to MUM.

Large gifts of historic tampons, pads, ads, documents, underwear, etc., to this museum (many people from around the world have generously made smaller donations of boxes, ads, etc.)

In 1995, a woman who read an article about this museum in the Chicago Tribune newspaper kindly donated boxes of fax, Fibs, and other tampons and advertising material from the 1930s left by her father, who had worked for Kotex.

In 1997, Tambrands, former maker of Tampax tampons, generously donated over 450 boxes of tampons from as early as 1936, plus hundreds of other items.

In 2001, Procter & Gamble, owner of Tampax and Always pads, generously donated scores of boxes of tampons and other menstrual products from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Reports about tampons

Consumer Reports (U.S.A., selections), 1949, rated contemporary American tampons & pads - Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Kotex and others. Photos and narrative about what pads & tampons consisted of and a photo of a pad-testing machine (see Syngyna, a tampon-testing machine). See also the important "Dickinson Report" favoring tampons over pads in the 1945 CR.

Facts and Frauds in Woman's Hygiene: A Fearless Exposé of  Misleading Claims and Dangers of Widely Advertised Products Used by Women, 1936 [excerpts about menstrual pads and tampons, their cost, advertising, and defects] by Rachel Lynn Palmer and Sarah K. Greenberg, M.D., The Sun Dial Press, New York.

"The Intravaginal Tampon in Menstrual Hygiene," 1942, U.S.A., reprint from Medical Record (commissioned by Tampax)

"Dickinson Report" (U.S.A.) Consumer Reports article comparing pads and tampons, 1945, based on a Journal of the American Medical Association article (see below)

"Tampons as Menstrual Guards" (U.S.A.) by Dr. Robert Dickinson, article from the Journal of the American Medical Association (1945) that medically grounded the use of tampons as against sanitary napkins. This is the full version of the simplified article from Consumer Reports, above.

Earliest history of tampons

Plastic applicators (insertion tubes): Playtex claimed to be the first to use them. Procter & Gamble defended their use in its Rely tampon in a letter (1980) that also defended the controversial chemical components of the tampon itself.

Rochester Patriot (Rochester, New York, U.S.A.) newspaper: early articles critical of the Rely tampon (1975-76), which was later associated with toxic shock syndrome (TSS)

Safety

Tampon Safety and Research Act of 1999 (U.S.A., House of Representatives [H.R.] Bill 890). This failed.

Tampax Bulletins (from Tampax, U.S.A.), probably from the 1950s, answering 19 frequently asked questions

"The use of Tampax in menstrual protection and in the treatment of vaginal discharge," by George Baba, M.D., "Presented before the Obstetrical and Gynecological conference on February 21, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois." Reprinted by Tampax.

Selling

Ad-design contest in the United Kingdom

B-ettes (1930s) tampon counter-display box containing two boxes of tampons and 4-page proposal to dealers, with contract. (Gift from Procter & Gamble, 2001)

fax tampon clip-art and marketing sheet (a donor who wants to remain anonymous donated the sheet and many other items once belonging to her father, who worked for Kotex; U.S.A., early-to-mid 1930s). See also the actual tampon, box, instructions.

Fibs counter display (1930s-1940s?) with sales tips.

Playtex (U.S.A.): "We're #2[.] We try harder." 1972. Folder promoting Playtex tampons to dealers[?]. Tambrands donation.

Playtex (U.S.A.): "The Innovator," 4-page announcement to retailers about the "Playtex economy pa[c]k," 1975. Text on cover: Playtex is first with a plastic applicator, with a deodorant, on national television, etc. Tambrands donation.

Playtex: 4-page announcement to retailers about Playtex Plus and Super Plus tampons. 1970s? Tambrands donation.

Tampax advertising campaign folders for stores & dealers:

"TAMPAX The Champ in every way." Tampax new-ad campaign folder, 1963, U.S.A.; includes 6 large glossy copies of new ads and a list of publications with Tampax advertising. Tambrands kindly donated the folder.

"All Eyes are on Tampax in 1964." Tampax new-ad campaign folder, 1964, U.S.A.; includes 8 large glossy copies of new ads and a list of publications with Tampax advertising. Tambrands kindly donated the folder.

