The Crodino Carousels

In 2022, the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Turin received around 200 1950s-60s Crodino adverts from the Centro Studi Piero Ginocchi of Crodo. Volunteers had rescued the films from destruction, prompting the Museum to begin cataloguing them to trace their history and features. The ads, created by various production companies, include works by Gamma Film, founded by Luigi and Roberto Gavioli—key postwar Italian animators. Their collaboration with entrepreneur Piero Ginocchi, creator of the “light, non-alcoholic drink with a refined flavour,” led to numerous adverts that boosted Crodino’s popularity. Gamma Film mixed animation with live action and featured Brigitte Bardot for her iconic voice and persona. However, Bardot never holds the product on screen; her status as a sex symbol—especially after And God Created Woman (1956)—provoked backlash from Catholics. SACIS, RAI’s advertising agency, banned such imagery, so the drink was instead placed in the hands of everyday consumers.