# Best commercial in all history of mankind **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991 "2009-07-14T16:24:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/41 "2009-07-15T01:26:05Z")
Local commercials are the best! [SHIPOOPI! Take that to the bank!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItWpoUMbqJE) [Downer’s Furniture in Pekin, where you always get a free onion!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KgWjh3faKo) ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/42 "2009-07-15T01:31:06Z")
Originally Posted by Daylate I have heard that the best commercial jingle was one that couldn’t be aired. “Carnation Milk is the best in the land, Here I sit with a can in my hand. No tits to pull, no hay to pitch, Just punch a hole in the son-of-a-bitch!” > [@](#): > > It’s funny, but it was never suggested as an actual jingle. Snopes has a page on it. That is probably correct. I heard it from my father back when I was still living at home, sometime in the late 40’s or early 50’s. Always knew in my heart of hearts that it was too good to be true! ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/43 "2009-07-15T01:32:53Z")
Everybody can quit posting. As an old Steelers fan, I have to submit [Mean Joe Greene’s 1979 Coca-Cola commercial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xffOCZYX6F8). ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/44 "2009-07-15T01:58:37Z")
My all time favorite is one for some airline that’s at least 25 years old, I only saw once and I so wish I could find. It’s very short and, IIRC, begins with the camera panning quickly through first class where men in tuxedos and women in white chiffon are all dancing to a grand piano and clinking champagne glasses. Then the curtain to coach is yanked open and for a split second you can see people in rags hunched around pit fires, chickens flying around and barnyard animals wandering by, bleating. If anyone recognizes this ad and can point me to it, I’d be grateful. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/45 "2009-07-15T05:20:01Z")
I’m a fan of the absurdest and surreal commercials. In that vein, I love the Skittles and Starburst commercials of the past few years. [Starburst Fiesta.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3YV9Cs2mw0) “Por Que!!” [Skittles Pinata](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yPaLq1EpQw) “I’m just like everyone else!” [Skittles 'Miadas Touch.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUJ4uorYPoY&feature=related) “I met a man on the bus today…I shook his hand. He’ll never see his family again. I guess that’s pretty awesome.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/46 "2009-07-15T05:22:55Z")
Many posters here never click on a post that sez “this one”. How about a one liner descriptor, OK? ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/47 "2009-07-15T05:44:44Z")
Can someone help me find this one? I can’t find it on youtube. There was a beer commercial for some European brand (probably British) that I can’t recall. The ad was in English. A few men are on a space ship, when they encounter some sort of alien presence which says something like “Come if you seek knowledge”… in case someone can find it, I don’t want to psoil the rest. Anyone know what I’m talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/48 "2009-07-15T06:01:57Z")
This [M&M commercial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvyZLipB4CY) with Patrick Warburton is great. It’s his deadpan delivery that makes it work. ---
**Author:** ![CheapBastid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@CheapBastid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheapBastid)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/49 "2009-07-15T07:19:14Z")
Some great ones! One I didn’t seem mentioned was [Nutrigrain ‘I feel GREAT’](http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y6rE0EakhG8) This one’s fake, but I still love it: [Jones’ Good Ass BBQ and Foot Massage](http://youtube.com/watch?v=WPkMUU9tUqk) ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/50 "2009-07-15T09:52:55Z")
Bah. Enough with those poxy Yank efforts! 😃 British Dopers will have fond memories of: The robots in the [Smash](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SAbJjktk7E) adverts. The Flymo vs Qualcast advertisement war. Alas not on Youtube. (“It’s less bovver with a hover.”) The ‘Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet’ [series](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19vItpLiYgA&feature=PlayList&p=A76A085616048E48&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=4) of ads. I’ll let other Britdopers add more. