online community focused on sharing and reminiscing about video, audio, and images that stir our memories of the past – old television, theme songs, commercials, print advertisements, the sights and sounds you remember
Before cereal commercials got too complicated, Cheerios gave us the Cheerios Kid, Sue, and the promise of “go-power.”
The idea was simple: eat Cheerios and suddenly you had the energy to take on whatever trouble showed up next. The late-1960s ads had that catchy “Get Yourself Go” jingle, the kind of line that stuck in your head long after Saturday morning cartoons were over.
A fun bit of trivia: the jingle is credited to Neil Diamond, before most of us knew him as the Neil Diamond.
Looking back, it was pure cereal-commercial magic: a bowl of oats, a quick cartoon adventure, and one more earworm we never quite forgot.
As a kid growing up, I didn’t understand why everyone said “Nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee” was incorrect English. I just knew they made great baked products.
The famous Sara Lee campaign was built around that odd but unforgettable line:
“Everybody doesn’t like something, but nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee.”
It was catchy, a little strange, and maybe not what your English teacher wanted to hear, but that was the point. The double negative made people notice it, remember it, and repeat it.
The commercials usually showed off Sara Lee cakes, pies, pound cake, coffee cake, and other desserts that looked like they came from a bakery, even if they came from the freezer. For a lot of families, Sara Lee was the “company’s coming” dessert you could serve without doing all the baking yourself.
Looking back, the grammar may have been questionable, but the advertising worked. Everybody had foods they didn’t like, but the campaign wanted us to believe Sara Lee was the one thing nobody could turn down.
And honestly, as a kid, I wasn’t diagramming the sentence. I was looking at the cake.
It was catchy, silly, and easy for kids to repeat, which is exactly what made old snack commercials work. A plain lunch suddenly felt more exciting when you added a bag of Fritos.
That was the charm of the campaign. It did not need a complicated story. It was just a happy little reminder that Fritos were salty, crunchy, and perfect next to a sandwich.
Here’s another earworm from the ’70s to get stuck in your head for the rest of the day.
Ken-L Ration was one of the big names in dog food for decades, dating back to the 1920s. The brand became known for canned dog food and later dry food, but most of us remember it because of that insanely catchy commercial jingle.
The song was based on “My Dog’s Bigger Than Your Dog” by folk singer Tom Paxton, and the ad turned it into a playground-style brag between kids. The idea was simple: my dog is bigger, faster, shinier, and better because he eats Ken-L Ration.
It was the kind of jingle advertisers loved because you didn’t just hear it — you repeated it. Kids could sing it, parents remembered it, and the brand name was baked right into the hook.
Ken-L Ration was eventually owned by Quaker Oats and later sold to H.J. Heinz in the 1990s, but the product faded from store shelves. The jingle, though? That survived. For a lot of us, all it takes is one line:
“My dog’s bigger than your dog…”
…and suddenly the whole thing comes running back like a dog hearing the can opener.
1963 was a little early for me to go out and get a quick tan. I just did it the old-fashioned way — by playing outside! But I sure remember the jingle.
Back then, nobody thought much about sunscreen warnings. You went outside, rode bikes, played ball, ran around the neighborhood, and by the end of summer you had the tan lines to prove it.
QT promised color without baking in the sun, which sounds funny now because self-tanners later became famous for streaks, blotches, and that dreaded orange look. But in that era, tanning was sold as healthy, glamorous, and fashionable.
Looking back, QT feels like a perfect little time capsule: a bottle promising summer color on demand, indoor or outdoor, rain or shine. Before spray tans, tanning beds, bronzers, and modern sunscreen warnings, there was Coppertone QT telling everyone they could hurry up and get tan.
That line was everywhere. The ads promised you didn’t need much, just a small dab, and suddenly you’d look sharp, smooth, and “debonair.” The jingle was credited to Hanley M. Norins of the Young & Rubicam advertising agency.
Of course, the best part was the promise that “the gals’ll all pursue ya” and love running their fingers through your hair. That was peak old-school advertising: use the product, look handsome, and suddenly romance is chasing you down the street.
By the 1960s, the Beatles and the dry, natural hair look started making heavily slicked hair seem old-fashioned, so Brylcreem had to adjust its pitch. But for anyone who grew up hearing that jingle, “a little dab’ll do ya” is still one of those lines that instantly brings back a whole era of bathroom mirrors, combs, crew cuts, and Dad’s medicine cabinet.
If you grew up in the 60s, you remember it instantly: “Meet the Swinger… Polaroid Swinger…” That jingle didn’t just sell a camera, it stuck in your head for life.
Introduced in 1965, the Polaroid Swinger was designed to make photography easy and fun. It sold for $19.95 back then, which works out to about $190–$200 in 2026. With its simple “YES/NO” meter and instant photos, it made anyone feel like they knew what they were doing.
The commercials showed carefree young people at the beach and on bikes, capturing moments on the spot. A young Ali MacGraw even appeared before she was famous, helping give the campaign that youthful vibe.
And that jingle? Sung by Barry Manilow, with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Phyllis Robinson, it became one of the most memorable ad tunes of the era.
Bottom line, the Swinger didn’t just sell a camera. It sold a feeling. And decades later, that tune is still stuck in our heads.
