Joe Camel Memorium

My favorite brand was, of course, Camel Filters, affectionately known as Hump Jrs. Concerns that Camels were perceived by the young as an old man's cigarette led to the development of Hump Jrs., and later the emergence of the immensely successful, shamelessly phallic and charismatic Joe Camel. As an icon of youth, joie de vivre, genitalia and smoking coolness, he enjoyed spectacular fame and popularity, particularly among American youth, and is commonly credited with the rejuvenation of slumping tobacco revenues in the late 1980's. Mr. Camel's career began in 1988 and ended abruptly earlier this year. As a reformed smoker, Mr. Camel attempted several comebacks as a spokesperson for Nicorette and Glaxo-Burroughs-Wellcome, the makers of Zyban, but these advertising campaigns were short-lived due to his hospitalization for cancer of the hump. Mr. Camel died a penniless shell of his former self in St. Vincent's hospital in Gary, Indiana. He was 46.

The last known photograph of Mr. Camel (source unknown)


Joe Camel at the height of his career (ca. 1990) (sources unknown)

By any measure, Joe's rise to fame was meteoric. According to the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, Camels rose as the favored brand from 1 percent at the beginning of the Joe Camel campaign in 1988 to 30 percent of the children's market in 1992, with revenues from teenagers increasing from $6 million to $476 million in the same time period. One survey revealed that Joe Camel's familiarity to 6 year olds was comparable to Mickey Mouse's.