DoctorNeon, I loved Rax. I miss that salad/burrito/taco bar and the shakes and....

Topic? New commercial love. Toys in NYC--little bath toys in a lake in Central Park, a green slinky going down the steps to the subway, Elmo in a wire cage elevator, Barbie on the subway platform, Hulk on top of a car, a stuffed giraffe coming up on an escalator--it's an HP ad for their software being used by Toys R Us at Times Square to restock. Too. Cute.

You know you're addicted to the ad thread when.....you're fast forwarding a show and rewind to see a commercial that's been mentioned on the thread.

Khaki-a-go-go was the one that used instrumental go-go music, and a group of dancers in khakis and colorful t-shirts. Think "beginning of Austin Powers movies." The dancers do various dance steps from the mid-late 1960s. It's very fun.

I found it on the Web here. Note that it's a Geocities account, so it won't take long before TWoPpers overwhelm the hits limit...

Thanx, JoBu!

I guess it's a tradeoff, although that's an odd stance for the car company to take about their own product.

Love this one. I forgot all about it. At first I was extremely confused. My favorite is the large doll waiting for a train. There's a (human) man standing next to her like there's nothing odd about it.

The "Where's the Beef?" lady gave me that sensation when I did too many calf-raises in the gym, or like when I used to climb the rope in gym class. [/Garth Algar]

That was my favorite place to eat. Apaprently they went out of business, so now I have to do with Arby's.

I have only the vaguest recollection of Burger Chef, but recall their ads were cartoons (for a children's meal, unheard of in the early 70's) and that my Dad taught me how to drink through a straw in the parking lot of one (I kept trying to blow instead of inhale, I recall).

see, i was under the impression that it was liza's voice intergrated with judy's. i usually have a good ear for that stuff and i really think it's her, which is even more disturbing.

on an ot note, liza is brilliant on arrested development.

Burger Chef and Jeff! I miss Burger Chef, too.

There actually are still Rax stores - they seem to be concentrated in central Ohio. I drop by when I'm over there and have a BBC.

The ads are saying that the potential buyer has matured beyond shallow flash (the minivan, the clothes), but that life is better than it has ever been (the hot spouse).

I like the ads, but what's tripping me up is my seventeen year old self would not have had the associations with a minivan that people have today. My seventeen-year old self would have asked, "What business do we own?"

I think it's Liza's voice too, which still pisses me off that she would do that. Maybe she needed to pay for her divorce.

Has anyone else noticed that one of the Yahoo! ads appearing here is for the drawing school we've been discussing? Complete with pictures of the pirate.

Oh Rax. I remember the BBC fondly. I didn't realize they still existed, either. But they live on.

OK...so I was basically thinking, there is no chance in HELL that is "Don't Go," it is absolutely 100% "Situation." But Lucky Bishop's surety had me questioning myself. So I did a quick Google search and unfortunately could only mostly find ad music discussion forums (rather than links to ad magazines or anything on the Honda site), and the consensus seems to be that "Situation" is used in the female ad, "Don't Go" is in the male ad. I've only seen the male ad once or twice, am not sure why I thought it was "Obsession!"

For those of you pining for the Gap ads (I hate the company but do like their ads), that link posted above actually has several in the same folder--country, swing, and the "everybody in..." ads when they sing. I feel like those ads should bother me but they don't. Kids singing "Just Can't Get Enough" = cuteness.

That Gap commercial link is fabulous! It's still working (or if not by the time I post, I swear I didn't break it).

We used to have a Rax in my hometown. It took over the location that was formerly an Arthur Treacher's. I've never heard of Burger Chef.

I'm still looking for downloadable Sprint ads, especially soup from the store/soap opera star and oxen/Dachshund stampede. Help?

That dancing penis (not the Hi-C one) was bizarre.

I remember reading all the Hi-C penis posts here and thinking you all were crazy and clearly had perverted minds. Then, one day, I wondered why a penis was floating in red liquid across the TV. I flipped out.

"Oh that's the penis they meant!"

And my family just stared at me.

Oh, I miss Rax's shakes! Arby's, Hardees, Carl's Jr.---You are no match for the Rax roast beef and chocolate shake.

Clara Peller, the "Where's the Beef?" lady: I will always think of MST3K when I hear that name. There was a skit in which Mike professed his love for her.

I hate when they run fast food commercials for chains that aren't in my area. I see Sonic and Red Lobster ads all the time but I can't go to any of them. New England has lots of fast food places but no Sonic, Rax, Hardees or Papa John's. We did have Burger Chef but they closed a long time ago.

