Single Cel Organism #1: Quisp and Quake
Here's an interesting cel featuring some vintage cereal mascots, Quake and Quisp, with a third character I've not seen before. If anyone knows who the man in the black hat is, drop a comment below.
Tag: commercials
Vintage VHS Commercial Bonanza, Part 6 (feat. Sergio Valente and Frank Perdue)
It's been more than two months since I shared the last batch of vintage 1982 commercials, so I'd say we're overdue. The following are all the ads shown during the fifth break of WABC-TV Channel 7′s airing of Von Ryan’s Express on June 19, 1982. In this double-size break we've got Mel from Alice hawking bug spray, processed cheese-type food, the one and only Frank Perdue, and more!
Two of the ads in this section -- Kal Kan and Midas -- were repeated from earlier in the broadcast and have already been posted, so I'm not putting them here again. Part 5 of our VHS treasure trove is here.
Astute viewers should recognize our bug-challenged gardener friend as Vic Tayback, aka Mel from the old Alice TV show. (No-Pest)
Other than the jaunty, period jingle the thing that stands
The Best of the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit — 2012
So, 2012. It sure was twelve months, wasn't it? But before the year slips away into 2013, let's take a moment to reflect on just some of the awesome content I've published in Aught 12, as ranked by the number of visits (which I'm aware don't always equate to quality, but that's another topic). For reference, here's last year's review.
And as always, I offer a laurel and hearty handshake to everyone who has stopped by this year -- either on the blog, the Facebook page, or any of the ever-growing venues where I waste my time and yours. This site racked up about half a million visits in 2012, which I'm fairly certain is an all-time high. It's probably all downhill from here.
Oh and I'd be remiss if I didn't point out the lovely selection of Featured Posts you see to the right. It ma...
Vintage VHS Commercial Bonanza, Part 5 (feat. Carta Nevada, Helena Rubinstein, and Midas)
And we're back with another word from our sponsors! Here are all the commercials shown during the fourth ad break of WABC-TV Channel 7's airing of Von Ryan's Express on June 19, 1982. We've got ads for booze, makeup, mufflers, and... ballet? Actually, now that I think about it, that sounds like the makings of a pretty classy evening. Except the muffler bit.
(Part three of our look back at these commercials is right here.)
Oh, I just love it when square white people break out the Freixenet and get all frisky! (Carta Nevada sparkling wine)
(Helena Rubinstein)
That's a sweet collection of early '80s cars, is it not? And is that an old VW Rabbit? I think it is. (Midas)
Like I said, classy is the operative word here. Any time you throw out ballet companies per
Retrotisements — 1975 Chevrolet New Car and Truck Lineup
I wouldn't go so far as to say that 1975 was a great year because that's when I was born but it's totally the case. And that's pretty much all the inspiration behind the choice for this car capsule. It features Chevrolet, perhaps the most All-American automotive brand around (sorry Ford fans).
Chevy's slogan for the 1975 model year was "Chevrolet Makes Sense for America," which was a recession-themed tagline carried over from the previous year, according to this very in-depth look at Chevy marketing. Their TV ads sported a catchy little jingle titled "Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and Chevrolet."
And the '75 Chevy lineup was rather a large one, featuring nearly a dozen passenger cars. And here they are, ads and brochure pages for every Chevy model from the subcompact Vega to...
Vintage VHS Commercial Bonanza, Part 4 (feat. Quaker Corn Bran, Cella Winery, and A&P)
Here's the second half of the commercial break from the 1982 WABC-TV airing of Von Ryan's Express that I started in this post.
This classic Quaker Corn Bran spot stars a very young Danny Pintauro, who you know best as Jonathan Bower, Tony Danza's son from Who's the Boss?
I really don't remember seeing these Fussy Customer ads, which appeared to basically be for a group of car dealers in the New Jersey area. But I dig the quaint music and animated birds.
That's Indiana-born James Manis as Aldo Cella, with his famous "Chill-a-Cella" catchphrase.
Oh yeah, vintage A&P with the green smocks and red jackets! It's hard to remember now, but for many years A&P was not just the biggest supermarket chain in America, it was one of the biggest retailers period. From
I Love You, Internet: The Zooey Deschanel Cotton Commercial We Deserve
Did you know that Zooey Deschanel's middle name is Claire? I didn't, because I hate her. Luckily this awesome commercial spoof -- "It's called 'cotton,' you've probably never heard of it." -- from Regretsy helps ease my white-hot rage against all things adorkable just a little bit.
Go ahead, watch it again. I already have.
Retrotisements — 1958 Plymouth New Car Lineup
Print advertisements, brochures, and TV commercials help give us a glimpse into the automotive past. Today’s ad collection shines a spotlight on the 1958 Plymouth domestic American car lineup, which featured three main models — the Plaza, Savoy, Fury, and Belvedere -- as well as the Suburban station wagon.
The full-size Belvedere, introduced in 1954, was in its third generation for '58, and was available as a 2-door hardtop, 4-door sedan, 2-door Club Sedan, and convertible. It was demoted from the top of the Plymouth line in 1956 to make room for the Fury.
The Savoy, also in its fifth year of production, was Plymouth's mid-line priced vehicle. Three trims were available in 1958 -- 2-door and 4-door hardtop, and a 4-door sedan. And then there's the Plaza, which was the entry-level mod
This Ragú Ad Made It Worth Watching the Summer Olympics
So I'm watching the Summer Olympics last night on NBC, and this commercial pops up:
Yup, this is an ad -- titled "A Long Day of Childhood: Parent's Bedroom" -- for Ragú pasta sauce, and it's the best commercial I've seen in a long time. Certainly better than any of the ads I saw during the last Super Bowl, and much better than synchronized swimming.
Thankfully I never walked in on my parents the way this kid did, but I know others who have. *shivers*
And hey, am I the only one who didn't know that you were supposed to spell Ragú with that little accent mark? When did that start?