Halloween TV Commercials 2022 Edition

 

Welcome again kiddies! It's time to kick off the Countdown to Halloween in earnest with my annual look at Halloweeny, spooky, or creepy TV commericals. These are always one of my favorite articles to write, because there's something about televised capitalism that really puts you in the Halloween spirit!

First up:  a demonstration of the Kodak Instamatic camera at Universal Studios Hollywood--with a little help from our fiends!

Next up: an awesome promo for Cinemax's "Drive-In Saturday Night Horrors" programming from the late '80s. The four films featured here are all '80s horror classics--what a film festival these would make! Then again, Oh, God! You Devil beforehand is a nice bonus!

This next one is in honor of the not-yet-official news that McDonald's is bringing back Halloween Happy Pails! McDonald's hasn't offered Halloween Pails since the Great Pumpkin tie-in ones from 2016; this commercial is for the 2011 incarnation of the pails, which came with stickers that kids could use to create their own Pail design.

Craft store chain Michael's has long been an important place for Halloween decorations, but I didn't know they ever had costumes as well! Here's proof from this delightfully low tech commercial from 1991!

One thing about Halloween that doesn't get mentioned enough--it's a surprisingly good way to make a love connection! And you can get affordable help creating a costume from your local Goodwill. Just look at this lucky fellow who found a costume and a connection thanks to Goodwill!

AMC is known today as the cable network for Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, but the channel's origins is as American Movie Classics, a home for great films from '30s through the '60s and even earlier! It's where I saw some great early horror films like the ones featured in this promo. I wish the channel was still like this!

I hope you enjoyed this collection; please let me know in the comments. I hope to have more for you later this month. Thanks!

Halloween TV Commercials 2021 Edition Part 2: Local TV Commercials

 

With today being October 20th, it means we're now in the home stretch of the season. No more playing around. Time to get seriously Halloweeny!

Today I offer another round of entertaining spooky TV commercials. But this time, we're focusing on local TV commercials, which aren't usually high budget, but have a great deal of fun and creativity. Let's get to it!

We start with this quick commercial for Mel-Mac Shoes in Laurel, Mississippi, which goes the classic "Halloween Safety Tips" route.

This is a cool commercial for the local dark attraction Pope's Haunted Farm in Texas. Local commercials are so awesome!

Another case in point!

And the hits just keep on comin'!

Finally, McDonald's is an international business of course, but this particular commercial was produced for a local franchisee in Minnesota and only aired there. A real fun one!

 

While we're focusing on local business, please patronize the local businesses in your area. They need your help more than ever.

Thanks!

McDonald's Camp Snoopy Glasses from 1983

Hello! Summer 2021 is in its final throes. Let me make a summer-themed contribution before we go back to school in a couple weeks!

Way back in 1983, McDonald's--the unofficial official restaurant of this blog--released a line of collectible drinking glasses based on the Peanuts characters--Peanuts being the unofficial official comic strip of this blog. More so, the glasses tied in with the then-recent launch of Camp Snoopy, the theme park within a park at Knott's Berry Farm in California. There were five glasses in all, one available per week: Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Snoopy, and Woodstock.

Being both a huge fan of Peanuts and McDonald's, I was thrilled to get these glasses every week. I was also disappointed when every glass we owned broke, usually in the dishwasher. However, my wife managed to find two of the five glasses on Facebook Marketplace recently, the Linus and Snoopy glasses, for the bargain price of $5 for the two of them!

Aren't they beautiful?

Here are a few of the TV commercials promoting the glasses. Enjoy! Have a great rest of the summer!

McDonaldland Playground Advertising Film, 1972

Ah, the McDonaldland playground. Many a child of the 70s and early 80s has fond memories of playing in this burger-inspired wonderland. Or perhaps they scraped their knee or broke a bone there. Nevertheless, playing in the McDonaldland playground was a required Generation X childhood activity. Although many locations still have some sort of play area for kids, they're not nearly as elaborate and ornate as the playgrounds of yore.

The following is a promotional film made by a company called SetMakers, the original manufacturer of the playground equipment. This film was sent to McDonald's franchisees to entice them to improve their restaurants' sales via the McDonaldland playground attraction. This was made in 1972, and I have to say, the playground depicted in the film is the most elaborate I've ever seen!

