At first glance, this ad for the San Diego Zoo is exactly what you’d expect to find from one of the most famous attractions on the west coast, complete with an adorable Alice in Wonderland look-alike. Except it’s not an ad for the San Diego Zoo. In this tourism marketing campaign, the city’s Convention & Tourist Bureau promoted several of San Diego’s major attractions, as well as its proximity to the Mexican border.

This subtle yet strategic co-marketing campaign turns each ad into a snippet of the family’s vacation recap. It’s not hard to imagine five-year-old Rebecca attempting to recall every detail of her trip in a single breath, and the headline feels like a natural part of that conversation. It almost renders the body copy unnecessary, but in case you’d like to hear about the “delightful” climate and 70 miles of beaches, it’s repeated below.

Five-year-old Rebecca can hardly wait to tell the kids back home how she ran down the jungle path, stopping by a waterfall to feed a great big, funny bird so tame it ate right out of her hand! An adventure in some far-off land? No, it’s the forest re-created as part of the world-famous San Diego Zoo.

Toucans and hundreds of other exotic birds live amid palm trees, banana plants and other jungle foliage in the world’s largest free-flight bird cage. The zoo is just one of San Diego’s attractions. You can also enjoy beaches—70 miles of them, with exciting surf or sheltered coves and lots of sand to stretch out on. A large burlap sack to carry your catch is recommended equipment when you try the fabulous deep-sea fishing.

Climate is delightful—warm in winter and cool in summer—with 353 days of sunshine a year. California ends and Mexico begins at the San Diego city limits. You can cross the border for bullfights, horse racing, dog racing, jai alai, night clubs.

SAN DIEGO: Where California and Mexico Meet by the Blue Pacific

FUN FACT: Beginning in 1955 as a locally aired television show taped at the San Diego Zoo, Zoorama became a nationally syndicated program, airing through 1970. (Source: San Diego Zoo)