Stomatol

Stomatol is a Swedish oral-care brand whose toothpaste was introduced around the beginning of the twentieth century. The brand was originally produced by Grumme & Son, a Swedish soap manufacturer, and became notable not only for its toothpaste but also for the unusually ambitious way in which it promoted itself. At a time when consumer advertising was expanding beyond shop signs and newspaper notices, Stomatol used newspapers, painted outdoor advertisements, enamel signs, film, and illuminated displays to build public recognition. The brand is especially associated with the Stomatol Sign at Slussen in Stockholm. Installed in 1909, the display was made with electric lightbulbs rather than neon tubes and is regarded as Sweden’s first animated advertising sign. Its animation represented toothpaste being squeezed from a tube. The sign was initially placed on the Katarinahissen elevator and was moved in 1933 to the roof of the nearby building at Klevgränd 1 B. Although technical problems caused extended interruptions in operation, including periods from 1963 to 1972 and from 1981 to 1986, the sign became a durable part of Stockholm’s visual and commercial history. Stomatol also invested heavily in early film advertising. At least ten animated commercials made in and around the 1930s were drawn by Arvid Olson and Victor Bergdahl, the latter known for creating the Captain Grogg character. Other advertisements were produced as live-action films by Kinocentralen and featured the popular Swedish comedic actor Thor Modéen. These productions helped position Stomatol as a modern, highly visible consumer brand and illustrate how oral-care marketing in Sweden moved into new mass-media formats during the interwar period. The brand used the slogan “Stomatol - the only way to obtain healthy and strong teeth!” The brand also had a Norwegian history. In 1896, Carl A. Høyers Stomatolfabrikk in Oslo obtained exclusive rights to manufacture and sell Stomatol in Norway. That company continued producing the brand until it was acquired by competitor Marwell Hauge in 1970. The Stomatol name was subsequently discontinued in Norway at an unspecified later date, while the brand’s best-documented continuing identity remained Swedish. Grumme & Son sold or transferred the brand to pharmaceutical company Cederroth AB in 1985. Available historical material emphasizes Stomatol’s advertising legacy and public landmark status rather than providing detailed information on its later ownership, product portfolio, sales, or present-day corporate organization. Accordingly, its current operating status and ownership are not specified here.

Stomatol emerged in Sweden during the expansion of branded consumer goods and modern advertising at the turn of the twentieth century. The brand’s original manufacturer was Grumme & Son, a soap company that also produced oral-care products. Although the precise founding year of the Swedish brand is not established in the available reference material, Stomatol toothpaste was being sold by the beginning of the twentieth century. Its early history is significant because the brand treated advertising as a central part of market development rather than as a secondary support for distribution. Stomatol used a broad range of promotional media, including newspapers, painted signs, enamel signs, film, and illuminated street advertising. One early Stockholm example was a large Stomatol painting on a building at 92–94 Regeringsgatan. The best-known expression of this strategy was the Stomatol Sign at Slussen. First installed in 1909, it used electric lightbulbs to create an animated image of toothpaste emerging from a tube. It is described as Sweden’s first animated advertising sign. The sign was originally mounted on the Katarinahissen elevator before being relocated in 1933 to the roof of a nearby building at Klevgränd 1 B. Electrical and technical difficulties interrupted its operation for long periods, notably between 1963 and 1972 and again between 1981 and 1986, but the display retained its importance as a Stockholm landmark. The company’s use of cinema further extended the brand’s reach. Several animated Stomatol commercials produced in and around the 1930s were drawn by Arvid Olson and Victor Bergdahl. Bergdahl was associated with Captain Grogg, an important early Swedish animation character. Stomatol also commissioned live-action, near-feature-quality advertisements from Kinocentralen. These films featured Swedish comic actor Thor Modéen, whose public persona and commercial appearances helped connect the toothpaste brand with popular entertainment. The advertising line “Stomatol - the only way to obtain healthy and strong teeth!” expressed the brand’s emphasis on dental health and product efficacy. Stomatol was also produced under license or equivalent commercial rights in Norway. Carl A. Høyers Stomatolfabrikk in Oslo held exclusive Norwegian rights from 1896 and manufactured the toothpaste for that market. The Norwegian producer continued until its acquisition by competitor Marwell Hauge in 1970. The Stomatol name was discontinued in Norway at an unspecified point afterward, making the Norwegian operation a historical extension rather than a documented current market. In Sweden, the brand remained associated with Grumme & Son until the company was acquired in 1985 by Cederroth AB, a pharmaceutical company. The available source material does not establish a complete chronology of subsequent ownership, management, product reformulations, or current distribution. It does, however, document Stomatol’s importance as an early Swedish example of integrated brand promotion. Its legacy rests on the combination of a mass-market toothpaste, early animated and live-action advertising, and a highly visible public sign that outlasted many of the campaigns and companies surrounding it.

