# What was Carosello, and why did it produce so many advertising characters?

**Carosello was RAI's nightly advertising slot, from 3 February 1957 to 1 January 1977. Each episode had about 100 seconds of entertainment in which the product could not appear, then a short closing "codino" for the product. That rule pushed advertisers to invent characters, from Calimero to Bialetti's "Omino coi baffi".**

Calimero, the little black chick, was created by the Pagot brothers for Mira Lanza (1963); Paul Film of Modena made the Bialetti moustached man; Osvaldo Cavandoli's La Linea was made for Lagostina; and Armando Testa's characters grew up on the programme. Carosello ended partly because advertisers wanted shorter, cheaper spots.Sources
- [Meer: the beginnings of Italian TV advertising](https://www.meer.com/it/78627-i-primordi-della-pubblicita-televisiva-in-italia-carosello)
- [Provincia di Modena: Paul Film exhibition](https://www.provincia.modena.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/CS-Mostra-Flash.pdf)
- [Sorrisi: the end of Carosello](https://www.sorrisi.com/tv/e-dopo-carosello-si-andava-tutti-a-nanna/)

Source: WM Arte Gallery, https://www.wmartegallery.com/answers/what-was-carosello (updated 2026-11-02)