Slip! Slop! Slap!: seagull jingle makes sun safety a habit — under-30 melanoma falls

In 1981, with melanoma rates climbing and the link between ultraviolet radiation and skin cancer becoming clear, the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria (now Cancer Council Victoria) launched a television commercial built around a jingle: 'Slip, Slop, Slap! Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat — you can stop skin cancer.' The cheerful voice belonged to Sid the Seagull, a cartoon character in board shorts, t-shirt and hat.

The council had approached broadcaster Phillip Adams, then creative director at the Monahan Dayman Adams agency; with composer Peter Best and designer/animator Alex Stitt, the trio adapted a slogan from a Queensland Cancer Fund campaign — 'Slip Slop Shove' — into the more singable 'Slip! Slop! Slap!'. The TV spot was an immediate hit with children and parents, and ran through the 1980s as both paid advertising and community service announcements, spawning radio, print and state variations across Australia.

The slogan entered the Australian language and became the core message of Cancer Council's SunSmart program. In 2005 it was revived and extended to 'Slip! Slop! Slap! Seek! Slide!' (seek shade and slide on sunglasses). A 2024 Medical Journal of Australia editorial says these public education campaigns are recognised as key factors in the gradual reduction of melanoma incidence in Australians under 30 over the past 25 years, while incidence continued to rise in older age groups and in most other countries.