"New heights in sales and profits for you in 1966 with Tampax" Tampax new-ad campaign folder, 1966, U.S.A.; includes 8 glossy copies of new ads. Tambrands kindly donated the folder.

"Sales and Profits are FLYING HIGH with TAMPAX tampons" Tampax new-ad campaign folder, 1967, U.S.A.; includes 7 glossy copies of new ads. Tambrands kindly donated the folder.

"Tampax tampons PRESENT FOR 1968
(MORE SALES MORE PROFITS)
" Tampax new-ad campaign folder, 1968, U.S.A.; includes 9 glossy copies of new ads. Tambrands kindly donated the folder.

"Tampax tampons invites you to meet 1969's
beautiful sales force
" Tampax new-ad campaign folder, 1969, U.S.A.; includes 16 glossy copies of new ads. Tambrands kindly donated the folder.

"Your Image is Your Fortune!," Modess sales-hints booklet for stores, 1967 (U.S.A., Tambrands kindly donated it, 1997)

"Your 'Keys' to More Profits," Kotex brochure for retailers. 1960s.

Tampons, at right (actual tampons and/or boxes, advertising). See more early American tampons.

A.C.C. Tamponettes (U.S.A., 1939) Tampons, box (two of different ages), instructions. Leaflet mentions early use of tampons in theatrical professions. Red used in instructions, red being unusual on menstrual packaging. Gosh, you don't want to remind people of of what they're for! (Procter & Gamble donation, 2001)

[The] American Tampon & Applicator Company Stock certificate (1916). The company probably made tampons for medical, non-menstrual use in World War I. Read a discussion of what early tampons were.

Amira (Germany, Mexico, Netherlands) Early German brochure (1950s?). Dutch ad (August, 1979) showing blue liquid and nudity & meaning of name "Amira." Mexico: box of tampons, 1967 (Kind gift from Tambrands, former maker of Tampax)

Anne (Japan, 1968) No applicator but with finger protectors (like the Japanese Elldy, below). Named for Anne Frank of diary fame. From o.b. and it explains the name o.b. Tampons, box, directions. (Tambrands kindly donated the box.)

Anshin ORIGAMI (Japan, 1977) Tampons, box, directions. Origami applicator. (Tambrands gift, 1997) It's the same as Ortex Gold and Cameo tampons.

Arcross (U.S.A., 1960) Tampons, box, instructions Tambrands kindly donated the box.

B-ettes (U.S.A., about 1939) Tampons, box, instructions, proposal sheet to dealers. Proposal promotes the tampon and contains a contract for dealers. (Generous Procter & Gamble donation, 2001). Also an ad, 1935, a scan from a genealogy researcher.

Blue liquid used in tampon ads: Amira (Netherlands) 1979

Carefree (U.S.A.) Tampons, box, instructions. Personal Products Company, 1970s, with liquid dunk test instructions - ad with Cheryl Tiegs, 1970s

Cashay (U.S.A., 1930s-1940s?) Tampons, box, instructions. (Generous Procter & Gamble donation, 2001)

Cameo (Japan & the U.K., 1960s-1970s?) Box, tampon, ad. It's the same as Ortex Gold and Anshin. (Tambrands gift, 1997)

Cellopon (Japan, 1968) Box, instructions, tampons. No applicator. With a discussion of the mutual influence of European and Japanese art & an example from Van Gogh. (Generous gift from Tambrands, 1997)

Colleens (U.S.A.) (ads): "New Internal Sanitary Protection" (1961, Ft. Worth, Texas) (Generous Tambrands gift, 1997)

Comfortube (U.S.A., 1967) Kotex tampon with embossed flower on box. Embossing compared with Wix tampon.

