Muriel Cigars is a brand of machine-rolled cigars, most recently owned by Altadis, a subsidiary of Imperial Brands.
History
The Muriel Cigars brand was established in 1912 by Lorillard Tobacco Company[1] in Jersey City, New Jersey.[2] Muriel Cigars was acquired by Consolidated Cigar Holdings, Inc. in 1956,[3][4] which in turn merged with Havatampa in 2000 to form Altadis USA.[5]
The first Muriel cover girl, long considered a mystery, was an adult imagining of a child, Muriel Rasmussen Berry, daughter of George and Emma Rasmussen and granddaughter of Dr. Carl Moehle. Moehle was the owner of the lithographic firm that produced the original label.[1] The brand chose a new model in the 1970s in an attempt to maintain relevance in changing times.[6]
Muriel's popularity peaked in the 1950s,[7] but Consolidated continued to market the brand extensively in America throughout the 1960s and 1970s.[2] The brand did $40 million in annual sales by 1973,[6] spending as much as $2.5 million per year on marketing in the 1970s.[8] Muriel Cigars ran television advertisements in the first Super Bowl in 1966.[9] Actress Edie Adams notably worked as a pitch-lady for Muriel Cigars, appearing in multiple commercials throughout the 1950s and 1960s.[10][11]
