She’s got pigtails and a mischievous pup. She’s nearing 50, yet the coyish look of surprise on her face could only belong to a child. She’s the Coppertone Girl, perhaps the most famous female in all of Miami and — at about 40-feet tall — she’s certainly the largest. Up until 2009, her fate was unknown, bare-bottom and all.
Illuminating Miami since 1959, the Coppertone sign has had a turbulent history. Designed by pop-artist Joyce Ballantyne Brand (her daughter Cheri was her inspiration), and built by Miami-based Tropicalites Sign Company, the work of art was originally hung on the 13-story Parkleigh building on Biscayne Boulevard. According to Fran Rollason, president of the MiMo Biscayne Association, she stayed there until 1993 when the structure was demolished, at which time Schering-Plough Corporation (Coppertone’s parent company) donated her to the Dade Heritage Trust.
The Trust moved her to the side of the Concord Building at 66 West Flagler Street in downtown Miami where she hung undisturbed for more than a decade. But Hurricane Wilma blew through in 2005, leaving her in disrepair. Adding to her misfortune, a mammoth structure was slated to rise up nearby, threatening to shroud it completely. It seemed like the sun was setting on the fabled landmark.
But in 2007, the MiMo Biscayne Association, dedicated to promoting the 27 blocks of Biscayne Boulevard that make up the MiMo historic district, decided it wanted to bring the relic back to Biscayne. In May of 2008, the Trust handed her over to the association, and with help from Schering-Plough — who paid for her removal, restoration and reinstallation — the Coppertone Girl is shining again. Unveiled during Art Basel 2008, she can now be seen at 7300 Biscayne Boulevard, a building that was chosen for it’s windowless north side façade (less sun exposure) and MiMo district location. “Who doesn’t want to own an icon?” says Debbie Ohanion, owner of the 7300 building.
Well for a time, it seemed no one. As far as decades-old artifacts go, this one’s pretty rare. And while the slogan that she once bore reading “Tan, Don’t Burn” has long been removed, the Coppertone Girl of today has a whole new message. It may be unwritten, but it reverberates throughout Miami’s historic district loud and clear: preservation can prevail.