Of course, SetMakers put their best foot forward in trying to sell as much of their equipment as possible, but franchisees were allowed to order as many or as few of the attractions as they wanted, so if you were of age to experience a McDonaldland playground, your experience may not have been as grand as the one demonstrated in this film.

I visit McDonald's all the time, but I really wish they still had these playgrounds. I'd squeeze my old butt on them today!

Enjoy!

A Bunch of McDonald's Commercials from the '70s

Hello everybody! Welcome back to the blog, and a belated Happy New Year! Sorry it took so long after the holidays to get back here, but things is busy right now. I had a great Christmas season, and I hope you did too.

January is a month of new beginnings and fresh starts, and also a time to get back to basics. I've decided to do that here at the blog by dipping into a reliable well of entertainment--trippy McDonald's commercials from the 1970s. I've featured such commercials before, and I recently found several more that I love. It's great to see the McDonaldland characters at their earliest--and weirdest.

Behold, all your favorite McDonaldland characters, including Mayor McCheese, Big Mac (voiced by Lurch himself, Ted Cassidy of The Addams Family), and an even uglier than normal Hamburglar.

Enjoy!

Classic Christmas Commercials 2017 Edition

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle All The Way...

Hello everyone to another great Christmas season at Me and You! I really need this Christmas season, and it couldn't have come at a better time. My body is ready!

First up, my annual collection of Christmas commercials. We start with a fun Christmas commercial from blog stalwart McDonald's. Their gift certificates are great for the Hamburglar in your family!

Not to be outdone, here comes Burger King!



After all that fast food, you may need some Alka-Seltzer to calm things down. Here are two great commercials, one featuring the late Sammy Davis Jr!





Up next, a quick network promo for two of the best animated Christmas specials of all time, A Charlie Brown Christmas and 'Twas The Night Before Christmas!



Speaking of Charlie Brown, here is a commercial from 1991 for Shell Oil which had a promotion with Peanuts that year, selling VHS copies of A Charlie Brown Christmas.



Finally, here is a great local commercial for Ben Franklin's 5 and 10 store promoting their Christmas decorations and novelties. Local commercials such as these may not have the best production values, but they make up for it in charm and warmth. I love it!



I'll feature more commercials in the season if I can. If not, check out my archives from Christmases Past for other great ones.

Thanks, and stay tuned. There's plenty of Christmas cheer on the way!

Halloween TV Commercials 2017 Edition Part 2

As promised, here are more spooky TV commercials to put you in that Halloween mood!

It wouldn't be Halloween without the involvement of McDonald's. Here is a Happy Meal commercial with the ever-popular McNugget Buddies!

Next, here are promos for CBS Saturday morning programs from 1981, as well as a promo for two long-forgotten Halloween specials, Bugs Bunny's Howl-O-Ween and Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile (featured previously at this blog)!



I can't let a Countdown to Halloween go by without at least one mention of the Monster Cereals. Here they are pushing their monster-sized marshmallows!



Here is a fun ad for the defunct party supply store iParty involving zombies hungry for Halloween savings!



This is an awesome TV spot from 1980 for the first Friday the 13th movie. I see commercials for horror movies all the time today, but there's something about the older ones that seem to have more...something. I don't know what, but I think you know what I mean!



Vampires are tough. Vampires are ruthless. Vampires...can be stopped by a set of Audi headlights.



This commercial was recorded off of a camera pointed at a TV screen, but it doesn't make watching this ad for Play-Doh's Fuzzy Pumper Monster Shop any less fun!



Finally, here is a great one for T-Mobile. Dr. Frankenstein can be such a condescending bore!



Even better, outtakes from that same commercial!



Maybe--maaaaaaaaaaybe--I'll have one more installment of commercials for this year. I don't want to go this well too often, but I have such a large collection this year that I may not be able to resist.

Thanks!

List O' Links for Friday, February 3, 2017

Welcome back everybody! I hope you all had a great holiday season (it's weird asking about your holidays when February has already started). It has been far too long since I've written here, and I only have time to show you some cool stuff at other sites, but I'm still worth your time, aren't I?

Oh. Well, here are some fun links anyway.

When I got into comic books heavily at the end of the 80s, I came across an awesome "choose your own adventure" style book featuring Batman; I still have it to this very day! Coincidentally, The Retroist has a brand new article about it. Check it out!

