Blast from the Past: Commercial Characters

Back in the 70s, it seemed that every major product had a spokesperson. A fictional spokesperson, who was oddly fixated on their product. They sang the praises of whatever product they were hawking, and appeared in commercials for years. And as memorable as they are, these would be very strange people in real life.




1. Madge, Palmolive Dishwashing Liquid - Take Madge, for example. She was always plopping clients' hands into dish soap, as though that was the most normal thing in the world for a manicurist to do.

2. Sarah Tucker, Cool Whip - I don't know if Sarah Tucker was real or a fictional character, but the woman in the commercials could not be the person she was in real life. I remember a commercial where she was carrying Cool Whip in her purse.

3. Cora, Maxwell House Coffee - Played by the "Wicked Witch of the West," Margaret Hamilton, Cora was a manic, slightly scary saleslady who liked Maxwell House. A lot. Perhaps decaf is in order, Cora?

4. Rosie, Bounty Paper Towels - Nancy Walker's Rosie was a sarcastic waitress, who loved to suspend coffee cups and other things on wet paper towels. But they're still using her "It's the quicker picker upper!" phrase.