Blast from the Past: Clean & Fresh!

I'm in the tail-end phase of a home improvement project that just snowballed through the entire first quarter of the year, on into spring. We'll complete the effort over the next week or so, but in the meantime, things are in a bit of disarray. As such, there's a constant need for cleaning, and that got me to thinking of all the cleaning products that used to be advertised when I was growing up. Loads of them are still around today, of course, but the commercials aren't as classic.

1. Mr. Clean (1978)
2. Calgon (1970s) - I've used this before, but can't resist.
 

3. Palmolive (1981) - With Madge the manicurist
4. Dow Scrubbing Bubbles (1978)
 

5. Spic and Span (1970s) - With Minnie Pearl!
6. S.O.S Pads (1981)
 

7. Atlantic Bee Mop (1987)
8. Mop & Glo (1988)
 

9. Clorox 2 (1986) - The magic of Clorox 2!
10. Wisk (1971) - Ring around the collar!




And with that, I'll wish you a good (clean & fresh) week, and a happy Monday!

Blast from the Past: Electronic Gadgets of the 70s and 80s

Gadgets! Why gadgets? Do you have a better idea?


1. Polaroid One Step Camera (1981) - Mariette Hartley and James Garner
2. Texas Instruments Calculator (1978) - "Little Professor"
 

3. Coleco's Head-to-Head Electronic Football (1980) - vs. Mattel
4. Atari VCS/2600 (1978) - with Pete Rose!
 

5. Radio Shack Cell Phones (1987) - Only $1399!
6. Sony Walkman (1983)
 

7. Pulsar Digital Watch (1972)
8. Sony Betamax VCR (1977)
 

Feeling old yet? Well, enough of that then. Let's get going on a new week, and start the countdown to next weekend, shall we? Happy Monday!

Don't Squeeze the Blast from the Past! Classic Commercial Spokesmen and Women

There is still such a thing as a commercial pitchman (or woman), and by that I mean a character created to sell a product or service, not merely a celebrity endorser. Back in the 60s, 70s and 80s, it seemed every big brand had it's own character. And in a world with basically three commercial channels on television, these characters were known to pretty much everybody.
 
1. Charmin Bathroom Tissue's "Mr. Whipple" - Why this grocery store clerk was so adamant that customers "please don't squeeze the Charmin," I have no idea. But he couldn't help doing it himself.

2. Palmolive Dish Washing Liquid's "Madge, the manicurist" - Madge was a bit snarky for her day, and seemed to get larger as the years went on. And she never got slapped for shoving a client's hand into a bowl of soap. "Softens hands while you do the dishes!"

3. Folger's Coffee's "Mrs. Olson" - Wise and friendly, Mrs. Olson always made coffee that was "mountain grown."
4. Maxwell House's "Cora" - Buying coffee from the Wicked Witch of the West? Sure, if it's "good to the last drop!"
 

5. Chiffon Margarine's "Mother Nature," - There were lots of memorable margarine commercial, but only Chiffon's got a regular character. "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature!"
6. Isuzu Motors' "Joe Isuzu" - Traipsing into the 80s, we find Joe Isuzu who was always lying. I'm not sure why that caught on.
 

7. Bartles & Jaymes Wine Coolers- No, these guys weren't the proprietors, they were just actors playing a part, but they still "thank you for your support."
8. Bounty Paper Towels' Rosie the Waitress - Nancy Walker was probably more known for touting "the quicker picker upper" than she was for her acting gigs on Rhoda and McMillan & Wife.




And that's it for this week's trip down memory lane. Hope everyone had a great weekend. Happy Monday!

Blast from the Past: Cookies!

Blast from the Past is often a challenge for me, because first I have to decide on a topic. Should it be relevant to anything going on, or random? Once I have a topic, should it be in depth with tons of commentary, or do I just let the clips speak for themselves? And the biggie: how much time will it take? Because sometimes, especially if I'm going heavy on the commentary, a typical post can take an hour. And that's after brain-storming on what to write about!

This week, I decided I don't need some big newsworthy tie-in. And I don't need a lot of commentary when the subject is purely nostalgic: cookies! From the past of course. The commercials speak to our pop-culture history and need no further help from me. Look close, you might see some famous faces. So, dig in. . .
 

I'm hungry now. Happy Monday!

Blast from the Past: Classic Commercials, Redux

NOTE: This one is really a blast from the past, a rerun from April, while I get my brains back in my head after a really tough weekend/week/month!

I was stuck for a topic for this week's Blast from the Past, so I went out to the fridge to get a yogurt, and it reminded me of something. There was a Dannon Yogurt commercial with old Soviets, giving the impression that if you ate their yogurt, you'd live past 100. And if you believe that. . .

Anyway, I thought I'd revisit the subject of classic commercials. There are a number of 70s and 80s commercials particularly that really stand out in pop culture history. Here are a few of them.

1. The afore mentioned Dannon Yogurt ad.
2. Calgon water softener: "Ancient Chinese secret, huh?"

3. Oscar Mayer balogna: "My baloney has a first name. . .
4. Life Cereal: "Let's get Mikey!"

5. "You sunk my Battleship!"
6. Connect Four: "Pretty sneaky, sis!"

7. McDonald's Big Mac: "Two all beef patties. . ."
8. "Please don't squeeze the Charmin."

9. Alka-Seltzer: "Mama mia, that's a spicy meatball!"
10. Diet Pepsi: "Now you see it, now you don't!"

And that should do it for this week. Hope you had a great weekend, and happy Monday!

Remembering Annette Funicello

I was remiss in not putting up a notice, in a timely manner, of Annette Funicello's passing at age 70. She had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis some twenty years ago, and not in the public eye for some years. It always seemed especially sad because Annette's persona was that of a bubbly, lovable, warm "girl next door," and it just didn't seem fair somehow, not that it ever is.

I noted that in the coverage of her passing, most people pointed to her beginnings on the original Mickey Mouse Club, her fame in beach movies, and a minor musical career. What I didn't see was the thing I remember her for: Skippy peanut butter commercials. For a good chunk of my adolescence, Annette Funicello was the peanut butter lady. And true to her image, they were sweet natured. RIP, Annette.

Blast from the Past: Classic Commercials

I was stuck for a topic for this week's Blast from the Past, so I went out to the fridge to get a yogurt, and it reminded me of something. There was a Dannon Yogurt commercial with old Soviets, giving the impression that if you ate their yogurt, you'd live past 100. And if you believe that. . .

Anyway, I thought I'd revisit the subject of classic commercials. There are a number of 70s and 80s commercials particularly that really stand out in pop culture history. Here are a few of them.

1. The afore mentioned Dannon Yogurt ad.
2. Calgon water softener: "Ancient Chinese secret, huh?"

3. Oscar Mayer balogna: "My baloney has a first name. . .
4. Life Cereal: "Let's get Mikey!"

5. "You sunk my Battleship!"
6. Connect Four: "Pretty sneaky, sis!"

7. McDonald's Big Mac: "Two all beef patties. . ."
8. "Please don't squeeze the Charmin."

9. Alka-Seltzer: "Mama mia, that's a spicy meatball!"
10. Diet Pepsi: "Now you see it, now you don't!"

And that should do it for this week. Hope you had a great weekend, and happy Monday!