For That Elvis Look - a Little Dab'll Still Do Ya' in the '90s

For decades, the daily morning ritual for most "hip cats" culminated with a generous dollop of the hairstyling staple known as Brylcreem.

From the era of F. Scott Fitzge-

rald and "The Great Gatsby" to the days of Elvis, young men relied on the hairstyler religiously, applying and plastering the gooey lotion with hair-slicking delight.

At its peak in the 1950s, more than $25 million worth of Brylcreem left store shelves, rely-

ing on the endorsements of such "Brylcreem heroes" as James Dean, Sid Vicious, and the British Royal Air Force - remembered fondly as the "Brylcreem Boys."

With the arrival of the Beat-

les, and their rebellious mop-top haircuts, the sales of Brylcreem dropped below $10 million. Refusing to take heed of this apparent decline, two companies bought the rights to the fallen product in 1993. J.B. Williams Co. now markets Brylcreem in the US and Sara Lee Corp. sells it in Britain.

Sara Lee signed a new "Brylcreem Boy" last year - English soccer star David Beckham.

And according to J.B. Williams account manager Eric Eikhorn, the company plans to mount a Brylcreem comeback campaign.

Though the company's other products, Aqua Velva and Lectric Shave, exceed Brylcreem in sales, Mr. Eikhorn says the product's motto still rings true: "A little dab'll do ya."

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