Joe Chemo was developed as an antismoking character by Scott Plous, a psychology professor at Wesleyan University, after his father nearly died from smoking. The idea was to present a more honest image of smoking than the Joe Camel character used by R. J. Reynolds.

The first image of Joe Chemo ran in the Winter, 1996, issue of Adbusters magazine. Since that time, Joe Chemo has appeared in or been mentioned by the Associated Press, Time, Newsweek, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Business Week, AdWeek, ABC and NBC television news, PBS, and other media outlets.

In addition, the Washington State Department of Health has distributed 10,000 Joe Chemo posters to public schools, the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Colorado has given away hundreds of Joe Chemo t-shirts, and Joe Chemo has appeared on billboards in several cities. For information on posters, billboards, and other materials, please email or call Adbusters at 604-736-9401 (bulk discounts available). For T-shirt orders of 12 or more, email or call Northern Sun Merchandise at 800-258-8579 (sorry, t-shirts are not available in smaller orders). You are also welcome to download a free copy of the Joe Chemo Screensaver for your computer.

Some facts about the R. J. Reynolds Joe Camel advertising campaign:

• During the first three years of Joe Camel advertisements, Camel's share of the under-18 cigarette market jumped from 0.5% to 32.8%, representing a $470 million increase in annual sales for RJR Nabisco. DiFranza, J. R., Richards, J. W., Jr., Paulman, P. M., Wolf-Gillespie, N., Fletcher, C., Jaffe, R. D., & Murray, D. (1991). RJR Nabisco's cartoon camel promotes Camel cigarettes to children. JAMA, 266, 3149-3153.
  
  
• More than 90% of six-year-olds match Joe Camel with a picture of a cigarette, making him as well-known as Mickey Mouse (by comparison, only 67% of adults recognize Joe Camel). Fischer, P. M., Schwartz, M. P., Richards, J. W., Goldstein, A. O., & Rojas, T. H. (1991). Brand logo recognition by children aged 3 to 6 years: Mickey Mouse and Old Joe the Camel. JAMA, 3145-3148.
  
  
• On May 28, 1997, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission charged that the Joe Camel advertising campaign violated federal fair trade practice laws by promoting a lethal and addictive product to children and adolescents under the age of 18. Broder, J. M. (May 29, 1997). F.T.C. charges "Joe Camel" ad illegally takes aim at minors. New York Times, pp. A1, B10.
  
  
• On July 10, 1997, RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company announced that its 23-year-old Joe Camel advertising campaign would be discontinued. Elliott, S. (July 11, 1997). Joe Camel, a giant in tobacco marketing, is dead at 23. New York Times, pp. D1, D4.