Daints (U.S.A., 1930s?) Box, tampon, instructions. "For the Woman of Charm [!]." (Procter & Gamble donation, 2001)

Dale (lubricated tip, like Pursettes, below, U.S.A., 1930s?-1940s?) Tampons, box, instructions. Trial size box of 4, 3 missing. The instructions asks customers to drop the tampon into water and compare with a rival tampon. Plus, a "pull test" and a "ring test."(Procter & Gamble donations, 2001)

Draghi Detection Tampon (Tampax, date? but after 1958) for removing cells from vagina to examine for cancer. (Procter & Gamble donation, 2001)

Dr White's (United Kingdom), ad with talking tampons compared with penises (yes, you read that right!), 1987 - 3-D ad, with glasses attached, 1989, for Shapes pads - ad contest for Dr White's.

Early commercial tampons (U.S.A., 1930s-1940s): fax, Fibs, Holly-Pax, Moderne Women, Nappons, Nunap, Slim-pax, Tampax (see below), Wix

Elldy (Japan) tampon with finger cots (like Anne, above), box - ad in Junie magazine (October 1996) - instructions from 2011 a Hispanic woman in Japan sent.

Emil (Japan, 1974) box with tampons & instructions. (Gift from Tambrands)

EZO (U.S.A., 1930s?) Box and instructions, no tampons. (Gift from Procter & Gamble)

fax (U.S.A., 1930s) ad, tampon. See also a comparison with Nunap. fax clip sheet.

Fems (Australia, 1967, Kimberly-Clark) Box of 10 super absorbent made of cotton. (Kind gift from Tambrands, former maker of Tampax.) See an ad for the American pad Fems, 1921, and for a different American Fems pad, May, 1959.

Fibs (U.S.A., Kotex, 1930s-1960s?) first successful Kotex tampon - tampon & box (about 1937) - ad - many newspaper ads, 1935-59. Counter display for 3 boxes of Fibs (1930s-40s?). - Instructions without box, 1930s-40s - And I named a cat after this tampon (see cats).

Freedom box (France) Kimberly-Clark

Gynotex (The Netherlands, 2005) Wet and dry sponge tampons, box, instructions

Holly-Pax (U.S.A., 1930s-1940s, company bought by Tampax) box (Tambrands gift, 1997)

Kotams (U.S.A.) Kotex mesh-string tampon with 2-tube insertion device (1944?). Kotex's first stick tampon, 1960-65

Kotex second stick tampons (U.S.A.) & their ads (also July 1972), 1960s to 1970s - "Remember how simple life used to be?" ads for the stick tampon - Kotams mesh-string tampon with 2-tube insertion device (1944?) - also called Kotams: first Kotex stick tampon, 1960-65 - Comfortube tampons (1967), box, tampons - the very early Moderne Woman, fax, Nunap, & Fibs, all 1930s. See also Fems from Australian Kimberly-Clark, 1967.

L & F [Lehn & Fink] Improved Tampons (U.S.A., 1930s-1940s?) Box, instructions, some tampons. From the company that made Lysol; these contain hydroxyquinoline, which is toxic. Box contains both applicator and applicatorless tampons and are irregular in size like TamPak. Sloppy.

Lil-lets Tampons, box and instructions, from South Africa, 1978 - ad, U.K., 1976/77 - ad, "How to make a packet of tampons disappear," U.K., 1988

Lotus (U.S.A., late 1930s? - 1940s?) box, non-tube tampons, witty comments. The instructions asks customers to drop the tampon into water and compare with a rival tampon.

LOX theatrical tampon (U.S.A., 1930s-1940s?) Tampons (with an applicator), box, instructions. (Procter & Gamble donation, 2001)

Meds (U.S.A. and elsewhere, box and tampon, 1967, Personal Products Company) - Meds (box & tampons, 1940s-1950s?) - pamphlet introducing Meds to the world (1930s) - Meds box & tampons, 1970, New Zealand - 1941 ad - Personal Digest leaflets, which sometimes have information about Meds (1966-67) - 1967 ad - French, 1969, box of 10 super 'pons, plastic applicator - ad, Mademoiselle, Nov. 1969, "You could do without some." -  undated instructions here and here. - Australian ad, 1950s

Medical tampons mentioned in newspapers, U.S.A., 1894-1921. See also Definition in adjoining left column, towards the top of the page

Menu with tampons (a medical joke), newspaper, 1897, U.S.A. If it makes any easier to accept, the tampons are medical, not menstrual. But still . . . .

