This year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York featured a 40-foot tall balloon float in the shape of an instantly recognizable advertising icon, the Energizer Bunny. The historic hare was celebrating his twentieth anniversary as the symbol of perseverance and dogged determination. True to form, the bunny “just kept going” down 34th Street while the rest of the parade made a right onto 7th Avenue. 

As advertising characters go, the Bunny has always been a favorite. Maybe it’s the incongruity of a bunny playing drums or the insouciance of those blue flip-flops and dark glasses. Or maybe it’s just the sheer coolness of his unstoppable and unflappable march toward nothing in particular. 

But what does the relentless rabbit have to do with bookmarks? It may not be surprising that he was the star of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 1995. He first made his debut in 1989 and the tongue-in-cheek commercials where he interrupted a pitch for another product by banging his drum across the screen had made him famous. What is surprising is the way the advertising firm of Tausche Martin Lonsdorf in Atlanta got the attention of attendees amidst the hype and media overload of the trade show. 

An article titled “Bright Lights, Big Ears” by Mark Hudis in the June 26, 1995 issue of Mediaweek noted that in Nevada, a typicial attention-getting stunt might involve Seigfried and Roy and Bengal tigers, but the advertising team from Atlanta “got their audience’s attention with something equally exotic:  bookmarks.” It seems that the directory for the trade show prohibited advertising so the director of media services for the ad agency came up with the idea of distributing bookmarks. Tausche’s art director was underwhelmed, commenting that a bookmark was “about as exciting as a table tent.” But this bookmark capitalized on the rabbit’s shape and was designed so that his ears would protrude above the directory.  Not only was it a handy device, it meant that Energizer was the sole sponsor of the directory.

The senior account manager commented that the bookmarks were seen everywhere, including on the floor, which could be good or bad. In truth, the campaign depended on a number of other media placements, but the bookmarks were considered a major component of its success. 

As the Bunny enters his twentieth year, he can boast that he is one of the top ten advertising icons named by AdAge, He even has an entry in the Oxford English Dictionary defining him as “a persistent or indefatigable person or phenomenon.”

The company has an Energizer Bunny Center on its web site featuring his profile (one of his favorite drummers is Ringo Starr and pet peeves include stop signs), games and a screen saver. But the most interesting feature is the personalized “Keep Going Award,” a certificate that states, “You are hereby declared one who never quits. Your persistence, determination, and endurance are inspirational because: [fill in the blank]”. As Ward Klein, chief executive officer of Energizer notes about the Bunny and his successful career: “He speaks to longevity, determination and perseverance. He personifies the American spirit.” In these times, let’s hope we can still rely on these characteristics.

Bookmark specifications: Energizer Bunny
Dimensions: 3” x 9”
Material: Paper card
Manufacturer: Tausche Martin Lonsdorf, Atlanta, GA
Date: 1995
Acquired: By writing to the advertising agency for a sample


Laine Farley is a digital librarian who misses being around the look, feel and smell of real books.  Her collection of over 3,000 bookmarks began with a serendipitous find while reviewing books donated to the library. Fortunately, her complementary collection of articles and books about bookmarks provides an excuse for her to get back to libraries and try her hand at writing about bookmarks. Collecting Bookmarks (Physical, not Virtual) is her website. Contact Laine.