While looking at multiples from 1944 last month, I found sources claiming that both Mary & Marjorie Vaughan and Lois & Lucille Barnes were the “original” twins in the ads for Toni Home Permanents (tagline: “Which twin has the Toni?”).
Many sets of twins were involved in the Toni ad campaigns of the ’40s, though, so I’m not sure if any single set of twins can be called the “original” twins. For example, a November 1949 issue of LIFE included a full-page Toni ad with six sets of twins:
- Eleanor and Jeanne Fulstone of Nevada
- Betty and Barbara Land of Virginia
- Barbara and Beverly Lounsbury of New Jersey
- Joan and Jean McMillan of Texas (pictured)
- Marjorie and Mary Vaughan of Indiana
- Charlotte and Antoinette Winkelmann of New York
Let’s pretend you’re about to have twin girls, and you have to give them one of the name-pairs above. Which pair do you choose? Why?
Image: © 1949 Life
I vote for Eleanor and Jeanne, but was tempted by Charlotte and Antoinette as you can find both TONI and HAIR when you combine their names!
Ha! That’s a great observation. :)