It's that time of year again--time for McDonald's to bring back the ever-popular Shamrock Shake! But they've kicked it up a notch this year. In fact, they've kicked it up three additional notches! This year, McDonald's is offering four versions of the shake! Bring on the calories!

If you love awesome toys from the 70s, then you'll love THESE awesome toys from the 70s! I totally had the green and black Roaring Hot Cycle!

I can never get enough foreign-made posters for popular America movies. Their outtake on our films are always both crazy yet full of insight that we Americans lose. Try these foreign movie posters on for size!

Finally, I have had the new Chocolate Strawberry Oreos, and they are goooooooooood! Don't believe me--check out the word of Stunt Zombie. He likes them too!

Have a great weekend!

"It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" Comic Strips

Tonight at 8pm ET/PT, ABC airs the Halloween TV special to end all specials, It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Of course I'm extremely excited, being a lifelong Peanuts fanatic, but I do wish ABC showed the unedited version. The edited version has awkward cuts and left-out jokes. Fortunately, I have the unedited special on DVD, but I like the communal aspect of watching it live. No matter, The Great Pumpkin is a Halloween must regardless of how you watch it.

Today, I offer you a way to read it, specifically from the comic strip that spawned the special.

Very few if any of the TV specials are comprised of original material; they are almost always adaptations of storylines taken directly from the newspaper comic strip, with just some threadbare wraparound material keeping the story together. This is in no way a criticism, just a statement of how the specials are written.

Here I present some of the comic strips that inspired the TV special. I recommend listening to the beautiful "Great Pumpkin Waltz" by the Vince Guaraldi Trio while you read them to help convey the warmth of the special. Click on the individual strips for greater clarity.  Enjoy!

The first ever Great Pumpkin strip! It's not a part of the special, but I had to include it.

This last one isn't part of the special either, but I needed some closure to the story.

Before you go: in other Great Pumpkin-related news, McDonald's is now offering Great Pumpkin Happy Pails in honor of the special's 50th anniversary! Get yours as soon as you can--I know I will!

Watch The Great Pumpkin tonight!

List O' Links for Friday, March 7th, 2014

Hello one and all! With more seasonable temperatures than we've been getting lately expected this weekend, hopefully we'll be able to thaw out a bit from this cruel winter. Get warm and cozy with these fun links!

Here are 31 reasons why my hometown of Philadelphia is the most underrated city in America. Woo hoo!

There is a new theory surrounding the identity of the character of Andy's mom in the Toy Story movies, and it's an intriguing one. What do you think?

The recent controversy surrounding a possible feud between 12 Years A Slave director Steve McQueen and screenwriter John Ridley reminds me of a slightly similar situation a few years back. Learn about TV writer Jeffrey Lieber, the unsung creator of the series Lost.

This blog was McDonald's Talk Central for awhile, so here's a throwback to that era. Here are Pop Rewind's 7 Missed McDonald's Items. At least some of it is better left in the past.

If you're a fan of classic Top 40 radio like I am, you may enjoy, or may have already heard, this hilarious audio, the famous (among radio fans) NINE tape. This recording, never intended for public listening, is a spoof of the tightening of Top 40 formatics that was happening in earnest at the time the tape was made, the early 1970s. Enjoy!

Finally, the University of Pennsylvania discovered an unusual item in their archives--centuries-old plans to launch warfare by strapping small animals with rocket packs at their enemies. History, folks.

Have a great weekend!

List O' Links for Friday April 5th, 2013

It's Friday, and there's a lot of fun to be had this first weekend of April. Let's not waste time and get to the links!

Twenty-one things you didn't know about the movie Gremlins.

This article is a bit too harsh than I think is necessary, but I agree that Pizza Hut has created some products that definitely represent thinking outside the (pizza) box. Here is a look at the crazy products the pizza chain has created over the years.

The Walking Dead TV series has generated its biggest ratings yet with its recently concluded third season. Here are ten other independently published comics that deserve series of their own (I vote for Chew!).

Getting back to restaurants, Generation Xers such as myself will remember a time long ago when McDonalds had large outdoor McDonaldland playsets featuring the classic characters such as Ronald McDonald and company. They literally had much more character than the indoor plastic playsets of today. Check out some photos of the old playsets and an industrial film about the making of these playsets here.