Moderne Women (U.S.A., 1930s) One of the first (maybe the first) tampons, probably from Kimberly-Clark, maker of Kotex, because like Nunap the tampon seems to be made of Cellucotton, a Kimberly-Clark product: box with tampons & instructions (Procter & Gamble donation) - instructions only (Tambrands donation, 1997)

Modess flexible tampons, ad (March 2, 1958), U.S.A.: The New York Times Magazine; and in the Boston Globe (June 3, 1956); and Springfield Union newspaper, Massachusetts (30 November 1956) (Tambrands donation, 1997)

Nappons (U.S.A., 1940s) instructions invite the user to make the "'Visible Proof' Test."(Tambrands donation, 1997)

Nett (France) 1985, ad showing white bathing suit. Ads March 2000, September 2001, May 2002 (scans generously sent by a Frenchwoman).

Nunap (and esp. here in a comparison with fax tampon) (U.S.A., early-mid 1930s?) instructions (Tambrands donation, 1997). The instructions say that this tampon is made of Cellucotton, which Kimberly-Clark created. Is this the first, or an early, Kotex tampon? (Compare a suspected Cellucotton-containing tampon, Moderne Woman.) But the company on the instructions is Neway Mfg. Company, Chicago, maybe a K-C creation.

o.b. ads, booklets & actual tampons: German (1970s) - German (1972) nude woman on bed - German nude (1970s) - French great"000.000.000....00b" ad (1989) - folder, Germany, early 1950s (tells what o.b. means!) - Dutch, two ads from 1959 giving THEIR take on what o.b. means, which was wrong - Dutch ads, 1962, 1967 - Belgian ad with beach & bathing suits, 1980s? - American ad showing Judith Esser, designer of the o.b. tampon, August, 1984 - o.b. puberty booklets (excerpts): German, Dutch (2004) - o.b. actual tampons: Switzerland (o.b.é.), 1970

Ortex Gold (Netherlands, 1972) Tampons, box, directions. Origami applicator. (Tambrands gift, 1997). It's the same as Anshin (Japan, 1977) and Cameo tampons.

Penney's (U.S.A., 1968) J.C. Penney's department store super tampons, box, instructions, tampons. (Part of the 1997 Tambrands amazing gift.)

Pine (Japan, 1977) box of 16 applicator tampons. (Part of the 1997 Tambrands amazing gift.)

Playtex (U.S.A.): "The Innovator," 4-page announcement to retailers about the "Playtex economy pa[c]k," 1975. Text on cover: Playtex is first with a plastic applicator, with a deodorant, on national television, etc. But: "The second page of the article (here, from 1975) mentions that the TV ad for Rely [tampon] was the first ever for a tampon, and that Playtex tampon company was beginning its own television ads in response to the Rely campaign."

Playtex: 4-page announcement to retailers about Playtex Plus and Super Plus tampons. 1970s?

Playtex Sport tampons (U.S.A. 2006) box, tampons, instructions

Playtex super self-adjusting tampons (sent from Kenya, 1974)

Pond medical tampons, 1910, U.S.A., newspaper ads

Primella (Switzerland?, 1969, text in German, French, Italian) box with tampons. Suspiciously similar to contemporary Tampax and Sanpax. Ad for it in Le Journal du Sud Fribourgeois (Switzerland), 14 April 2009. Tambrands generously donated the box with tampons.

Pursettes (no applicator & with a lubricated tip, like Dale, above, and lubricated applicator version, U.S.A.) tampons - lubricated applicator version (1960-70s?) - tampon, box, carrier - 3 newspaper ads, 1959 - Tampax inter-office memo about Pursettes ad costs (30 Jan. 1964) - Box of 40 (1960s?) - ads: 1959, Jan. '64, Feb. '64, 1965, November 19651972 (testimonial), Feb. 1974, also Feb. 1974 (with a theory as to why the tampon failed), Oct. 1974, May '74, undated (1970s?) - ad offering educational material - ad, 1975

Rely (U.S.A.) tampons, box, instructions, newspaper exposé; associated with toxic shock syndrome crisis of 1979-80. Hear Procter & Gamble tell radio listeners not to use Rely because of TSS and listen to three radio ads promoting Rely. Read early warnings about Rely in a tiny newspaper.

