Hats for Horses??

So, how did the idea of giving out products with your name on it originate?
Well, it seems the earliest promotional product dates back to the election of George Washington in 1789.
Soon after, Ohio printer Jasper Meeks, is believed to be the orginator of the industry. He convinced a local show store
to supply book bags imprinted with the store name and given to local schools. The idea caught on quickly, and Henry Beach, another
Ohio printer soon became competitors with Meeks. Soon, the two men were imprinting bags for marbles, buggy whips, card cases,
cans, cloth caps, aprons and even HATS for horses!

During the early 19th centery you could find advertising calendars, rulers and wooden specialties, but there wasn’t an organized industry for the creation and distribution until many years later. Today there are more than 22,000 Distributors and 4800 Manufacturers of promotional products.