Allens Sweets (Demolished)

65 Riverside Avenue, South Melbourne, 3205  


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Description

The Allen's Sweets sign was the most spectacular animated sign in Victoria.

The original (erected 1955) just read "Allen's Sweets", but in 1969 a more extravagant sign was created by Claude Neon, which involved several overlays variously reading "Allen's Sweets", "Cool Cool Kool Mints" and "Anticol Cough Drops". The sign also featured a 'firework' with raindrops to catch attention and cough lollies actually falling from the Anticol packet. The entire sequence lasted a lenthy 35 seconds!

In it's entirety, the Allen's Sweets sign measured 30 metres in width and 12 metres in height and was supported by a scaffold originally intended for a Holden car advertisement.

In 1987, A.W. Allen Ltd. moved from their South Melbourne location and the factory was demolished to make way for the Southbank development. Despite much community and government support for the sign to be preserved, it was torn down in 1987.

A much-loved Melbourne icon was lost forever.

Further Information  
  • Attwood, A. (1986) In Melbourne: Signs of the Times. Time Australia, 4 August, pp.3-4
  • Downward, E. (1986) The Sweetest of them all: The History of the Allen's Neon Sign. Self-published.
  • Wixted, D. (2002) Historic Electric Signage in Victoria. Report for Heritage Victoria. p. 7 Download
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