• 1985

  Cederroth acquires original manufacturer

  [1]Stomatolen.wikipedia.org

  Cederroth AB acquired Grumme & Son, the Swedish soap manufacturer that originally made Stomatol.

• 1970

  Norwegian producer acquired

  [1]Stomatolen.wikipedia.org

  Marwell Hauge acquired Carl A. Høyers Stomatolfabrikk, which had manufactured Stomatol for the Norwegian market since 1896.

• 1933

  Advertising sign relocated

  [1]Stomatolen.wikipedia.org

  The Stomatol Sign was moved from the Katarinahissen elevator to the roof of the nearby building at Klevgränd 1 B.

• 1930

  Animated and live-action film advertising expands

  [1]Stomatolen.wikipedia.org

  Stomatol used multiple film commercials, including animated works associated with Arvid Olson and Victor Bergdahl and live-action productions by Kinocentralen featuring Thor Modéen.

• 1909

  First Stomatol Sign installed

  [1]Stomatolen.wikipedia.org

  The illuminated Stomatol Sign was installed at Stockholm’s Slussen area. Its lightbulb animation showed toothpaste being squeezed from a tube and is regarded as Sweden’s first animated advertising sign.

• 1896

  Exclusive Norwegian manufacturing rights

  [1]Stomatolen.wikipedia.org

  Carl A. Høyers Stomatolfabrikk in Oslo obtained exclusive rights to manufacture and sell Stomatol in Norway.

A heritage Swedish oral-care brand differentiated by its early adoption of mass-media advertising and strong association with Stockholm’s historic Stomatol Sign.

• Toothpaste

  Stomatol toothpaste

  The brand’s core product and the basis of its Swedish identity. Stomatol toothpaste was sold from around the beginning of the twentieth century and was marketed around the promise of healthy and strong teeth. The product’s visual identity became inseparable from the animated Stomatol Sign, which showed paste being dispensed from a tube.

• Mouthwash

  Stomatol mouthwash

  Mouthwash is identified in the supplied dossier as part of the Stomatol product range. The available historical reference does not provide a launch date, formulation history, or detailed account of its market development.

• 1930Stomatol film advertising

  Sweden

  The brand commissioned animated and live-action cinema advertisements. Animated films were drawn by Arvid Olson and Victor Bergdahl, while Kinocentralen produced live-action advertisements featuring Thor Modéen.

  Outcome. The campaign demonstrated Stomatol’s early and extensive use of mass media, linking oral-care marketing with Swedish animation and popular entertainment.

  Source
• 1909Stomatol Sign

  Sweden

  Stomatol created a large animated outdoor advertisement at Slussen in Stockholm. Made with lightbulbs rather than neon tubes, the sign visually represented toothpaste being squeezed from a tube and became a long-running local landmark.

  Outcome. The sign became one of the brand’s most recognizable assets and an enduring part of Stockholm’s advertising and urban history.

  Source

• 1985

  Transfer of Stomatol’s original manufacturing companyM&A

  Background

  Stomatol had originally been made by the soap manufacturer Grumme & Son.

  Action taken

  Pharmaceutical company Cederroth AB acquired Grumme & Son.

  Aftermath

  The transaction changed the corporate home of the brand’s original Swedish manufacturer. The available reference does not specify subsequent ownership or operating arrangements for Stomatol.

  Source

• 1933

  Relocation of the Stomatol SignStrategy

  Background

  The original sign had been installed on the Katarinahissen elevator in Stockholm in 1909.

  Action taken

  Stomatol moved the sign to the roof of the nearby building at Klevgränd 1 B.

  Aftermath

  The relocated display continued to serve as the brand’s best-known public advertising landmark, despite later technical interruptions.

  Source

1. 1Stomatolen.wikipedia.org