WHAT in the HUH now?

Have just seen an ad for Allstate Insurance -- a guy sitting in a courtroom addressing the camera. "It's just wood and nails," he says, "but if you're sitting in it, it's the scariest place in the world -- it's THE DEFENDANT'S CHAIR."

And he goes on to tell you that, gee, Allstate is so great, that if its clients get sued over an accident, they'll pay for the lawyer.

WHAT the HUH? Exactly what market are they trying to attract that "paying for defense attorney" would be a selling point for their insurance?

I just saw the funniest damn Bud Light commercial... it's a salute to 'wears too much cologne' man (or however they phrase it. They phrase it in a funny way). There's this cheesy 'past his prime in the Bryan Adams/Corey Hart way' guy (I know this because they actually cut to shots of this singer-guy over emoting into a studio mic) singing a song about the guy who announces his arrival from 4 miles/blocks away with his smell, and how he's not at his most powerful or whatever until ever inch of his person is splashed with cologne.

I couldn't breathe through the whole thing because I was dying of laughter... guys who wear too much cologne are my number one pet peeve. Especially in movie theatres. Yuck.

Anyone else intensely diisgusted by the Nutrigrain ad with the people with the doughnuts around their middles? It didn't bother me too much until the end, when a bunch of doughnut people are in a meeting, and the one guy, er, sticks his finger into the hole in the jelly doughnut of the other guy, and licks it. See, there's no good way to say that! I was totally grossed out. My husband won't even let me talk about it anymore.

It was established upthread that the singer is actually the lead singer of the '80s group Survivor. Funny thing -- I saw the "Eye of the Tiger" video not long ago on VH1 Classic. In the Bud Light ad, the singer is wearing a mullet wig. In the vintage video, he was, in fact, the only guy in the group who did not sport a mullet (he wore a dorky beret, but, still, not a mullet).

Whoops, how did I miss that? I thought I caught up on everything... sorry.

Aw, I wasn't calling you out, LinaBo. The "upthread" was way beyond the 15/15 threshhold. And, hey, I got to share my mullet musing.

The new Tropicana Twister ad with the moms skateboarding cracks me up. Anyone know if the redheaded boy in it the same kid who plays Charlie on Life with Bonnie?

It could be Lorna Luft, aka "Judy's daughter who nobody remembers."

That makes perfect sense, Naugastyle, that it's "Don't Go" in one ad and "Situation" in the other. Hey, twice the money for my beloved Alison Moyet!

What is that one guy supposed to be? I thought he looked like a land shark, but my husband (who laughed at me a lot) said he was a mountain or something.

I saw a cute ESPN.com commercial today: a guy is walking through his office wearing a Red Wings cap. Everyone in the building starts pelting him with balle-up paper and verbal abuse, shouting "You Suck! The Avalanche rules" and such. The ad itself is not hilarious per se, but this guy has such an angelically unperturbed look about him that I find it very funny.

Oh god, Inventech, which I have railed at before, has a newer ad that grates. Various people curse their fate for not patenting their breakthrough inventions (citrus degreaser is the only one I can remember right now) before some dirty bastard (Billy Mays) stole their idea for fame and profit. Give me a break! I bet that people have been using citrus fruit juice to clean stuff since they first got their hands on oranges or lemons. It wasn't some lady in Sheboygan two years ago who first created this revolutionary cleaning product.

But it would be funny if they could convince Al Gore to be in their ad, claiming that if he had just patented the Internet idea before some other dude stole it, he would be President now.

cal331 HA! Now that would be a great Inventech ad..... Al Gore is so damned funny anyhow (which I know is really a big surprise) but that would be perfect.

Jenex, word to the guy poking his finger in the boss' donut-- that sounds even MORE disgusting. I saw that ad tonight and with that and the Special K/Dropping Meat ad, I think I've had my share of nasty ads for the week.

I'm still hating the eLoan lady. She just shows up on the guy's doorstep to discuss his finances. He doesn't think it's odd that 2 seconds after she gets there "Hey! I'm already approved!" What? She applied for the loan for him?

And why are all the Brinks owners such dopes? I know it's been mentioned before, but I finally saw the one with all the mail and newspapers left outside while the family is home. Or maybe they aren't. Are these squatters? Pick up your mail, ya idjits.

Hee hee hee! The ultimate endorsement!

Oh no! That crazy guy dressed up like the Riddler with the book o' gubberment freebies is back.

"Wood and nails" sounds like some kind of medieval torture device, Allstate people. But thanks for reassuring me.

