Stomatol Sign, Illuminated advertising sign in Slussen district, Stockholm, Sweden
The Stomatol Sign is an illuminated advertising display in the Slussen district featuring a toothpaste tube and toothbrush rendered in light bulbs on a building at Klevgränd. A series of individual bulbs makes up the design, which shines visibly at night.
The sign was installed in November 1909 on the Katarina Elevator and marked the start of animated advertising displays in Sweden. This was a major turning point in how electric light was used commercially to capture public attention.
The sign represents early Swedish advertising innovation and shows how companies in Stockholm used light to grab attention in creative ways. Today it shapes the city's nighttime appearance and reminds visitors how advertising worked in the past.
The sign can be viewed from multiple locations near Slussen subway station, with Kornhamnstorg offering a particularly good vantage point. The illumination is clearest after dark, so visiting after sunset gives the best view.
The lights follow a sequence that simulates squeezing toothpaste onto a brush by lighting up one after another. This clever bulb trick created the illusion of movement long before digital screens existed.
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