Rubella (France, 1973) Tampon with cardboard applicator and intentional dent in tube, box, instructions - undated magazine ad

Russian tampon, 1994, name unknown

Sa-tips (U.S.A.. 1930s-1940s?) tampons, box, instructions. (Procter & Gamble donation, 2001)

San-Nap-Pak (2 different boxes, U.S.A., one box dated 1938) tampons, box, instructions. (Tambrands, Procter & Gamble donations)

Sanpax (the "x" is overprinted with a "D" on the box) (Israel? Switzerland? 1970) The red box (that color is unusual) bears text in English, French and a little Hebrew. The instructions are completely in Hebrew except for one word, sanpax. (Tambrands generously donated the box.)

Sears (Sears, Roebuck & Co., U.S.A., 1968) Box, tampons, instructions.
Sears page selling Tampax, Lotus and Holly-Pax tampons, probably late 1930s or early 1940s

Secret (U.S.A., 1930s-1940s) Tampons, box, instructions. (Procter & Gamble donation, 2001)

Shampon Young stick tampon (Japan, 1977)

Slim-pax (U.S.A., 1960s?) instructions

Soft Shape (U.S.A., 1969, Procter & Gamble, which donated the box) Plastic applicator. Shows the P&G logo that upset Christian groups.

St Michael (super) tampons, 1972, U.K. Compared with the similar 1972 Tampax super.

Sta-Pacs (U.S.A., 1930s-1940s?) Applicator very much like Tampax's.

TamPak (Turkey, 1973) box, no-applicator tampons, instructions, with comparison with Tampax 1970 box. Irregular size tampons (as with L&F Improved Tampons). Imitator of Tampax like Tampex. Super size has applicator, 1973.

Tampax (U.S.A., U.K., France, the Netherlands) first tampon? & first tampon with applicator (1931-33?). "Small Wonder," the company's history of itself from 1936-86 - box, tampon, instructions, plus newspaper ads from 1934 showing the work of "Tampax Ladies," who visited stores to push their product - Tiffany bowl celebrating the 50th anniversary of Tampax - 1936: box, tampon, patent (with a short account of the invention of Tampax by Dr. Earle Haas, and of the first Tampax president, German immigrant Gertrude Tenderich), ad, instructions, dealer's instructions, dealers' advisory - Dutch ad, 1938 - 3 more Dutch ads, 1938 - Was Tampax the first commercial French tampon?: French & American box, tampons & instructions of 1938 compared - Counter-top cardboard ad, 1938, France - 3 ads from Marie Claire, France, 1938 - French ad, Marie Claire, 14 Oct 1938 - American instructions, early 1930s - American ad, 1938 (with "No belts. no pins . . . ." (same as 1938 Dutch ad, almost) - Regular Tampax (1938): front of box - Junior Tampax (1939-40) "for the waning days": box, tampon, instructions - Super Tampax (1939-40): front of box - "The Intravaginal Tampon in Menstrual Hygiene," 1942, U.S.A., reprint from Medical Record (commissioned by Tampax) - "No belts. no pins . . . ." ad, 1943(?) - "The use of Tampax in menstrual protection and in the treatment of vaginal discharge," by George Baba, M.D., "Presented before the Obstetrical and Gynecological conference on February 21, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois." Reprinted by Tampax. - Chart: "Standing Female Pelvic Organs" for the Tampax Educational Department, probably mid 1940s - Sculpture of the female pelvis for Tampax Incorporated, used on an educational chart, probably 1940s - "Are Vaginal Tampons Prejudicial to Health?" (Proof for a British Tampax ad, 1952) - ad, 1953, U.S.A. - "How Times Have Changed: A Manual of Menstruation, Its Purpose, Function and Care," 1950s - "To be opened only by women": sealed Tampax brochure, Germany, probably early 1950s - "No belts. no pins . . . ." ad, 1956(?) - Draghi Detection Tampon (date? but after 1958) for removing cells from vagina to examine for cancer - 6 ads, 1963 - 8 ads, keeping a secret, etc., 1964 - Tampax inter-office memo about Pursettes tampon ad costs (30 Jan. 1964) - ad Aug. 1965 - 1968: Outrageous Kotex offer to put its dispenser where Tampax employees can buy Kotex! The nerve! - 7 ads, 1966 - actress Susan Dey ad, 1970 - French narrow-column ad with baby, 1960s-1970s - Tampax super (1972) compared with St Michael (super) tampons - gymnast Mary Lou Retton ad, 1986 - two "diaper" ads, 1989 & 1990 (1990: "No, the tampon can't get lost. All you can lose are those diapers.") - German ad about not using finger, May 1989 - Actress Carol Lynley (probably) in an 1989 menarche ad - ad "Are you sure I'll still be a virgin?" Feb. 1990 - ad, 1989, "I hate pads - they're like wearing diapers." - ad, 1989,  "Are they hard to put in?" - ad, May 1989, "Can I trust something so small?" - ad (British, nude) 1992 - Tampax sign (World War II) - ad, British, 1994 (the thong advantage) - French ads March 2000, October 2004 - Tampax Bulletins (U.S.A.), probably from the 1950s, answering 19 frequently asked questions - Tampax for doll house (also Kotex and douche apparatus)