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/51 "2009-07-15T12:07:36Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Many posters here never click on a post that sez “this one”. How about a one liner descriptor, OK? First, cite?, as you are so far the only one to say anything. Second, what’s the logic here? Afraid you’re going to get rickrolled or goatsed, or be sent a virus or something? If someone wants to do that, a description isn’t going to help. And someone else is going to say something to tell you it was bad, anyways. Plus, all of the links have been to YouTube (which you can tell without clicking), which has its own built-in descriptions and even comments, so you can figure them out from that before watching, if you are afraid of wasting precious seconds of your life finding out that you’d rather not watch something. I do agree it would be nice to have descriptions, and there’s nothing wrong with asking. But without at least some reasoning or a cite, I doubt highly that “many posters here” won’t click on the links simply because no description is provided. And unless they have a better reason, it would be their own loss. Finally, sorry I can’t answer the OP, as I don’t watch enough real TV any more to have seen any good ads. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/52 "2009-07-15T14:27:12Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > First, cite?, as you are so far the only one to say anything. > Second, what’s the logic here? Afraid you’re going to get rickrolled or goatsed, or be sent a virus or something? > > I do agree it would be nice to have descriptions, and there’s nothing wrong with asking. But without at least some reasoning or a cite, I doubt highly that “many posters here” won’t click on the links simply because no description is provided.. Yes, es and yes, and those have happened. But in a case like this, a description allows me to decide whether or not to actually go- I may remember the commercial without having to see it again. And there’s a LOT of commercials I’d rather never see again. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/53 "2009-07-15T15:26:24Z")
Local commercial that won national awards: [Detroit Zoo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQr548olzOo) The “Ok guys, this way!/Nice goin Melvinnn” exchange is still used around our house. In '82 when this aired, the zoo was looking at a projected 20% decline in attendance due to the economy. After this commercial was first shown, attendance went UP by 18%; so not only was it a great commercial purely by production standards, it did its job too. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/54 "2009-07-15T15:54:21Z")
Can’t remember what it was advertising, but there was a tele advert out several years ago that featured a car squealing around in the salt flats. Camera comes in close to see it’s Ray Charles driving and smiling! It was a great ad! ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/55 "2009-07-15T16:00:01Z")
> [@LonghornDave](#): > > I submit Red House Furniture: furniture for black people … and white people. > > [Red House Furniture](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnOyMSEWNTs) “And Hispanic people, too.” That’s got to be one of the oddest commercials I have ever seen, even for a local spot. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/56 "2009-07-15T17:23:17Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > But what’s it advertising? 😕 The NFL? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/57 "2009-07-15T17:25:48Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Everybody can quit posting. As an old Steelers fan, I have to submit [Mean Joe Greene’s 1979 Coca-Cola commercial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xffOCZYX6F8). This is one of the best ever, and I’m not even a Steelers fan. Not even a football fan. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/58 "2009-07-15T17:59:23Z")
I never actually saw this run as a commercial, only on a “best commercials” TV show. But it’s my absolute fave: [Trunk Monkey.](http://www.begim.com/ext/funvideos/trunk-monkey-1.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/59 "2009-07-15T18:23:35Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > Local commercial that won national awards: [Detroit Zoo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQr548olzOo) The “Ok guys, this way!/Nice goin Melvinnn” exchange is still used around our house. > > In '82 when this aired, the zoo was looking at a projected 20% decline in attendance due to the economy. After this commercial was first shown, attendance went UP by 18%; so not only was it a great commercial purely by production standards, it did its job too. Wow. Seeing that takes me back to being a kid. Thanks for posting that link! ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991/60 "2009-07-15T18:43:52Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, es and yes, and those have happened. But in a case like this, a description allows me to decide whether or not to actually go- I may remember the commercial without having to see it again. And there’s a LOT of commercials I’d rather never see again. I endorse this view as well. And as a purely practical matter, I had a commercial in mind that I wanted to post, but didn’t want to commit the unforgiveable sin of duplicating something already mentioned…so I had to click on all those “this one!” links. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-commercial-in-all-history-of-mankind/502991.md?page=4)