The Most Bizarre Commercials from the 80s and 90s - Part I

And the winners of the "Sugary Cereal Trivia Special"

I’ve been watching a lot of commercials lately. I mean, a lot.

Primarily because I’m preparing an in depth article about Halloween commercials Gen X kids grew up watching, but also because on any given week, I’m posting a commercial here and there on social for my followers around the web. I can't help it, I'm a sucker for childhood commercials, especially the odd ones that gave me all the feels. You know what I'm saying, right?

So it occurred to me that it might be fun to share some of my favorites with you. And I’m talking about some bizarre ones. So let’s get to it.

BUY IT NOW OR ELSE!

Some of my favorite commercials are the ones that didn’t really inform. Instead, they screamed in your face like a drill sergeant hopped up on Pixy Stix... laced with pcp.

Monster truck rally ads? Of course, they threatened you. “SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! Be there… or live with regret forever, tiny child!” Then there was Crazy Eddie, the electronics store pitchman who shouted about prices being insane! The irony is the whole business ended in fraud and collapse. Very fitting.

Take a look ⤵️

And let’s not forget toy ads. Everything promised “REAL LASER ACTION!” or “BATTLE-SCARRED POWER!” even if it was just a $3 chunk of plastic that snapped in half after five minutes. Btw, do you remember begging your parents for a Power Glove because the ad yelled at you about “total control?” I know you did.

But one of my all time faves is this 1990s Super Soaker commercial. ⤵️

Outside of appliances and toys, there is a masterpiece that should be in the hall of fame of bizarre commercials. This one is so good that you’re going to think twice about passing this deal up! ⤵️

» In PART II we will look at some of the best Public Service Announcement commercials that were more like Public Shaming!

WHICH ONE OF THE ABOVE COMMERCIALS WAS YOUR FAVORITE??

And the winners of the "Sugary Cereal Trivia Special" are…

Winner of POLL #1 is A.J. (Answer: e. Both a. & d.)

You won: An E.T. 40th Anniversary Moon in My Room Remote Controlled Moonlight!

Winner of POLL #2 is Gary Davis (Answer: c.)

You won: Funko Pop! Movie Version of Indiana Jones - Raiders of The Lost Ark

Winner of POLL #3 is Danielle (Answer: b.)

You won: Nostalgia Nation: The Definitive Chronicle of Growing Up Gen X

Congrats to the winners, I will be DMing you and arranging to ship your prizes. Thank you to everyone that played along!

PS. This was a direct to subscriber email that went out a week and a half ago, and was not a post. Please make sure you are opening your emails to take part.

JUST FOR FUN

What’s Poppin’

• Esports is getting its own Olympics, with sponsorships from Electronic Arts

• Graham Greene dies (age 73) and ‘Dances with Wolves’ Co-star Kevin Costner Pays Tribute

• Darth Vader's lightsaber to be auctioned off. Here’s how to place a bid

Stay tuned for a Gen X deep dive dropping into your inbox later this week!

Thanks for reading, and opening my emails!

Stay rad!

~ JT