A Christmas Without Snow TV-Movie, WBBM-TV Chicago, December 9, 1980

 

For this Christmas weekend, I present a full-length TV-movie sure to keep you in a retro Christmas spirit!

A Christmas Without Snow stars actress Michael Learned (The Waltons) as a divorced woman recently settling in San Francisco who joins a church choir. She meets the choir's stern but devout director (the late John Houseman), and while they butt heads, they also help heal each other's emotional wounds in time to celebrate a sincere, inspiring holiday.

This TV-movie, which celebrated its 45-year anniversary this past Tuesday, is readily available on free-commercial-supported streaming services such as Pluto TV, Tubi, and others, but this YouTube upload I'm presenting is special: it's taped directly off of the CBS Chicago affiliate WBBM-TV broadcast the night it premiered, with all of the original commercials intact. Retro TV fans rejoice!

You can watch the film embedded below or directly on YouTube here.

Enjoy! Have a warm, cozy, merry Christmas season weekend!

WOR-TV Channel 9 New York TV Commercials from Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1981

The holiday season is nearly here--some people consider the season officially begun--and what better way to get into the holiday spirit than to enjoy these TV commercials that aired on Channel 9 New York, WOR-TV, from Thanksgiving Day, 1981?

While WNBC-TV Channel 4 showed the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, this station had an annual tradition of showing King Kong movies on Thanksgiving Day, followed by a Godzilla movie marathon on Black Friday. Sounds awesome to me!

As you can imagine, there are plenty of Christmas-related commercials here, and some good, local ones too, especially if you're a fan of the commercials for the Crazy Eddie electronics store chain. After all, their prices were INSANE!

This collection is courtesy of one of my favorite YouTube channels, 80s Commercial Vault. Do yourself a favor and subscribe to the channel here. Amazing stuff!

Thanks!

Halloween TV Commercials 2025 Edition

 

Welcome to the first full week of the Countdown! And today I have a great way to kick the week off. Today I present my annual look at great Halloween TV commercials!

Of course, they're not necessarily Halloween specific, but may simply have a spooky, scary, or strange theme. Let's check them out!

First, try claiming Dracula's gold (Dracula has gold?) in this fun electronic game from 1982.

Next, it's always great to pay a visit to Count Chocula and Frankenberry, but especially on Halloween!

This British commercial for Knorr soup is supposed to be whimsical, but frankly, I find it a bit creepy. I'm sure this scarecrow is friendly, but..well, take a look!

Most of the commercials I feature are many years, even decades old, but the final two commercials I have today are in fact from this very year! The first one from this past July features Cheetos doing a tie-in with Netflix's hit series Wednesday by auditioning Thing to be Cheetos' new spokes...hand.

Finally, my last commercial today is extremely new--it debuted September 29, 2025, exactly one week ago from when I'm writing this! Dr. Frankenstein attempts to teach his creation the ways of the world with poor results. But hook Frankie up with Xfinity wi-fi, and he becomes an overnight sensation!

Thank you for your time! Please come back every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in October for more Halloween greatness!

Mr. Mouth Commercial (1979)

Toys R Us Commercials, 1980 & 1981

This is a bit of an experiment. In lieu of longform blogging for the time being, I'll just share quick, text-free bits of fun until I can get things going. Enjoy!

Halloween TV Commercials 2024 Edition

 

Hello all! Welcome to the first real post of the Countdown to Halloween. Today I kick off the Countdown in earnest with a look at fun TV commercials with a Halloween spin, or at least a spooky spin. Here we go!

The Bride of Frankenstein is a fan of the New York lottery in this fun spot.

Her husband appears in our next commercial, shilling for--the Federal Trade Commision? Yep! Also, I find it interesting to see the monster boss around Igor instead of the doctor doing so for once.

In this next very quick spot, local Philly haberdasher Benny Krass advises you on the best suit to wear to the grave!

This Rice Krispies commercial from 1997 is actually two commercials in one: the first an everyday commercial, the second Halloween-specific for Halloween Rice Krispy Treats, a classic holiday perennial.

I suspect the voice of Pop is legendary voice actor Rob Paulson, but I'm not certain.

Here is a commercial for Nickelodeon's Nick or Treat event from 1992. I was too old for Nick at that time, but I'm sure this spot will resonate with older millenials out there!

Way back in 1971, you could take your chances with the Voice of the Mummy board game!

Boo! Avoid free radicals by drinking Pom pomegranate juice. Wash your sheets in peace!

Finally, sticking with the ghosts theme, you never know what's going on in your house when you're not there. Ikea shows us what!

I hope you enjoyed this year's crop of spooky commercials. Stay tuned for more Halloween hi-jinks. We're just getting started!

Classic Christmas TV Commercials 2023 Edition

 

Today's post will be lean and mean, as my free time is increasingly less free the closer we get to Christmas Day.

