Poster, 'Play it safe - ... they're unpredictable!'

This poster was produced by the Plunket Society to promote child safety. At the top of the poster is the red title 'Play it safe'. Underneath this is a cartoon of a child stepping out in front of a car, with the signature 'Sid Scales' and the text '… they're unpredictable!'. Below this is written 'Printed by the Karitane Products Society Ltd, for the Plunket Society, in the interest of child safety'.

Significance

This poster is part of a collection formerly owned by the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society, and 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. The cartoon on this poster was drawn by Sid Scales, whose work appeared in the Otago Daily Times newspaper from 1951 to 1981.

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.