He's way too much cologne wear-errrrr. I love those ads, and I don't even drink beer.

The oink-oink moo-moo ad for Special K is much better to listen to than it is to watch. Don't believe me? Go stand outside the room the next time it comes on. It's like a really hip See 'n' Say.

Why is he still on TV? You can get that book at Barnes & Noble.

I have no earthly idea why the Brinks people left piles of mail in front of their house. Maybe they are squatters. In that case, I guess Brinks alarms aren't so great.

Yes, he's the same kid, Shelwood. I just saw this ad for the first time last night and realized who he is. I love when he tells his mom, "Elbow pads, Mom."

A few of the recent posts has made me aware of how often you see the same person in different ads. The latest I've sees is I'm pretty sure the wife in the "personal assistants" ad for VISA is the same for the shoebox ad for H & R Block.

Good Eggnog!

My sister was in an accident a couple years ago where one car hit a second car, slamming the second car into her car. She was stopped at a stoplight. Not her fault in any way, but the guy in the second car sued her, and everyone else he and his lawyer could think of. Lucky for her she was driving her agency's car, so they payed for her representation. Otherwise, it would have cost her an arm and a leg. People are greedy pigs. That's why this is a selling point.

Tornado25, I believe you're right. Same lady.

re The Ricola Trio...

cal331

At first I thought he was a Ricola itself- but they're square. Now I think he's some kinda herb or something. I dunno. I'm concentrating on the Ricola Girl. She's like Heidi & Swiis Miss- only kinda slutty. And I mean that in a good way.

I've always thought Ricola guy was a mountain.

ETA: I just remembered a commercial that made me mad and I wanted to post about. It's for Capri-Sun, and it shows a family getting into the car, and calling for Grandma to come out. They pan back to the front door, which is a loooong path from the car at the curb, and Grandma is there alone slooooowly, carefully, putting one foot in front of the other. Pan back to brattyTeenSon, looking bored, who then puts his straw into his CapriSun and therefore doesn't mind waiting. We see some more of Grandma's painful walking, and that's it.

WTF? Is this supposed to be funny? How cruel is it of the family to just sit in the car and wait? If Grandma is walking that carefully, she obviously isn't very sure of foot, so get off your lazy asses and help her. Geez. Growing up, one of us always helped my grandmother to the car. Lending an arm for her to hold on to not only helps her, but it speeds things up because she feels more secure. Okay, end rant.

My sympathies (not that you said she died, but the fact that happened still sucks).

I don't deny that there are indeed people who do get accused by half-wits as you describe, but I guess I just didn't think it happened often enough for Madison Avenue to create a mass-market national ad addressing the situation.

"Debbie from Sprint" has the crazed look down pat. She has the crazed look in those "Big Lots" commercials to. I wonder if she's crazed in real life. Doesn't make me want to switch to Sprint though...if I'd have to deal with someone like her.

Is Hardee's basically saying "yeah...we know our food sucked in the past. We're admitting it. We're trying again with these thickburgers." in their commercials? The ad exec that pulled that off gets a gold star.

There was a "Threat Matrix" commercial that ran a few months ago where Kelly Rutherford was looking at the wrong camera and then tried to subtlely look at the right one. Hilarious. It ran for a week or two.

The same reason why they still advertise Josh Groban's, Celine Dion's, Cher's, and The Eagles' CDs for the low price of $18.99 + $4.99 shipping on TV.

[Scratchy Old Lady Voice] "I just got $600.00 for my scrap gold!!" [/Scratchy Old Lady Voice]

Please, for the love of Pete. Make. It. STOP.

That is all.

See, the thing is, it really doesn't--but it does, if that makes any sense. Most often, your claim rep will immediately offer enough for the claimant (in most instances, that's where you really are at fault and hit someone) to be satisfied. Sometimes, they feel their injuries are worse and they sue to get more. Other times, when you are at fault, someone will sue you just because they think they should or have to.

The ad, I think, is to try and soothe those fears. You get sued, you don't have to dig around for a good lawyer or figure out how to pay. The only thing I don't like about this? ALL insurance company's provide a defense for the insured. Even if the co denies the claim, if you are sued and the policy is in force, the company will pay for your defense--if only to prove they don't owe.

This ad is just gross. Since the voiceover tells you that when you eat things like donuts, "you know exactly where it'll go," the man is essentially eating that other man's ass. Ew!

Actually, the jelly hole (God, that sounds like a stupid euphemism) isn't ... er, in the back.