Here, I offer some Christmas commercials of the past, with less commentary than I usually give. Enjoy these holiday-themed shills for Woolworth's, Ponderosa, Seafood Shanty seafood restaurants, and more!

Thanks!

Halloween TV Commercials 2023 Edition!

 

Hello again! Today's post is a Countdown perennial: it's time for this year's batch of Halloween TV Commercials! I post at least one round of spooky-themed commercials each and every year. Commercials are one of the earliest signs that a holiday or season is around the corner, so I think posting several Halloween-like commercials early in the Countdown sets the mood for the whole month. Let's get to it!

First up, this rad commercial for Hallmark's Halloween fare from 1987. I love the old school GCI graphics on this one. Very 80s!

Next up, Casper The Friendly Ghost helps Target welcome shoppers to their stores in 1991!

Who is Mr. Fright? I have no idea, but he had a local 976 number here in the Philly area in the 80s, as can be deduced from this commercial. No other details are available, and I have no memory of this guy whatsoever. But he seems cool!

Goodwill is always a popular and inexpensive way to create a great homemade costume. Visit your local store today! This commercial aired in central Texas in 2014.

Pharmacies have long been Halloween necessity destinations, and Walgreens is no exception. Check out their offerings in this commercial from 1992!

I believe I've featured this next commercial before, but this is a much better copy. Enjoy this delightful commercial from the 70s for the Weebles Haunted House!

I'm sure every kid who had this was considered the coolest kid on their block. From 1984, it's Play-Doh's Count Creepyhead!

Finally, I can't believe I haven't featured this commercial until now, as this ran pretty extensively during the 80s. Here is a commercial for the king of all Halloween candies, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, featuring a generous but misunderstood Frankenstein!

I hope you enjoyed those. Stay tuned this Friday for a movie presentation. Thanks!

Valentine's Day TV Commercials

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

And what better way to celebrate a day devoted to love than with--commerce!

Today I present a few Valentine's Day TV commercials. I post holiday-related commercials all the time, but I don't think I've ever posted them for Valentine's Day before. Here goes!

Celebrate your sweetie with a Carvel ice cream cake!

Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is one of the most underrated Peanuts specials, and you should seek it out if you haven't seen it. Here is a quick promo for the special from 1979, preceded by another romatic program--an episode of the live action Spider-Man series. OK, maybe not.

McDonald's commercials are a longtime staple of this blog. Here is one for awesome-looking Valentines featuring your favorite McDonaldland characters!

This is a touching commercial from Kmart, featuring a teenage boy preparing a lovely Valentine's Day for his suprising sweetheart. Awwww!

Here is a low-tech and local commerical for Philadelphia Candies from 1987. Local, low-tech, from the '80s, and Philly-centric. It hits all my sweet spots!

Finally, here is another commerical from 1987, this time for the long-gone discount chain Woolworth's. I think everyone from Generation X and older has at least one fond memory of Woolworth's, if not more!

Once again, Happy Valentine's Day. Show your special someone how much you love them!

I may have another Valentine's Day post later this week. Stay tuned, and thanks!

Halloween TV commercials 2022 Edition Part 2

 

Today begins the last full week of October! The big night is exactly one week from today! It's crunch time, people, so let's ramp up the festivities!

Today I dip once again into the Halloween TV commercial well. First up, this quick but fun commercial for Hershey. It's only 15 seconds, but it's still one of the Halloweeniest commercials you'll see!

Here is a very old school commercial for Woolworth's, a discount retail chain long shuttered but fondly remembered by those my age and older. I may have featured this commerical before years ago, but it's so great, I don't care. This is Halloween to me!

Pharmacy chains have long been a main place to get your Halloween essentials. In this commercial, Walgreen's provides a little helper to make everyone's Halloween happy!

I never would have expected a company to "get" the awesomeness of Halloween to be a realtor, but in this 30-second commercial, Coldwell Banker gets it!

IHOP has traditionally been a gret place to get fun holiday-themed meals and promotions; I fondly remember the Addams Family meals from a few years ago. Unfortunately, they're not doing anything that extravagent this year that I know of, but perhaps they still offer these fun pancake meals from years past?

Halloween safety tips are always plentiful: on TV, retail store shopping bags, schools, everywhere. Here is a minute-long public service announcement from the '80s featuring everyone's favorite fat cat, Garfield!

Finally, I have not one but two fun commercials from Red Bull, which always has great commercials. Here are two of them with a creepy twist! Red Bull does in fact give you wings--BAT wings!

Thanks! Only a couple more posts to go! And one more thing, on a personal note:

GO PHILLIES!

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!

Classic Christmas TV Commercials 2021 Edition Part 2

 

As we return to the Countdown to Christmas, we check in with a promised second edition of classic Christmas TV commercials!

We start with our pals at Wendy's again, doing their best to sell their restaurants as holiday destinations.

This commercial for retailer McDade's helps men find the perfect gift for that "special lady."

Department store Wieboldt's hopes their gifts help make it a "Wonderful World of Christmas!"

