1986 - Remembering Commercials

Why Commercials?I gotta give some love to commercials. I watched a LOT of TV when I was a kid, and probably had a bunch of them memorized. You know those commercials that just get stuck in your head. I'd watch TV in the family room, especially in the morning with a cereal bowl on the fireplace. I liked eating breakfast right in front of the TV.


Here is a list of commercials that I believe were relevant on or around 1986.

Max Headroom - Coke vs. Pepsi:
Max Headroom had his own TV show around this time, and it's a classic totally 80's commercial. The "Cola Wars" of the 1980's were HUGE. The polarization of people for Coke or Pepsi tore families apart. That might be an overstatement, but I distinctly remember my brother Tommy liking Coke and Mike liking Pepsi. Me? would suck down any pop or soda... even if it was warm. This led my sister to "stash" cans in her room, so when we had pizza or something, she would be guaranteed something good to drink. Smart move if you ask me, but I'd drink them even faster if I kept them in my bedroom.

Juicy Fruit Gum:The lyrics, listening to this commercial are hilarious. "Take a sniff, pull it out... the taste is going to move you when you pop it in your mouth." I remember watching this commercial thinking it was the coolest. Pack of Juicy Fruit was twenty five cents.

The California RasinsThe California Raisins were cool too. I think it might have been Hardee's that had little figurines you could collect. I remember having a couple of these and playing with them.

Close Up ToothpasteClose UP toothpaste, looking at the commercial for the first time since I was a kid, appear to be targeting the promiscuous people in society, or the sexually active. I never realized how much public display of affection was in this commercial. It's pretty provocative for it's time without being offensive.

Pepsi and Michael JacksonEveryone knows Santa Claus is red... and that means Coke. But what about Pepsi? Michael Jackson was the biggest thing in the 1980's. I mean bigger than Santa. Since Coke has the monopoly on Santa (see the Coke Santa 1986 commercial here), Pepsi went out and bought the Michael Jackson endorsement. It might be shocking to see all these children around Michael Jackson looking back, does it look fishy?

Tootsie Roll PopsNow this is a much older commercial, but it was still on TV growing up. Everyone has had to see this, and I remember thinking this owl was a smartass. No jingle here, but still a big commercial.

Kawasaki CommercialsKawasaki's commercials had a jingle that said "Let the good times roll." The song, in our family morphed into "Kawasakis make the junkyards grow..." I thought this was hilarious and loved singing our alternative lyrics growing up! These commercials came up in conversation any time we were around a motorcycle, dirtbike, snowmobile, boat, or three-wheeler. Little did I know my first motorcycle would end up being a Kawasaki.

Six Flags - Great America
This commercial was pretty popular... and the jingle sticks in your head. When my family went here, they dropped me off with family in Kentucky. Oh well, I was only 6, I couldn't have enjoyed it!