In 1916, advertising copywriter William B. Laughead wrote an advertising pamphlet for the Red River Lumber Company using the Paul Bunyan folk character. Laughead's first endeavor was a pamphlet entitled "Introducing Mr. Paul Bunyan of Westwood, California", but it did not prove effective. It was not until "Tales about Paul Bunyan, Vol. II" appeared that the campaign gained momentum. Laughead took many liberties with the original oral source material, embellishing older exploits and adding some of his own. Among other things, Laughead gave the name "Babe" to the blue ox, created the first pictorial representation of Bunyan, and increased Paul Bunyan's height to impossible proportions (in Laughead's version, Paul Bunyan towers over trees, while in the earlier folktales Bunyan had been extraordinarily tall and strong, but of human proportions).
In 1916 advertising copywriter William B Laughead wrote an advertising pamphlet for the Red River Lumber Company using the Paul Bunyan folk character Laughead's first endeavor was a pamphlet entitled "Introducing Mr Paul Bunyan of Westwood California" but it did not prove effective It was not until "Tales about Paul Bunyan Vol II" appeared that the campaign gained momentum Laughead took many liberties with the original oral source material embellishing older exploits and adding some of his own Among other things Laughead gave the name "Babe" to the blue ox created the first pictorial representation of Bunyan and increased Paul Bunyan's height to impossible proportions (in Laughead's version Paul Bunyan towers over trees while in the earlier folktales Bunyan had been extraordinarily tall and strong but of human proportions)