The late, lamented Gimbel's helps you "Bring Christmas Home."

Finally, a double shot from our friends at Kmart. Long before Walmart and Target were a thing in my area, Kmart was key for Christmas shopping!

Now go do some Christmas shopping!

Classic Christmas Commercials 2021 Edition

 

It's time for one of my favorite blog articles of the year! It's my annual look at fun Christmas commercials of the past. Let's get going!

Cats could use Commodore computers in the '80s. It's true.

Sticking with the electronics theme, Sears was a great place to get these new things called video games in 1981!

The holidays are definitely the best times to get the best homemade food, but even then it's convenient to stop at Wendy's in a pinch.

K-Mart was such an important Christmas shopping destination growing up. Where else could you buy an affordable butter melter? And yes, that IS Tim Allen at the very end of the commercial.

Why look, it's our friends at Sears again! And looking very '80s!

It wouldn't be the Christmas season without listening to the classic Time-Life Treasury of Christmas music collection!

Lastly, if cookies for Santa are in short supply, you can't go wrong with Little Debbie snack cakes!

I hope to have more great commercials later this season. Thanks!

Classic Promos for Classic Christmas TV Specials

Happy Saint Nicholas Day! I hope he left candy in your shoes last night!

It's unimaginable to celebrate Christmas without the classic Christmas TV specials that have aired for decades, from Charlie Brown to Rudolph to Frosty and beyond. When watching TV during the holidays, a minute of excitement would arise when a quick promotional spot for these specials would air during regular programming, letting us know that our beloved favorites were on their way.

Here are several shorts promos for classic Christmas TV specials from various years and networks. Let them remind you to keep an eye out for these classics this year, whether on broadcast TV, cable, and streaming services.

Enjoy!

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!

Halloween TV Commercials 2021 Edition Part 1

 

Hello pumpkins! Welcome to the first full week of the Countdown to Halloween. I hope you spent the first weekend of October doing scary, spooky things! I know I did--I got a flu shot. Scary! And I just started decorating for the holiday, finally. I only got a few items up so far, but I'll be adding more and more throughout the week.

For the first true article of the Countdown (with Friday's post being just an intro), I present one of my favorite categories of Countdown articles--great Halloween TV commercials. As much as most people find your average commercial an annoyance, Halloween-themed commercials let you know that society is ready to get its scare on. Let's check out my first of what I hope will be several sets of commercial goodness!

First up--would you move into a haunted house just to enjoy a brand new Audi? These people certainly would!

Next, Walgreen's has long been a Halloween headquarters for the latest decorations and candy. Check them out now if you haven't already!

In this next commercial, the villains have taken over Disneyland in Calfornia! Beware of the grim, grinning ghosts!

Think that's scary? That's nothing compared to the haunting of Universal Orlando during Halloween Horror Nights!

Airing this very year, here is Freeform's fun promo for their classic perennial, 31 Nights of Halloween!

Finally (for now), this next commercial gets me right in the nostalgia bone. It's a Woolworth and Woolco ad from my childhood shilling the cheapest costumes Ben Cooper had to offer. For me, THIS is Halloween!

I hope you enjoyed these exhibits of creepy capitalism. Stay tuned for more installments this month, and please hang around for all my exhibits during the Countdown to Halloween. The fun is literally just beginning!

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!

The Story of the Coca-Cola Polar Bears

Today I present a short clip documenting the origin of the Coca-Cola Polar Bears. They've been entertaining TV viewers since 1993, and I always look forward to their commercials. Here, a Coke historian details the beginnings of the holiday icons.

Enjoy!

An Hour of Vintage Christmas Commercials from the 70s, 80s, and 90s

 

Hello everyone, and welcome to the holiday season at Me and You and a Blog Named Boo! I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving. We are now officially into the holidays, and they couldn't have come soon enough. This is an opportunity to cap off a terrible year by embracing the spirit of the season, so let's go all in and put this year behind us!

I start the season off as I usually start any holiday season, by showcasing fun commercials from years past. Normally I post individual commercials, but this time I've let YouTube user Retro Commercials 1990s do the work for me. This user has put together a full hour's worth of classic Christmas commercials. Feel free to put these on while you decorate your home or enjoy your Thanksgiving leftovers.

Enjoy! And stay tuned for holiday fun all month long!

Halloween TV Commercials 2020 Edition Part 2

 

Today I offer a few more Halloween TV commercials. There are only a few days left to go, so let's get to it!

Here are a few McDonald's commercials. I may have featured a couple of these before, but what are commercials if not repetitive?

Next is a commercial for two tasty Halloween classics, Witchy the Witch and Dumpy the Pumpkin, two ice cream cakes from Carvel!

Here is a fun one for Hostess Fruit Pies. I love the blend of animation and live action in this one!

Finally, here is a quick one for Kit Kats starring a sleepy vampire. This one is brand new this year!

Thanks!