retro museum ad

Special Retro Museum Ad Series: American Museum of Natural History, 1984

When you think about natural history museums, there’s probably one word that pops into mind: dinosaurs. And you’d be right. In fact, the American Museum of Natural History has one of the greatest dinosaur fossil collections in the world. Together, the two halls of the Koch Dinosaur Wing feature about 100 specimens, and is a staple stop on middle school class trips and visits to New York City.

So it’s no surprise that the museum decided to incorporate them into this 1984 advertisement. Teal dinosaurs and white copy in this retro museum ad pop out against a dark black background. The moon rising over the buildings is a little reminiscent (to us today) of “Night at the Museum,” but of course with a dose of ‘80s style.

FUN FACT: Although the 2006 Ben Stiller movie “Night at the Museum” did include some scenes that had been filmed outside the actual American Museum of Natural History, none of the interior shots were actually done on location (Source: AMNY)

Leave a Comment