Oh, jeebus. The Big Lots commercials. I am so glad I don't have to see that crazy chick who thinks she's Santa anymore. Damn, that was an irritating commercial.

ROFL.. I HATE this one. Ew ew ew ew!!! Your description was just toooooo funny.

Anyway,

There was this one I used to see all the time when I was off work for a while, that advertised the new ultrasounds you can get in 3-D and the lady was lying on the table looking at her beautiful little baby on the screen. Something about this lady inFURIATES me. She's got little weird baby teeth or something. Ugh. Its a sweet commercial but I HATE it.

Quick, save me...I'm about to be FIRED for laughing at this line ;)

I thought that I was the only other one disturbed by that commercial. Freaks me out just like two cinnabuns on a lady's ass...

ETA: I wonder if the art school people saw us discussing turtle pirates and decided to sponsor TWOP for that reason alone...

Bwah! I just saw the free art course banner ad. I forgot all about Mr. Bowler Bow-tie Bear.

Wow, that commercial just makes me want to go right out and get some WellButrin:
"May cause some side effects, Dizziness, dry mouth, and possibly a glittery hoo-hoo."

Haven't seen this one mentioned. I'm a lurker on this thread, but I saw a commercial for the first time last night that made me nauseous just watching and of course, I had to share. I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but please forgive me if it has. I got a little lost in my lurkdom during the holidays.

Anyways, I believe the ad was for IHOP's new all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast. See, they explain it like this: You get a huge greasy plate of fried breakfast goodies. Eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, etc. It comes with three enormous pancakes. Once you finish it all, they keep bringing you plates of three pancakes at a time until you're full. I would feel sick after the plate of grease, let alone a single pancake. Who eats this much food? Ugghhh.

Y'know, I was wondering why I hadn't seen any ads for the IHOP Never-ending Pancakes yet. Mr. FfrauleinN ordered that just last night; I took his eggs, since he doesn't eat them. It actually cost less than a trip to IHOP usually does. Plus, their pancakes aren't big (they probably show big ones in the commercial). I think they bring you three, and then your "refills" come two at a time. Needless to say, after you wait for them to make them, you're only going to be able to choke down about one refill.

I saw a repulsive commercial on ESPN last night; two young college-aged kids macking on the couch, and the camera pulls back to reveal one is wearing an "OHIO" sweatshirt and the other is wearing a "Michigan State" sweatshirt. Then they have a caption reading "Without sports this wouldn't be disgusting." Ugh, got news for you people, with or without sports, it was disgusting.

Ok, I just saw this ad that I. Just. Loathe. It for some hair loss product called Verulect or some such BS. It's not a new commercial, by any means, and very low quality. Like, local, you know? So initially it sounds like any hair replacement ad. They don't get stupid until the end. The VO says "Just give us a call and say 'Hey, send me that Virulect brochure'. You don't even have to say 'hey' if you don't want. Just say 'Send me that Virulect brochure'. " I swear, that's what he says, verbatim. WTF. Was all that really neccessary?

Yeah, I don't get this one. I'm not repulsed by the visuals--it's the Bob-the-Bachelor-like sound effects that I don't need to hear.

Moreover, though, while I understand that ESPN wants to play up the "Sports = life" angle, I don't see how this ad helps. Yes, it is incongruous to see someone in a The Ohio State University sweatshirt making out with a Michigan sweatshirt-wearer, but the ad does nothing to make me want to watch ESPN more. It does not entertain, it does not convey the benefits of watching ESPN, and it does not in any way that I can see build the ESPN brand.

On the other hand, the ads that ESPN had where they had a bunch of clips of various people watching sports and getting wrapped up in the games--THOSE were great ads--entertained, made me want to watch, and built the brand.

chris2, actually it was Michigan and Ohio State, and they were playing it during the bowl games over the holidays. It is a truely disgusting commercial, but as a Michigan grad who loathes OSU, I can laugh at it.

The IHOP pancakes looked enormous on the commercial. Smaller is good. But still, ew.

Look at me, the Commercial Thread lurker, posting twice in an afternoon. I'll go crawl back in my hole now.

I keep forgetting to ask about this, but is the insufferably smug self-righteous asshat who's playing the Sally Struthers role in the Christian Children's Fund commercial anyone famous, or just someone random? "Even though the phone's right there...and the call's free...maybe you just put it on a nice to-do list. Maybe it just slipped your mind!" I used to see this one a lot last year when I was flipping out over being unemployed for an extended period of time, and I always wanted to scream, "Or maybe it's that I'm about one step away from needing aid for MYSELF, so cram it sideways!"