260. ESSO COLORING BOOK

ESSO stands for  Standard Oil Company (S-O, hence, "Esso") which originated in New Jersey. On September 7, 1933 Socony Vacuum Oil Company of New York and ESSO merged to form the Standard Vacuum Oil Company or Stanvac.

In 1945, after the War, Stanvac promptly resumed its operations. In 1957, Stanvac started constructing a refinery in Limay, Bataan to meet the country’s growing fuel needs. It was inaugurate in 1961. Soon, ESS stations began sprouting all over the country and to promote travel, it gave away premium items like this Esso Coloring Book, made especially for children.

It featured the mascot,  the Esso Tiger, which was further popularized by Esso's slogan, "Put a Tiger In Your Tank". The scarce 8" x 7" coloring book featured 14 pages to color, showing the Esso Tiger saving the day in a whimsical fairy tale.

In 1973, the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) acquired Esso Philippines at the height of the first oil crisis and renamed it Petrophil Corporation. It is now known as Petron Corporation.