I mentioned being taken in by the "life-size dinosaurs" ad, which required a month's allowance to underwrite back in 1958 (and those were all paid in silver quarters, and tendered to the unscrupulous merchant by means of a "silver certificate." Sigh). I've been unable to find a sample of the ad, but I believe that this come-on for MONSTER S-I-Z-E MONSTERS is comparable.

A full six feet tall in authentic full color, and so very life-like that you’l probably find yourself talking to them. We have these two all-time favorites — spine-chilling Frankenstein and the mad vampire Dracula.

My dinosaurs, when they arrived, were scarcely life-sized, but they were bigger than I was (about average height for a six year-old) when fully inflated: these were images of dinosaurs imprinted upon the surfaces of large balloons, of a vaster volume than the ones typically deployed at birthday parties, but nevertheless the kind that retain their pressurized contents by means of a knot tied at the mouth end.

As far as customer gratification goes, it was probably zero-sum with regard to the household at large: my disappointment, which was vast, being offset against the satisfaction felt by my old man that I had learned a valuable lesson about commerce and advertising, and would be a savvier consumer thereafter.

cordially,