Poster, 'Watch out - kids are about'

This poster was produced by the Plunket Society to promote child safety. At the top of the poster is the title 'Plunket says: Watch out - kids are about'. Next to this is the blue Plunket logo used from the 1950s to the 1980s, featuring a woman holding a baby and the motto 'To help the mothers and save the babies'.

The poster features a colourful cartoon showing an aerial view of a neighbourhood, with children facing various safety risks. At the bottom is written 'Based on 'Nits and Other Nasties' by Trish Gibbon and David Geddis, designed and illustrated by Dick Frizzell', followed by publication details.

Significance

This poster is part of a collection formerly owned by the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society. By the time it was produced the Society was concerned with a variety of child healthcare issues. Child safety was an important focus, and the 'Let's Play it Safe' campaign was held in 1985. In the 1980s, Plunket also ran a campaign for the compulsory fencing of swimming pools, and set up a scheme to hire out child car seats.

The illustrations on this poster were based on those by artist Dick Frizzell for Nits and Other Nasties by Trish Gibbon and David Geddis, a book addressing children's health published in 1982. Dr Geddis was the medical director of the Plunket Society from 1977 to 1992.

The Royal New Zealand Plunket Society

Sir Frederick Truby King founded the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children in 1907 in an effort to improve childcare standards, and it is still active today. It is, however, more commonly known as Plunket, after Lady Victoria Plunket, wife of the Governor of New Zealand at the time of the Society's establishment and a great supporter of King's work. In 1980, the Society officially changed its name to the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society.

Acquisition

In the late 1980s, Te Papa received a collection of objects and ephemera from the Plunket Society, including promotional leaflets, a 'Well Child' baby book, and a set of scales for weighing infants. These items date from different periods in the history of Plunket, from its inception in 1907 to the time of this acquisition.