Bailey’s Totally Awesome and Cool Commercial Party, Vol. 1
*Meekly peers out from behind curtain* Oh, hi there! Yes, I know. It’s been a hot minute since I graced you all with my presence... It’s been a bit of a wild couple of months, but things are starting to get back on track. You’ll have to bear with me content-wise for a while, as recent events have made me extra nostalgic lately (yes, I am also shocked that there was room for more nostalgia from me). Recently, all I want to do is relax, drink a Pepsi Blue (which has made a triumphant return to store shelves throughout May!), and watch some of the commercials I grew up loving. So... I’m gonna do that, and ask all of you to do it with me. If you’ll recall, I wrote a post in December about my favorite holiday commercials, but today I’m going to follow my ‘90s kid heart and see where the spirit leads me without a specific theme in mind (well, except ‘90s, neon, and electric guitar awesomeness). Here are ten commercials that I just got the desire to revisit . Expect more installations in the future.
Mr. Bucket (1992) – Apparently, they changed this unintentionally racy jingle in the mid-‘90s, but this is the version I remember! It was so catchy that I still sing it to myself... daily. Don’t judge.
Popsicle Lick-A-Color (1998) – "Popsicle" always had the weirdest commercials, but they were also the most quintessentially ‘90s. “I’m color blind, kid” another daily mantra of mine (even though I’m not).
Chia Pets (1998) – I appreciated that these were a fad for so long. But Chia Elephant? Really?
Bell Atlantic Caller ID (1998) – Remember your childhood when all you wanted to answer the phone? And you didn’t even know who was calling! This was the commercial that introduced me to Caller ID. I thought it was the most fantastic magic I’d ever seen. Little did I know just how much I would rely on it, and also how much I would eventually refuse to answer the phone no matter who was on the other end.
Burger King Big Kids Meal (1999) – “Because Big Kids need more food.” See? We need it! Seriously, these kids’ meals were amazing and introduced me to the wonder of the double cheeseburger. I was never a chicken eater, but I remember being transfixed by the green dipping sauce. Also, I forgot that I had some of these amazing Nickelodeon-esque school supplies! Because we "Big Kids" are so big, we needed office supplies with our meal. Move over, Happy Meals.
Gator Golf (1994) – Like "Mr. Bucket," this game involved a nonstop cycle of nonsense in which a child’s toy threw smaller toys back at them. Also like "Mr. Bucket," this jingle pops into my head at least once a day. Ruthless, those jingle composers were.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup (1997) – This was an extremely long-running ad campaign that profited off of all the weird ways that we millennials ate Reese’s. Remember this smug little dominoes champion? No hate, just jealous.
Nesquik (1997) – How do you sum up The Sandlot (1993, dir. David Mickey Evans) in 30 seconds and throw some chocolate milk into the mix? Just ask this commercial. “Not the witch!” What a classic.
Pokémon Pikachu (1998) – I remember having no idea what a Pokemon or a Pikachu was, but I knew this was some kind of Giga Pet/Tamagotchi, and I knew I dug this song. That was enough for me. Why they didn’t design the device to look more like a Poké ball is beyond me...
Hooked on Phonics (1994) – I have no clue why, but I was obsessed with these commercials. I didn’t know what they were specifically selling, all I knew was that they taught kids how to read, and by the time I understood that, I was already reading. I think I just desperately wanted to exclaim, “Hooked on Phonics worked for me!” Plus the phone number was just so catchy!
What do you think of these ten commercials? What commercials give you that warm and fuzzy feeling? Which jingles do you still remember by heart? Let me know in the comments, and thanks for joining me on my nostalgia trip!
Copyright © 2021 Bailey Lizotte
