The roadside advertisements sponsored by Burma-Shave, one of the first brushless shaving cream products, manufactured by the Odell family in Minnesota, were among the main sources of entertainment on the winding two-lane 'blue highways' which characterized America driving from the 1920s to the early 1960s.

Burma-Shave ads were printed on sequences of four, five or six signs, spaced roughly 100 paces apart, either free-standing or nailed to a farmer's fenceposts. With white text on a red background, they stood out from the green background of rural America. While intended to promote the shaving cream product, their ubiquitousness (with nearly 7000 different 'messages' between the first, in 1925, and the last, in 1963) and catchy language turned them into an icon of Americana. Once a family member caught a glimpse of the first sign in a sequence as their car drove down the road, everyone in the car had their eyes peeled for the rest of the signs, each trying to guess what the 'punch line' would be, before the final sign, which was always Burma-Shave. Often there were arguments among the children as to exactly how to understand the plays on words which characterized the signs.

Following are a selection of the signs. For further detail, see Martin Waterman's The Story of Burma Shave, the Burma Shave page from Two-Lane Roads, the BBC's Burma-Shave: An American Advertising Legend and Burma Shave in the 1950s.

Note how the message varies from shaving-related themes to road safety (warnings against speeding, passing on curves, drunken driving, etc.), and how the messages include references to other U.S. cultural artifacts (rice at weddings, the popular 'banana splits' soda-fountain treat, etc.) as well as some from Britain as well (Henry VIII's eight wives — though with this history presumably having been learned by all American schoolchildren). Note also similarities with Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac and other allusions to American cultural concepts of self-improvement, taking the initiative, etc.

A Peach looks good With Lots of Fuzz But Man's no Peach And Never Was Burma Shave She eyed his beard And said "no dice" The wedding's off I'll cook the rice! Burma Shave Tempted to try it? Follow your hunch Be "Top Banana" Not one of the bunch Burma Shave They missed the turn, car was whizz'n, the fault was hers, the funeral his'n Burma Shave Safety should not Be left to chance. That's why belts Are sold with pants. Burma Shave

Around the curve Lickety-split It's a beautiful car Wasn't it? Burma Shave Henry VIII Sure Had Trouble Short Term Wives Long Term Stubble Burma Shave Ben met Anna Made a hit Neglected beard Ben-Anna split. Burma Shave Dinah doesn't Treat him right But if he'd shave Dinah-might! Burma Shave Car in ditch Man in tree Moon was full So was he! Burma Shave