Hang in there, Baby

Hang in there, Baby is a popular catchphrase and motivational poster. There were several versions of the "Hang In There, Baby" poster, featuring a picture of a cat or kitten, hanging on to a stick, tree branch, pole or rope. The original poster featured a black and white photograph of a Siamese kitten clinging to a bamboo pole and was first published in late 1971 as a poster by Los Angeles photographer Victor Baldwin. It has since become a popular relic of the 1970s.

Victor Baldwin owned a portrait studio in Beverly Hills, California, photographing famous clients including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Ronald Reagan. His first love was animal photography, and he worked both in animal portraiture and as photo editor at Cat Fancy and Dog Fancy magazines. In 1956 he and his then wife Jeanne Baldwin coauthored a children’s book titled “Little Kitten, Big World”, featuring a Siamese kitten named Simmy.

Before it was published as a poster, fans of the book wrote requesting copies of the photograph. It was also used to sell subscriptions to Cat Fancy, prompting more requests. Baldwin, himself a fan of the picture, saw an increasing demand and so produced it as a poster, choosing the words “Hang In There, Baby” to accompany the image.

Baldwin hung a copy of the poster in his studio window in 1972, which resulted in more interest in the image. The first copy of the poster was sold to composer of The Music Man Meredith Willson, who asked for it to be framed. More requests came in, and soon Baldwin was fulfilling orders for one to ten gross per day. When his studio business began to suffer he hired a staff to keep up with the orders.

The poster struck a chord with 1970s Americans and became one of the best selling posters of the era. Baldwin received letters from people telling him that the poster helped them through recovery from surgery, accidents, and other difficult events. Baldwin himself said “she gave solace and strength to people everywhere, in all sorts of trouble, including myself”. By 1973 Baldwin had sold 350,000 copies at $2.00 each. He lived for a time solely on the income from the posters, taking a break from his studio work, something he admitted he would rather be doing than selling posters.

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