Of all the many successful products marketed to Southeast Asia from the United States, Quaker Oatmeal does not seem to have made the list. However, in the 1950s, the company was pushing hard to market their product. They handed out thousands of free bowls of the stuff at the Thai 1954 Bangkok Constitution Fair, but apparently few Thais enjoyed it.

Later, advertisements appeared across Southeast Asia that seem to play on locals’ fears of being able to compete in the labor market. Here are some pictures from the Borneo Bulletin in 1959. Apparently if you eat Quaker Oats you will be a more successful Malaysian!