The Anti-Permanent Pearlman Poster League of the East (APPPLE) was an early (1979-1984) example of grass-roots political satire performed to generate media coverage. It employed tactics now known as culture jamming and guerilla communication.
History
The group was founded to protest Al Pearlman, a Philadelphia councilman in the 1970s and 1980s. Pearlman had a habit of campaigning through masonite signs, 2x4 feet, nailed to telephone poles fifteen feet off the ground; though required by law, these were not removed after elections, and some stayed up for several elections and were simply modified from one election to the next. The group argued, in a 1979 call to The Philadelphia Inquirer that explained the first poster, that Pearlman should pay rent for the signs.
The Pearlman posters featured pictures of Pearlman, which the Anti-Pearlman Permanent Poster League would decorate with creative new designs in the broad daylight wearing white coveralls with a large apple on the back. They would often call Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Clark DeLeon prior to the redesign jobs who would month after month reveal their latest exploits to his readers with stories and pictures. Most of the posters were removed by Pearlman's people within days of the changes.
Known posters
| Name | First Public Display |
|---|---|
| Mouse Ears | Sept. 18, 1979 |
| Clown | Oct. 8, 1979 |
| Gangster | Nov. 28, 1979 |
| Nose Thumbing | Dec.12, 1979 |
| Mouse Ears (ayatollah) | Dec. 14, 1979 |
| Santa | NA |
| Apple on Head | Feb. 1, 1980 |
| Bubblehead | Feb. 21, 1980 |
| Puppet | May 19, 1982 |
| Joker | Jun. 5, 1983 |
| Litter Basket | Sept. 18, 1983 |
References
- "Pearlman Posters Given a Facelift". Philadelphia Daily News. 1979-09-28. p. 1. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
- ^ DeLeon, Clark (1979-09-21). "Terrorism: Is no poster safe from these fiends?". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ DeLeon, Clark (1979-09-21). "Terrorism: A real Mickey Mouse outfit". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- "Pearlman Posters Given a Facelift". Philadelphia Daily News. 1979-09-28. p. 1. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
- Konolige, Kit (1979-09-28). "Al Pearlman A Marked Man". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 6. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- DeLeon, Clark (1979-10-08). "Update: APPPLE meets SWARM". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 18. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- DeLeon, Clark (1979-11-28). "Politics: Is nothing sacred to APPPLE?". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 14. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ DeLeon, Clark (1979-12-14). "Update: The ayatollah meets Al Pearlman". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 42. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- DeLeon, Clark (1979-12-25). "Posters: Yes, Virginia, there is an Al Pearlman". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 38. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- DeLeon, Clark (1980-02-01). "APPPLE STRIKES AGAIN - again". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
- DeLeon, Clark (1980-02-22). "APPPLE: How about laying off poles for a while". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 14. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
- DeLeon, Clark (1983-06-07). "Politics: It's starting again". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 18. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
- DeLeon, Clark (1983-09-18). "Terrorists: APPPLE meets SCRAPPPLE". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 26. Retrieved 2019-02-21.