Famous 'Crying Indian' Ad Is Being Retired

Anti-pollution spot from 1970s has been acquired by Native American group
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 25, 2023 9:30 PM CST
Famous 'Crying Indian' Ad Is Being Retired
Iron Eyes Cody, the ''Crying Indian'' whose tearful face in 1970s TV commercials became a powerful symbol of the anti-littering campaign, is pictured in this 1986 photo.   (AP Photo, File)

Since its debut in 1971, an anti-pollution ad showing a man in Native American attire shed a single tear at the sight of smokestacks and litter taking over a once unblemished landscape has become an indelible piece of TV pop culture. It's been referenced over the decades since on shows like The Simpsons and South Park and in internet memes. But now a Native American advocacy group that was given the rights to the long-parodied public service announcement is retiring it, saying it has always been inappropriate, per the AP. The so-called “Crying Indian” with his buckskins and long braids made the late actor Iron Eyes Cody a recognizable face in households nationwide.

But to many Native Americans, the public service announcement has been a painful reminder of the enduring stereotypes they face. The nonprofit that originally commissioned the advertisement, Keep America Beautiful, had long been considering how to retire the ad and announced this week that it's doing so by transferring ownership of the rights to the National Congress of American Indians. “Keep America Beautiful wanted to be careful and deliberate about how we transitioned this iconic advertisement/public service announcement to appropriate owners,” said Noah Ullman, a spokesperson for the nonprofit, via e-mail.

“We spoke to several Indigenous peoples’ organizations and were pleased to identify the National Congress of American Indians as a potential caretaker.” NCAI plans to end the use of the ad and watch for any unauthorized use. When it premiered in the 1970s, the ad was a sensation. It led to Iron Eyes Cody filming three follow-up PSAs. He spent more than 25 years making public appearances and visits to schools on behalf of the anti-litter campaign, according to an Associated Press obituary.

(More Native Americans stories.)

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