Browse Tag: Throwback friday

Throwback Friday: Jingles

Remember the era of the great jingle? The catchy little advertising tune you couldn’t resist singing along with when it came on the TV screen or the radio?  They were an advertising mainstay between the ’50s and the ’90s. Not that they’re officially dead and gone, but by comparison to those extremely memorable chords and words of yesterday, today’s jingles seem non-existent and forgettable. Below are eleven clips of old commercials with some of my favorite jingles. I focused on the 80s, with the exception of Coca-Cola’s famous early ’90s jingle. Considered adding the Soul-Glo commercial from Coming to America, but figured that would be cheating…

Some Memorable Jingles of Yesteryear

Juicy Fruit. I can sing this song in its entirety. With an…appropriate…level of over-enthusiasm. Don’t judge me.

 

Big Red. Gum was clearly an obsession in North America for a while…

 

Zest Soap. I always wanted that giant towel. As for the very scientifically sound soap-scum-on-the-shower-door experiment in every Zest commercial, can’t say I ever conducted such trials in my own home…

 

Extra. See ‘Big Red’ description above.

 

Coast. Bar soap commercials had a way of working themselves into the mind. I often found myself smelling the bar and getting a stupid smile on my face, like all the showering folks in the Coast commercials. Again, don’t judge me…

 

The Clapper. An a capella jingle, but a note-worthy jingle nonetheless. Who didn’t know this one? I always lamented that I never had a clapper in my home, and today I often wish I had one when I feel too lazy to switch off a lamp.

 

Folgers. Those commercials made me want it, but Folgers wasn’t allowed in my house. My father was a strict Café Bustelo man who only prepared the family’s coffee in “the third-world coffee maker”– the nickname my sisters and I gave to our stovetop espresso maker– “third world coffee maker” being a misnomer, of course, because this type of coffee maker was invented in Italy…Still haven’t experienced “the best part of waking up,” but I remember the song.

 

GEO. G. E. O-whoa-whoa-whoa. My sisters and I used to sing that line. Over and over.

 

Frosted Flakes. “Show ’em you’re a tiger, show ’em what you can do…” Frosted Flakes commercials had a common theme– most of them featured an underdog needing to unleash the tiger within. The jingle is short, but effective.

 

My Buddy/Kid Sister. A catchy little tune. The jingle was undoubtedly the bane of many a parent’s existence, and the toy itself merely one more link in the long unbroken chain of children’s imaginary friends.

 

Coca-Cola. I don’t drink soda, but I’ve never forgotten this song. Obviously, Coke knew it had a winner with this tune and wanted its message engrained in people’s minds–it’s not often a product displays its jingle’s lyrics, karaoke-style, in its commercials. In my humble opinion, they’ve never had a stronger ad campaign.

 

Ohh, alright. I couldn’t resist. Here’s a little “Soul-Glo,” courtesy of Coming to America…

Did I miss any of your favorites? Please share!

Throwback Friday: Acid wash jeans

Acid wash jeans: an idea whose time has passed. Like, really. We may have donned a pair and admired their faux-distressed look, but they point to a distinctly bizarre era of fashion. For a process that made so many articles of clothing look so ridiculous, the acid wash was pretty well thought out, involving chlorine and pumice stones (only die-hard slaves of fashion need apply!). The pumice stones were soaked in chlorine, then the denim clothing (jeans, jean jacket, vest, etc) could be doused with some spritzes of the chemical, then scrubbed with the bleachy stone, or put into a machine to wash with the bleachy stones to achieve that crazed, porous pattern. This process stripped the top layer of denim of its blue color, making it white and allowing the colored threads underneath to show through for that…”look.” Acid wash on blue denim was bad enough, but the process was done to jeans of all colors. And it was best if you had a matching jacket.

The full acid wash shebang

The acid wash didn’t really die in the early ’90s. It’s still here and what’s changed, of course, are the articles of clothing. It is often more subtle today, as the chemicals have shorter contact with the clothing, allowing for a more nuanced pattern. But you can still find bold patterns achieved by deliberate manipulation of the lightening chemicals, which can look nice on a modern cut of pant, such as these skinny jeans here by denim company YMI:

Acid wash skinny jeans from YMI

But don’t you even think of putting on a pair if they’re anything like this pair I’m sporting here–baggy, high-waisted, sewn-in cloth belt, seams all over. It may be of interest to the reader that I’m sporting a New Kids on the Block t-shirt (de rigueur at the time) along with that self-satisfied expression on my face. What did I know, anyway? So tell me…did you wear them proudly in the 80s and 90s? I won’t judge you 😉

My jeans of yesteryear.

Throwback Friday: Jello Pudding Pops

I. MISS. THESE. I want the real Jello pudding pops. The ones that Bill Cosby used to plug on TV during the 1980s. The ones that came in a box as chocolate, vanilla, and chocolate-vanilla swirl-flavored. Swirl was my favorite: best of both worlds, mixing of two great elements–the idealist in me, I suppose. The real kicker is that I HATE pudding. Weird, I know. So please, don’t console me with any “You can make them at home!” suggestions about making pudding and freezing it–I know you’re trying to help, but it’ll only make me sadder because it won’t have that same non-replicable flavor that only mass-manufacturing by a food conglomerate like Kraft Foods can achieve. I admit that I mostly avoid processed food. That said, Jello pudding pops, you’re sorely missed, and would be a welcome guest in my house any day.

High time for a revival, methinks.

Photo by knellotron