The Laughing Cow - Advertising sign - Wood

La Vache Qui Rit: a reminder for shopping

The story begins in the Jura with Jules Bel, who settled in Orgelet in 1865 as a cheese maturer and trader, notably of Comté and Gruyère. His sons Léon and Henri Bel later took over the family business and established it in Lons-le-Saunier at the end of the 19th century.

After his brother’s withdrawal, Léon Bel gradually took the helm of the company. He became notably a specialist in the trade and aging of cheeses.

The discovery of melted cheese

At the beginning of the 20th century, a new technique appeared in Switzerland: melted cheese. The Graf Swiss family introduced this technique in France during World War I. It yields a cheese that keeps much better and can be easily transported.

Léon Bel quickly understood the commercial interest of this invention.

After the war, around 1919, he worked with Émile Graf and began making his own melted cheese in his workshop in Lons-le-Saunier. The product was first associated with Gruyère cream, before the La Vache qui Rit brand became its commercial identity.

Benjamin Rabier, the famous animal illustrator, was asked to create a drawing. He produced a cow with a particularly jovial face. Soldiers nicknamed her “La Wachkyrie,” a pun between cow and Valkyrie, referencing Wagner’s Valkyries.

It is this drawing and especially this nickname that would inspire Léon Bel with the idea for the future name of his brand.

On 16 April 1921, Léon Bel officially registered the trademarks “La Vache qui rit.” INPI confirms this date in its archives.

The birth of the famous logo

The first drawing is not exactly the one we know today.

Léon Bel asked Benjamin Rabier to rework the cow. Rabier transformed the drawing to make the cow’s head far more expressive.

Then printer Vercasson contributed to giving the cow its famous red color.

And there are the famous earlobes.

According to brand tradition, Anne-Marie Bel, Léon’s wife, would have suggested placing earrings on the cow to make her more feminine. The earrings finally took the shape of small boxes of La Vache qui Rit.

It is this detail that gave rise to the famous visual effect: the cow that laughs wears boxes of La Vache qui Rit as earrings, which themselves contain the image of the cow, and so on.

1921: birth of the brand

The first La Vache qui rit was marketed in 1921.

At first, portions were packaged in metal tins. Very quickly, the packaging evolved to the famous round cardboard box, more practical and lighter.

Success was swift: from the early years, Léon Bel invested heavily in mechanizing production.

In 1922, he founded the Société Anonyme des Fromageries Bel.

An industrialist who understood advertising before anyone else

That’s where Léon Bel becomes particularly interesting.

He doesn’t just sell cheese: he sells a brand.

From the 1920s, La Vache qui Rit appeared on:

* posters;
* enamel signs;
* shop displays;
* blotting papers;
* notebooks covers;
* children’s items;
* numerous advertising objects.

The brand even used enamel signs in grocery stores and dairies, which directly relates to your previous search for old signs and reminders.
La Vache qui Rit gradually became a true global brand, not just the name of a melted cheese.

The logo evolves, but remains immediately recognizable

Over the decades, the drawing was modernized several times, but the fundamental elements remained:
red head, smile, horns, and above all the earrings shaped like boxes.

This explains why one can recognize La Vache qui Rit advertising from the 1920s, 1950s, or 1980s, despite very different graphic styles.

The brand also became famous for its extensive use of promotional items: the Tour de France caravan, enamel signs, blotting papers, games, pictures, and other objects have greatly contributed to its iconic character.

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