Help me find the two commercials that traumatized me as a child.

[sackadjust]

In response to WOOKINPANUB post,
I remember that one well! Creeeeeeepy. There was another commercial/psa in the same series that featured cartoon segments about the dangers of smoking followed by that “to get to the heart of the matter song”. One segment featured an Italian race car driver discussing how he wears a helmet and such to protect himself yet he’s smoking a cigarette. He says something like “of course I don’t take risks, what do you think I am some kind of nut?” I’ve been scouring YouTube for years trying to find those PSA’s.

[Lsura]

@Little_Nemo

I live in a college town. And I realize that some of those college students are the grandchildren of people I was in school with.

I work at a university, and knowing that, had I married college boyfriend and had kids…they’d be right at this age messes with my head occasionally.
To the OP: I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ve ever seen those commercials.

[DrFidelius]

It seems I didn’t watch much television in the '90s. I was busy raising my children (who are both in college now.)

<Kids are out of the house, dog is dead, we might as well start travelling.>

[shorin-ryu]

This site seems to have all the Super Bowl ads. Like, all of them, ever. Happy browsing!

[Barking_Dog]

@Kilmore

The commercial that I had the worst experience with was Life cereal, growing up as a tubby red haired boy named Mike.

“Hey, Mikey! He likes it!” got used against me so much it always sent me into a rage.

You too huh? Oh god how I hated that commercial! It still makes me kinda stabby.

[WOOKINPANUB]

@sackadjust

In response to WOOKINPANUB post,
I remember that one well! Creeeeeeepy. There was another commercial/psa in the same series that featured cartoon segments about the dangers of smoking followed by that “to get to the heart of the matter song”. One segment featured an Italian race car driver discussing how he wears a helmet and such to protect himself yet he’s smoking a cigarette. He says something like “of course I don’t take risks, what do you think I am some kind of nut?” I’ve been scouring YouTube for years trying to find those PSA’s.

Ha! I had forgotten all about this thread (but not that horrifying commercial). If you ever do find it, please share so I can exorcise the demons.

[Foxy40]

The only commercial I remember that scared the heck out of me, is one I saw one night while babysitting in the late 70s. It began with a head of beautiful black hair with a rose in it and in a sweet voice the actress said “roses are red, violets are blue…” and then the head turns completely around and is a skull “I am going to get you…” It was an ad for a horror movie if I remember correctly. I saw it only once which was enough. I called my mother and made her stay on the phone with me until the parents returned home. To this day when I see the back of a head on TV, I always wonder if it will be a skull when it turns around.

[Hail_Ants]

Just thought I’d mention that there’s a great website, Kindertrauma, devoted to helping people find and share memories of TV shows, commercials, movies etc. that scared the crap out of them when they were kids…

[WOOKINPANUB]

@Foxy40

The only commercial I remember that scared the heck out of me, is one I saw one night while babysitting in the late 70s. It began with a head of beautiful black hair with a rose in it and in a sweet voice the actress said “roses are red, violets are blue…” and then the head turns completely around and is a skull “I am going to get you..” It was an ad for a horror movie if I remember correctly. I saw it only once which was enough. I called my mother and made her stay on the phone with me until the parents returned home. To this day when I see the back of a head on TV, I always wonder if it will be a skull when it turns around.

Aaaaaaaaaaargh! That was for Suspiria and you can find the commercial on Youtube. Not that I have any intention of doing so. I remember that commercial playing* a lot* and I would always run out of the room as soon as it started. Oddly enough, it has absolutely nothing to do with the movie itself and is, in fact, actually scarier, IMO.

[jayjay]

My “scare the heck out of you” commercial (from the mid-70s) is the spots for the movie “It’s Alive!” and its sequels. All you see is a little white wicker baby buggy, and as the camera moves slooooooowly around it, the music is a slightly off-kilter (mild distortions in speed and pitch) lullaby, until the camera finally comes around to the other side, where a HUGE CLAW is hanging out of the side of the buggy! God, that used to freak me out…

[Reeses_Monkey]

I see that none of you grew up in Pittsburgh, where we were regularly traumatized by ads for Mr Yuk. I can’t post the link, I’m on mobile. Try hunting it on YouTube.

[Anamorphic]

@WOOKINPANUB

While we’re pretending to try and recall the whippersnapper’s, er, OP’s commercial, does anyone of “a certain age” (40ish) remember a commercial for, I’m assuming, the American Heart Association? This would have been circa 1970 (you youngin’s can stop reading now)and IIRC it was animated, with the outline of a human body that showed where the heart is and possibly even veins and stuff and there was probably some informative voice over, but at the end there was this song that went “to get right to the heart of the matter” and then this deep, scary baritone voice sang “where there’s smoke, WHERE THERE’S SMOKE!” as the body fell over, presumably dead.

I hate to make you feel even older, but those of us who are “40ish” aren’t likely to recall a commercial from circa 1970, since that’s around when we were born. Unless by “40ish” you mean closer to “50ish”!

[jayjay]

@Reeses_Monkey

I see that none of you grew up in Pittsburgh, where we were regularly traumatized by ads for Mr Yuk. I can’t post the link, I’m on mobile. Try hunting it on YouTube.

Sick! Sick! Sick! Sick! Sick! Sick! Sick!

I grew up in Altoona, so we got those, too.

Mr. Yuck is MEAN! Mr. Yuk is GREEN! Bwaahahahahahahah!

[WOOKINPANUB]

@Anamorphic

I hate to make you feel even older, but those of us who are “40ish” aren’t likely to recall a commercial from circa 1970, since that’s around when we were born. Unless by “40ish” you mean closer to “50ish”!

For your information, smartypants, this thread is two years old. I was *a lot *closer to forty than fifty at the time

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

Two years later and I’m still stunned that somebody born in 1990 could have a driver’s license. Of course, I turned 30 last week, so I’m especially sensitive to my impending middle age right now.

[edwards_beard]

For some strange reason I was always scared by Robolar from Mars and C3P0 doesn’t have a heart

[Zabali_Clawbane]

@Really_Not_All_That_Bright

Two years later and I’m still stunned that somebody born in 1990 could have a driver’s license. Of course, I turned 30 last week, so I’m especially sensitive to my impending middle age right now.

You have an ENTIRE DECADE! :dubious: Whatcha doing here sitting around for?! :mad: Get off my lawn and go raise havoc!

[Biggirl]

My brother in law is still teased about being scared of a commercial for aluminum foil. It featured a knight on a horse. I don’t remember it but maybe some of you guys a bit older do.

This thread reminds me of the day I realized that my kids think of the '70s the way I think of the '50s. I wonder if they see it in black and white.

[Derleth]

@Biggirl

This thread reminds me of the day I realized that my kids think of the '70s the way I think of the '50s. I wonder if they see it in black and white.

Brown, probably. The entire rainbow was shades of brown. It was the Brown Age of American Television.

[Reeses_Monkey]

@jayjay

Sick! Sick! Sick! Sick! Sick! Sick! Sick!

I grew up in Altoona, so we got those, too.

Mr. Yuck is MEAN! Mr. Yuk is GREEN! Bwaahahahahahahah!

Here it is!

Mr. Yuk PSA