The Funny Face drink mix commercials from the early 1970s are a classic slice of Saturday morning nostalgia. Produced by Pillsbury as a direct competitor to Kool-Aid, the “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot” campaign leaned heavily into the popular culture of the era to sell their powdered refreshments.
The tagline “When you’re hot, you’re hot… and when you’re not, you’re not” was actually borrowed from the 1971 crossover country hit by Jerry Reed. The commercials adapted this catchy hook to suggest that when kids were hot from playing outside, the “coolest” thing they could be was a “Funny Face.”
The brand was famous for its anthropomorphic fruit characters, each with a distinct personality. During the 70s run, you would typically see:
Goofy Grape: The unofficial leader of the group.
Rootin’ Tootin’ Raspberry: A cowboy-themed character.
Freckle Face Strawberry: One of the most popular flavors.
Loud-Mouth Lime: Known for his wide grin.
Choo-Choo Cherry: An engineer-themed character.
A Bit of Trivia Interestingly, Funny Face underwent some significant changes before that 70s jingle became famous. Two original characters, Injun Orange and Chinese Cherry, were discontinued in the late 1960s due to their stereotypical nature and were replaced by Jolly Olly Orange and Choo-Choo Cherry.
By the mid-70s, Funny Face began to lose ground to Kool-Aid’s massive “Kool-Aid Man” marketing blitz. While the brand eventually faded from most grocery shelves, the “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot” jingle remains one of the most recognizable pieces of 70s advertising.
If you’re looking into 70s beverage history, you might also remember Wyler’s or Great Shakes, which used similar high-energy animation to grab the attention of the “cereal commercial” demographic.
The Pillsbury Company officially discontinued the brand in 1994. #FunnyFace #70sCommercials #RetroTV #SaturdayMorning #Jingle #Nostalgia #VintageAds #Pillsbury #KoolAid #GoofyGrape #WhenYoureHot #RetroVibes #ChildhoodMemories #ClassicCommercials #70sKids
How many of you can still hear it without even trying?
“Choo Choo Charlie was an engineer…”
And just like that, you’re off. The whole song starts playing in your head like it never left.
The jingle for Good & Plenty is one of those rare pieces of advertising that didn’t just sell a product—it burned itself into generations of memories. And there’s actually a reason it worked so well.
First, it’s built like a nursery rhyme. The rhythm is simple, repetitive, and easy to follow, just like the songs you learn as a kid. That kind of structure makes it incredibly easy for your brain to store and recall, even decades later.
Then there’s the melody. It moves in a steady, almost train-like cadence—chugging along just like Charlie’s engine. That wasn’t an accident. The beat mimics motion, so your brain connects the sound with the visual of a train, reinforcing it every time you hear it.
Repetition played a huge role too. The commercials didn’t just play the jingle once—they leaned into it. Same tune, same structure, over and over again. Instead of getting annoying, it became familiar, and familiarity is exactly what makes something stick.
And maybe the biggest reason? It tells a story. In just a few lines, you get a character, a setting, and a payoff. Choo Choo Charlie isn’t just singing—he’s winning. His candy-powered train beats the competition, and that little narrative gives your brain something to latch onto beyond just the music.
Put it all together—simple rhythm, memorable melody, repetition, and a tiny story—and you’ve got the perfect formula for something that sticks with you for life.
That’s why, even today, people who haven’t seen those commercials in 40 or 50 years can still sing it like they just heard it yesterday.
Few advertising campaigns captured the spirit of freedom and fun quite like Kawasaki’s “Let the Good Times Roll.” Debuting in the late 1960s and taking off through the 1970s, the campaign helped redefine motorcycles—not just as machines, but as a lifestyle. Riders cruising open roads, wind in their face, and a sense that adventure was always just one throttle twist away.
But what truly made the campaign unforgettable wasn’t just the imagery—it was the music.
The now-iconic jingle was performed by The Ron Hicklin Singers, led by Ron Hicklin, with Gene Morford delivering the smooth, confident lead vocal. His delivery made the slogan feel effortless and cool—never pushy, always inviting.
And then something happens: the song sticks.
Long after the commercial ends, you find yourself replaying it in your head. That’s no accident. The jingle checks every box of what makes music memorable—simple phrasing, a strong melodic hook, bright upbeat tones, and just enough repetition to lock it into your brain. It’s what we now call an “earworm,” and Hicklin’s group practically perfected the formula.
In fact, if the Kawasaki jingle feels familiar, it’s because you’ve likely heard these voices many times before.
The Ron Hicklin Singers were behind or involved in a wide range of iconic TV themes and commercials, including shows like The Love Boat, Happy Days, and Laverne & Shirley, along with contributions to pop-driven series like The Partridge Family. They also dominated the advertising world, lending their sound to major brands like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and countless automotive campaigns.
Their signature style—tight harmonies, clean vocals, and instantly catchy melodies—helped define an era when TV themes and commercials were crafted with the same care as hit songs.
That’s why “Let the Good Times Roll” still resonates today. It isn’t just nostalgia—it’s a masterclass in how music, voice, and message can come together to create something timeless. You may forget the details of the commercial, but the moment you hear that line again, it clicks.
