I saw this commercial this weekend while watching Law and Order. Let’s face it – Law and Order is the common thread that defines the human condition, it being on almost any time of the day or night. This is one of the few commercials that has made me laugh out loud. The attack ostrich is hilarious. Have you seen any commercials like this recently that really tickled you?
My lovely wife suggested that we put up some of the old commercials for Almond Joy and Mounds. These sure were some of my favorites as a lad, with their goofy images and madcap high jinks. Something struck me as I watched these, though. The commercials clearly refer to the Peter Paul brand, and that got me wondering what ever happened to that company.
Here is a brief explanation I found on the Hershey site, detailing the history of these particular candy bars:
The first product of the Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company, established in 1919 in New Haven, Connecticut, was called “Konabar” and was a blend of coconut, fruits, nuts and chocolate. All products were made at night when air was coolest and sold fresh, door-to-door the following day. In 1920 the MOUNDS candy bar, sweetened coconut enrobed in dark chocolate, was introduced.
During World War II Peter Paul was faced with severe shortages of sugar and coconut which had been shipped from the Philippines before war broke out. Rather than sacrifice quality, the company discontinued some of its lesser selling brands and concentrated production on the MOUNDS candy bar. Over the years Peter Paul added several products to its line, including ALMOND JOY candy bar and YORK Peppermint Pattie.
Cadbury and Peter Paul merged in 1978, and Hershey Foods purchased the company’s U.S. operations in 1988.
Interesting stuff. And now here are the commercials we all loved:
From 1970:
From 1977:
Thank you, lovely wife. That was a heck of a suggestion!
Almond Joy by Rakka.
Remember the owl who told the young boy how many licks it took to get to the center of the Tootsie Pop? The video below is the most popular version, being just 30 seconds, but there is a one-minute version, which is like an extended play remix. You know, for candy.
Many thanks to Jenni Spinner for recommending this one. What’s your favorite?
I don’t think this commercial aired in the U.S. but I could be wrong. All said and done, I am not sure why this ad works but it does. It’s catchy, cute and you really just want to go nuts when the girl starts freestyling. It’s like watching really good breakdancing.
For the record, in my years of doing portraits, the kids I have photographed easily number in the tens of thousands and I have never had any of the do this.
