Retro Commercials--What's the Attraction?

[Ilikemuppets]

I remember one Time Me and my brother were both watching this net work PSA and they basically just said don't do it, And we both at the same time blurted out at the TV with out even know the other was going to do it. 'You can tell me what to do!" LOL!

That said I love old PSA's and whiting stars of old television shows (Blossom, ect.) doing those older messages. But a lot of times they just felt so forced, not just down your throat. But a lot of the reason they them them was just out of obligation to the FCC or something like that. I mean they had to put just enough educational massages just to get certain people off their backs. But it's good what many of them we're trying to do. I used to love the little music and slogans at the end of the PSA commercials that all the different networks have. I ofter find then ringing in my head form time to time.

But I really loved those mock "The Office" PSA's from a couple of years ago.

Remember all those old commercials people are putting up on here by the way and all those old products. Used to have a Teddy Roxpin myself and that thing was creepy, LOL! And so was the television show, Yiiiiiiks! Those commercials were so awesome, but the toys back then were no where near as advanced as Toys are now. But the down said to thats it can takes a lot of the creativity and imagination out of playing with the toy.*Stick out tongue*I often find myself singing the "My Buddy" and "Kid sister" commercial theme, ofter. and was as the "My friend Teddy Roxpin" jingle at the end id his too! There just things you never forget.

 

[Skye]

Remember all those old commercials people are putting up on here by the way and all those old products. Used to have a Teddy Roxpin myself and that thing was creepy, LOL! And so was the television show, Yiiiiiiks! Those commercials were so awesome, but the toys back then were no where near as advanced as Toys are now. But the downside to that is it can take a lot of the creativity and imagination out of playing with the toy.*Stick out tongue*I often find myself singing the "My Buddy" and "Kid sister" commercial theme, ofter. and was as the "My friend Teddy Roxpin" jingle at the end id his too! There just things you never forget.

Oh my gosh, I had forgotten all about that guy! I never had a Teddy Roxpin, but those commercials with him always creeped me out for some reason... like the guy could just come to life unexpectedly or something, lol!

I always wanted so many of the toys in commercials back then because while they weren't as advanced, they were cute or unique and always looked like so much fun. It is very true that toys nowadays can take the imagination out of playing with them... I hadn't thought about that before. That's a really good point. I look at the advanced toys now and I'm very impressed! But toys back then have a certain charm to them that toys these days don't quite have, hehe.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Oh my gosh, I had forgotten all about that guy! I never had a Teddy Roxpin, but those commercials with him always creeped me out for some reason... like the guy could just come to life unexpectedly or something, lol!

I always wanted so many of the toys in commercials back then because while they weren't as advanced, they were cute or unique and always looked like so much fun. It is very true that toys nowadays can take the imagination out of playing with them... I hadn't thought about that before. That's a really good point. I look at the advanced toys now and I'm very impressed! But toys back then have a certain charm to them that toys these days don't quite have, hehe.

Yeah1 I always wanted so many toys from the commercials, too! But Mr's Rogers explained the hard truth that we can't always have everything we want when we want it and that their are a verity of reason why parents can't always get what we want for us. So while I was upset that I could have all these wonderful toy items, I tried to be understanding about it even thouhg at the time is wasn't always as clear. But I was blessed with what I did have, so I could be thankful and happy with what I did have! Plus, while I can't get everything in the the store, birthdays are always nice to get something that you really wanted.

But I agree that those commercial really were creepy with how he started talking out of no where. And I agree that toys really did used to have a certain charm to them that can't compete with the mot advance thing out today, too! And they also had a unique quality about them and cutibility factor about them too, hehe! I just think about how advanced Elmo toys are and things and how they just become more advance,all the time to, and yet Elmo on the show himself has a simple stuffed doll, and he's just as happy with it them any kind of toy out there, hehe!

 

[Skye]

Hehe, awww of course, we can't always get everything we want. My parents wasted no time teaching me that lesson, lol! But that's a very important lesson for kids to learn! And also, to always be thankful for the blessings that you have in your life. Our loved ones are much more important than any toy.

Hehe, I love that... "cutibility factor." And it's so true! I've always been a sucker for cute things! I love it. And what you've noticed about Elmo and Elmo toys is so true. Advanced and complex definitely does not always equal better. I think there's something really sweet and special about simple things. Less really can often be so much more.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I think there was a certain charm to the older toys, they were so awkward and slightly creepy, lol, that they were memorable and funny, lol. It's ironic, we always strive to improve ourselves, but then end up losing things along the way. Of course, perhaps that just makes us appreciate them more.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

I agree that less really can be so much more! It's to simple and the little things in life that really count.

Yeah! I I think that the fun and the memory that you had playing with the toy that that you are really whats important. It it really is true that you can spend so much time trying to improve yourself that along the way you can lose sit of whats really important. And it really dose make and hope you to appreciate the true value of soothing more then what simply on the surface or what right in front of you that can go over looked.

 

[Drtooth]

Getting the thread back on track, I found BOTh Little Caesars commercials they used in the movie Grumpy Old Men:

The "Pizza Pizza" rendition of Wooly Bully

The Stages of Disbelief at 2 Pizzas for 5.99

That one was actually cut into segments and redubbedwhen used in the film.

 

[dwmckim]

You know, as i'm reading this thread it reminds me of one of the most important thing about commercials that i'm surprised has really been lost over all this time...

When i was a kid, you either did three things when commercials were on - you either started channel surfing for two minutes (maybe if there was another show you kind of liked but not as much as the one you were "officially watching", you'd flip over to it for a couple minutes and hopefully they wouldn't be on a commercial break too) or you took the opportunity to run to the bathroom or grab a snack from the kitchen or if you were already eating one, you'd throw away any wrappers or rinse out your bowl or what have you - or the third thing you'd do is watch the commercials - and usually if you did this last option it would be because the quality and caliber of the commercials shown during this block were usually entertaining and fun to watch...in the heyday of Saturday Morning Cartoons, the commercials were just as much fun as the cartoons and a whole part of the tradition. (A brief sidenote - some of the best commercials were ones done by local companies or programmers as opposed to nationals...so if you were in a great area for that you were doubly blessed).

Commercials should do two things: they should ideally make you want to purchase their product but they also need to give you a reason to watch the whole pitch to begin with. And most ads these days just don't do that. Which is kind of odd given how commercials are becoming more an endangered species (of course part of that is a WHOLE other thread and a subject that whole books are written about in terms of where ad dollars are actually coming from in this day of mass conglomerates with a lot of commercial time being devoted to things you won't buy or don't have a choice to buy like medicine and pr for government programs/technology).

As a kid you either thought "groan...commercials" or "YAY! Commercials!" Wouldn't it be great if we could have a bit of a commercial renaissance where we actually had the "YAY! Commercials!" reaction for the first in a long time?

A final thought - along with commercials (and psas which have been talked about a bit lately too), the other thing you would see in commercial breaks are promos for the station and/or the station's shows - and these are another thing that really make or break whether you flip or watch (ties in a little with what i said earlier about how some local programming can really be gifted on this). Good station IDS are fun and can even be iconic (back when MTV actually stood for "music television" and not "empty-v", you didn't dare flip stations cause you knew the commercials and station promos where not only going to be as entertaining as the videos but also a major part of the station itself!

 

[Ilikemuppets]

I did not know those Little Caesars commercials were from the movie.

I have to say that now days commercial during kids programing need to chill out. But commercials in general are too crazy and everyone is a jerk in them. But they get a grown form me a lot more then they used to.

 

[mikebennidict]

Old Commercials.

Thought I'd start a thread on this topic.

Buger King.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqf7b0sbLBU