I'm not an atheist, so I don't have a horse in this race, but this Salon.com author notes five atheists who ruin it for everyone else.

Finally, many comic book critics have lamented the hyper-sexualized portrayal of women in comics, especially superheroines. One artist created his own designs to show what a fully dressed superheroine can look like.

Have a great weekend!

List O' Links for Friday, January 18, 2013

It's not just any Friday, but the Friday before a nice three-day weekend! If you have Monday off (or even if you don't), enjoy it. Until then, here are a few fun links to while away the time.

Remember that time Mr. Rogers visited the set of the Incredible Hulk TV show? I did in a previous post back in 2008, but Christopher Mills takes a recent look at the hallowed event this week.

Longtime readers know that I'm one of the biggest lovers of McDonald's food you'll find, but even I don't touch the McRib sandwich. Here are several good reasons why.

My kids are starting to explore the Star Wars universe in earnest for the first time this year, and in introducing them to it, I've had a renewed interest as well. Here's a useful list if you want to get into the Star Wars universe as presented in the many books written about it.

What is this, some kind of ancient archaeological discovery? Nope--it's my family's first ever VCR from 1981!

Finally, a sober link, but one that is worth reading in keeping with the theme of the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Have a great weekend!

Halloween TV Commercials 2012 Edition

As in previous years, today I have some Halloween and spooky TV commercials to share. I don't see them very often, so when I do, I consider them a treat.

First, a quick one for M&Ms.



Next, a Halloween Countdowner's favorite, the monster cereals from General Mills. I love that this commerical is tailored specifically for Halloween!



Here is a creepy and fun commercial for Milton Bradley's Dark Shadows board game. This black and white commercial aired while the series was still on the air in the late 60s.



Long-standing staples of the blog are McDonalds commercials. Here is a great Halloween-themed one from 1979. I was just starting to really get into trick or treating when this aired (I was five at the time).



Finally, here is a funny commercial for Cingular cellphone service (now merged with AT&T). My daughter is almost at that age where she'll be begging for a cellphone. That's scary!



Thanks!

Have Yourself a Shamrock Shake!

Erin Go Brah! With St. Patrick's Day less than a week away, it's time to grab yourself a McDonald's Shamrock Shake while you can. Actually, they'll be available until March 25th, but why wait?

I got some for my family last week, and just like in the commercial below, green bowlers magically appeared on their heads!

Halloween TV Commercials 2011

Welcome back to the Countdown to Halloween. Saturday's post was just an introduction into the season with a small variety of clips to warm you up. Today we start full out, as usual, with some fun TV commercials that are either for Halloween products or commericals that have a horror or spooky theme.

First I have a commercial for Easter Seals' Halloween coupons, presented by Countdown favorite Vincent Price. He is still sorely missed today.



Next up is a Dunkin Donuts commercial that I've wanted to showcase for  years, but couldn't find it until now. You try eating Munchkins with lobster claws!
I especially like the apparent boredom the patrons are experiencing at the party. I've been to a couple of those myself.



I never knew Paas made Halloween make-up kits. See, the Countdown is educational as well as entertaining!



Happy Pails!



When you need a marshmallowy breakfast cereal, what you gonna eat? GHOSTBUSTERS!



When encountered by a werewolf, don't worry if you don't have a silver bullet, just have a Halloween meal from Burger Chef handy (never mind that Burger Chef is out of business).



Finally, here is another commercial in a series that I posted last Halloween. Frankenstein's monster isn't a killer, he's just in need of Osteo Bi-Flex for his achy joints.



See you tomorrow for more Halloween goodness!

Spider-Man as Pitchman

"Spider-Man, Spider-Man, sells a product like no one can..." Those aren't the real words to the famous theme song to his 1960s cartoon series, but Spidey has been used to shill some products and services from time to time.

First up is an item I've posted before. This is a commercial for the old video game made by Parker Brothers for the first Atari home video game system (later renamed the Atari 2600). I love the look of this commercial, especially the awesome Green Goblin costume!



Here's two for McDonald's Happy Meal toys.




This Spidey fan gets to swing right along with Webhead--in his imagination.



