# Something & Something & Something marketing trope **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 22, 2019, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-something-something-marketing-trope/832906 "2019-04-22T20:57:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-something-something-marketing-trope/832906/1 "2019-04-22T20:57:52Z")
What’s the origin of this style of t-shirt and poster design where they list a bunch of things that go together with ampersands? Examples: [TV characters](https://www.cafepress.com/+,93661607/?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=pla-google&utm_campaign=177006610-d-c&utm_content=13899891970-adid-41287064650&utm_term=pla-56128534817-pid-93661607&gclid=CjwKCAjwzPXlBRAjEiwAj_XTEXuFjAPlQrswrY7Dcc9ZCo0LMhtyVNj-93aQggnYwGPaju2rljFnRBoCFkIQAvD_BwE) [Band members](https://shop.walkerart.org/products/experimental-jetset-john-paul-ringo-george-t-shirt) [Astronauts](https://www.redbubble.com/people/tanyaofmars/works/35468683-canadian-astronauts-with-maple-leaf?asc=u&modal=/boom/b/availableProducts/35468683&p=t-shirt) I feel like it’s a reference to some old marketing campaign, but I can’t place it. Anyone know what this is imitating? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-something-something-marketing-trope/832906/2 "2019-04-22T21:05:26Z")
It’s called a “Helvetica List campaign” and it started in 2012: [https://www.howdesign.com/how-design-blog/origin-of-helvetica-ampersand-list-t-shirts/](https://www.howdesign.com/how-design-blog/origin-of-helvetica-ampersand-list-t-shirts/) A link from the above: [https://www.experimentaljetset.nl/archive/t-shirtism](https://www.experimentaljetset.nl/archive/t-shirtism) ---
**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-something-something-marketing-trope/832906/3 "2019-04-22T21:44:51Z")
Looks like that’s it! Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-something-something-marketing-trope/832906/4 "2019-04-22T23:34:18Z")
FYI, [here](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=871542) is a thread from February about the same subject. ---
**Author:** ![road\_lobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d78d45/32.png) [@road\_lobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/road_lobo)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2019, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-something-something-marketing-trope/832906/5 "2019-04-23T12:41:17Z")
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice > **[Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_%26_Carol_%26_Ted_%26_Alice)** > > Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is a 1969 American comedy-drama film directed by Paul Mazursky, written by Mazursky and Larry Tucker, who also produced the film, and starring Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, Elliott Gould, and Dyan Cannon. The original music score was composed by Quincy Jones. The cinematography for the film was by Charles Lang. The film received four Academy Award nominations, including ones for Gould and Cannon. Patricia Welles wrote the paperback novel from Mazursky and Tucker's screen... ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2019, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-something-something-marketing-trope/832906/6 "2019-04-23T13:26:54Z")
> [@wolfstu](#): > > What’s the origin of this style of t-shirt and poster design where they list a bunch of things that go together with ampersands? > > Examples: > [Band members](https://shop.walkerart.org/products/experimental-jetset-john-paul-ringo-george-t-shirt) Well, that t-shirt was obviously designed by millennials. Everyone knows it’s John, Paul, George and Ringo. In that order. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2019, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-something-something-marketing-trope/832906/7 "2019-04-23T13:55:03Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Well, that t-shirt was obviously designed by millennials. Everyone knows it’s John, Paul, George and Ringo. In that order. That’s explained in the HOW link. ETA: Poor Ringo, the “And Sometimes Y” of the band. (until you listen to him, of course…) ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-something-something-marketing-trope/832906/8 "2019-04-23T15:36:59Z")
> [@digs](#): > > That’s explained in the HOW link. > ETA: Poor Ringo, the “And Sometimes Y” of the band. > > (until you listen to him, of course…) Ah, so they fudged it for aesthetics sake. Classic weak choice from designers who don’t care about words (I speak as a designer). ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-something-something-marketing-trope/832906/9 "2019-04-24T02:48:42Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > It’s called a “Helvetica List campaign” and it started in 2012: > > [https://www.howdesign.com/how-design-blog/origin-of-helvetica-ampersand-list-t-shirts/](https://www.howdesign.com/how-design-blog/origin-of-helvetica-ampersand-list-t-shirts/) Your link claims 2001.