The siren of advertising calling across the years (Viking)

viking sewing machine ad 1956, originally uploaded by firesheep67.

I came across this ad online in the last year (and if you're the one who posted it, please let me know so I can give you credit!). Since it can be hard to read depending on your monitor and eyesight, I will take the liberty of retyping the ad before I comment...

Text from the ad:

Just sit, set and let VIKING sew!

NOW!

Viking

the world's most completely jam proof automatic sewing machines

Viking the world's most completely automatic sewing machine, is also the easiest to use! Made of fine Swedish Steel by the craftsmen of Sweden's celebrated Husqvarna, where superior engineering has been a tradition for over 250 years! VIKING is a real automatic!

Just sit, set and let VIKING sew with an ease you've never before known!

See it today!

Try it today!

VIKING automatic features you'll love...

• exclusive JAM-PROOF HOOK makes it absolutely impossible for the thread to tangle or jam with or without fabric in the machine.
• exclusive MAGI-STAC permits you to change stitches with a flick of the fingers without stopping the machine! 
• exclusive SPEED REDUCER for s-l-o-w sewing when working on intricate patterns.

plus...20 more features never before offered in any one machine!

I LOVE a good ad! Even better I love to dissect the messages long after the target audience is no longer around. This ad is so good, that 57 years later, I still fall for it. Granted, I didn't see the ad until AFTER I found my Viking 21A, but boy, this ad makes me want to use my vintage machine more than any other I own. First off, according to the copy, my machine will sew by itself - no need for me to do anything other than watch it (like a TV?). One thing that still holds true to this day is the lure of the JAM-PROOF HOOK! That's actually what drove me into the arms of a vintage machine. I wasn't sewing on my Brother because of bobbin nesting. I spent more time angry and frustrated and troubleshooting rather than sewing. The JAM-PROOF HOOK promised salvation, and it has delivered, I'm happy to report :) The copy for the MAGI-STAC is hilarious. The "magi-stac" is now commonly referred to as a pattern cam, and I most certainly would not "change stitches with the flick of a finger" while the machine was going. (Mostly out of fear that I'll break an internal part that is NLA - no longer available.) The "exclusive SPEED REDUCER" is nice, but I rarely use it as I prefer to control sewing speed with the remarkably still responsive original controller. Note that "Swedish Steel" is capitalized...it's not just any steel. I'm not sure what the "20 more features" could be...hmmm...it's green (no - the Elna Grasshopper is green, and I suppose color is not considered a feature). Free-arm must be one...detachable sewing table...as for the rest? Being of Swedish descent and a huge Abba fan, Viking is my brand.

I will admit to cheating on my Viking 21A...with another Viking (a pair of them) - the Viking #1. Because of course, being #1 means it has to be even better than 21, right? ;)