In this famous commercial for Visa check cards, Spidey and his Marvel friends are ready to help, until it's revealed to be a false alarm. Guest starring a surprise hero!



In another financial services commercial, we learn that although great at web swinging, his golf swing is terrible!



Here, Spider-Man congratulates some 70s-era youngsters for wearing Sanger Harris clothing. There's nothing creepy about that, right?



Finally, to show that Spidey isn't all about the Benjamins, here he is in a PSA urging everyone to vote.



Excelsior!

Remember When I Used to Post McDonalds Commercials?

McDonald's material used to be a mainstay here at the blog, but Mac Tonight aside, I haven't done too much the last year or so.  They've proven popular in the past, so let's give it a (sesame seed) roll!

For my first entry, I have just four words to say: "Quack quack waddle waddle!"



In this one, when the dad brings home dinner for everyone, it's his way of saying, "Your new babysitter is also your new second mommy.  Don't worry, your first mommy isn't going anywhere; we'll be one big happy family!"



Happy Meal flying saucers were awesome!



Finally, this clip proves that Beethoven was the first McDonalds jingle writer.



You deserve a break today!

Look Out, It's Mac Tonight!

Staying within the nostalgic commercial theme established this week, I've noticed it's been a really long time since I've posted McDonald's commercials, something that used to be a blog staple.  I'll jump back into that fray with a look at commercials featuring the infamous character known as "Mac Tonight."

Back in 1986, McDonald's decided to plug the restaurant chain's fare as a great choice for dinnertime/nighttime dining. Thus was born a series of commercials featuing a character with a moon-shaped head singing the praises of McDonald's food lounge lizard style, who became referred to by the populace as "Mac Tonight."  The name came from the use of the song "Mack The Knife" with new words suited for the ad campaign.  Quite a number of these commercials ran for a few years afterwards, but I only have a small amount featured here.

I've heard some people say they found the character a bit creepy, but I enjoyed the commercials.  Besides, is he that much creepier than a clown with flaming red hair and his giant purple blob of a friend?  See for yourself!



McDonalds Mac tonight
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Apparently Mac was a citizen of the world:

Christmas TV Commercials

I hope you enjoyed yesterday's offbeat Christmas commercials. I bring more commercials today with a more traditional feel to them.

This is a cute Pepsi commercial that demonstrates that you don't need to be the newest or flashiest thing to be loved.



Next are three commercials for a different kind of beverage. Enjoy good Christmas times with Budweiser, Miller High Life, and Lowenbrau.





I want these Glass Wax Stencils for my window!



Need help with gifts for the men in your life? Sears can help!



It wouldn't be my blog without a McDonald's commercial!



In this cute clip, the Kelloggs cereal mascots get together to celebrate the holidays.



Finally, here is my favorite of the batch. This is a remake of an older commercial for Corn Flakes in which three young siblings try to stay awake to see Santa as they coax him with Corn Flakes instead of cookies. They're only partially successful in seeing the big guy. What a great commercial!



We're just getting started with great Christmas stuff. Stay tuned!

UPDATE: A quick shout-out to Erick of the Wonderful Wonderblog (which, of course, you should check out). I received the prizes I won from his blog during the Countdown to Halloween. Thanks Erick, you rock!

Halloween TV Commercials

Hello once again to Me and You's Countdown to Halloween. This time we'll take a quick look at some Halloween TV commercials. I love to post holiday-related commercials, as they're usually one of the first signs that a holiday season has begun (gotta love commerce). Unfortunately, you don't see many Halloween commercials at all anymore, so they're a bit hard to come by. Let's see what I've found today.

From the late 70s, here is a commercial for Play-Doh Haunted House playset.



Here is Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, pitching for Coors Light.



Here is a surprisingly creepy commercial for McDonald's that apparently aired in another country.



Here is a fun commercial from Target back in 2001. Target always has fun with their Halloween promotion in their stores, but this is the first time I've seen a commercial from them.



Finally, here is a foreign commercial that starts out rather terrifying and then takes a strangely comic turn at the end. The product is for a men's deodorant spray. Be warned if you're the squemish type, as the commerical is quite intense for most of it.

Hummmm ............ haaaaaaaaa hummm
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See you back for more ghoulish fun tomorrow! For more Halloween commercials, click to my post from last year here.