Bee Hive Corn Syrup Hockey Player Alex Delvecchio

4 1/4 by 6 3/4 inch black and white photos of hockey players mounted on 5 3/8 by 8 inch coloured mats

Another source of Bee Hive “variations” resulted from old photos being “cleaned up”. The photographs were often “doctored” to create a more visually appealing picture. Photos were cropped differently or backgrounds that were too dark were eliminated entirely creating a completely white background or sometimes the boards which surround a hockey rink were “painted in” to create a more realistic setting.
With the conclusion of the 1966-67 hockey season, the Gray family, owners of the St. Lawrence Starch Company ceased the production of Beehives. Times had changed and it had simply become too expensive to continue.
The formation of the N.H.L. Players’ Association and its demand for a phenomenal increase in the fees for the right to pictures of its players and, the N.H.L. doubling in size from the “original six” teams to twelve teams had necessitated the end of the promotion.

Even in today’s world of seemingly endless advertising hype and massive promotion of virtually everything, the St. Lawrence Starch Company’s promotion of its products through Bee Hive photos borders on the remarkable. It must surely rank as one of the most successful and enduring marketing promotions of all time. After all, the promotion ran for 33 years and as far as I am concerned, it has never ended!


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