Tampex (Turkey? date?) box, tampons, instructions. Like TamPak, an imitator of Tampax.

Tampona (Germany) Ads: Freundin magazine, Jan. 1982;  Girl! magazine, issue 21, 1989Freundin, November 1989; Bella magazine, undated.

[A.C.C.] Tamponettes (U.S.A., 1939) Tampons, 2 boxes probably from different time periods, instructions. Leaflet mentions early use of tampons in theatrical professions.

Teeve (Italy, 1967, gift from Tambrands) box and awful contents

Trust (U.S.A., 1970s) box and tampons, gift from Tambrands. Trust appeared roughly at the same time as the infamous Rely, but unlike Rely it appears to be made of cotton, the traditional and safer tampon ingredient. Procter & Gamble produced both.

Tux (U.S.A., 1930s) Box, tampons and an ad from 1936.

vams (U.S.A., 1948) Box, tampon, instructions. Cotton tampon with Tampax-like insertion device. (Procter & Gamble donation, 2001)

Vania Girl's (France, 1991) panty pad and tampon, Naf Naf magazine, France, 1991

Wix (U.S.A., 1930s, company bought by Tampax) tampon, instructions, box, advertising, booklets and 1934 newspaper ad - newspaper ads, 1934, showing saleswomen who traveled from store to store - dealers' cartons of multiple boxes of Wix

Zephies (U.S.A., 1940s?) Box, tampon, missing instructions? (Procter & Gamble donation, 2001)

Teachers' guides
(See also educational booklets for girls)

"A Teaching Guide for Menstrual Hygiene" (cover, 1962, Personal Products Corp., U.S.A.)


"A Teacher's Guide to Feminine Hygiene" (cover, 1973, Personal Products Corp., U.S.A.)


"Educational Material on Menstruation furnished by the makers of Tampax" (1966) U.S.A.
Folder with huge number of information sheets, etc.


"Educational Portfolio on Menstrual Hygiene" (1968) U.S.A. Teacher's kit for Modess sanitary napkins, menstrual tampons and panties (mostly complete)


"From Fiction to Fact: a teaching guide about puberty, menstruation and the human reproductive system" (cover, 1986, Tambrands, U.S.A.)


"Teacher's kit" (complete, early 1950s, Personal Products Corp., U.S.A.)

Testing

Syngyna (U.S.A.) article about an instrument for testing tampon absorption capacity, and a test comparing tampons with the Pursettes tampon

Tampon Safety and Research Act of 1999 (U.S.A. House of Representatives [H.R.] 890)

SEE ALSO THE SAFETY PAGE

page copyright 2012 Harry Finley