He Went for Faygo

“Which way did he go? Which way did he go?”

“He went for FAY-GO!”

Except for Publix commercials, none can reproduce the magic of our childhood TV ads, some national, many Detroit-based.

The ones I remember the clearest were shown in the 50’s and 60’s, between Saturday morning cartoons or during prime-time favorite weekly shows. And, of course, on Sunday nights around The Wonderful World of Disney and Kraft-sponsored specials.

We loved the Kraft commercials because there was a glass bowl, a wooden spoon, and some delectable being prepared, with the recipe offered at the end of the program. To this day, I get the same scrumptious feeling I did then when I see a wooden spoon stir something in a glass bowl.

We couldn’t record anything. If you missed a show, or part of it by leaving during a commercial, it was gone for good. Unless, of course, it was an annual event, like the Wizard of Oz movie on Thanksgiving night, or the Christmas specials.

We had few stations—ABC, NBC, CBS, and the Canadian CBC (with Mr. Dressup and The Friendly Giant), and later, Detroit’s channels 50 (WKBD) and 62 (WWJ).

Walt Disney Presents (and The Wonderful World of Disney) were must-sees. We all had our favorites—Davy Crockett, Zorro, movies like The Swamp Fox, The Shaggy Dog, The Prince and the Pauper. Series that starred Mouseketeers, and, of course, cartoons. Chip and Dale, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Goofy’s memorable cry when he fell off a cliff.

Jiminy Cricket taught me how to spell “encyclopedia” and sang about safety with his “I’m no fool, no siree, I want to live to be ninety-three. I play safe for you and me, ‘cause I’m no fool.”

We begged for Jiffy Popcorn, which always burned.

Hung on every toy ad, especially close to Christmas.

“It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky, for fun it’s a wonderful toy. It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky, it’s fun for a girl or a boy.” The jingle was written by three men in 1962 (Johnny McCullogh, Homer Fesperman, and lyrics by Charles Weagly), and was the longest running jingle in advertising history.

The toy was invented in 1943 by Richard James, a naval engineer, but our Slinkies had trouble with our stairs, and tangled soon after we got them.

Other commercials stuck in my memory.

“Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener, that is what I’d truly like to be…” Written for a contest in 1962, aired in 19 countries, and memorized by countless children.

“In the valley of the jolly—ho ho ho—Green Giant!”

“Rice-a-Roni, the San Franciso treat.”

“Plop, plop, fizz, fizz. Oh, what a relief it is!” sung by Speedy, the mascot (Dick Beals). Speedy showed up in magazine ads, store displays, and TV commercials, was originally created as a puppet and insured for more than $100,000.

Advertising copywriter Judy Protas wrote the Crackerjack commercial in the 60’s—“…Lip-smackin’, whip-crackin’, paddy-whackin’, knickin-knackin’, silver-rackin’, scoundrel-whackin’, cracker-jackin’ Crackerjack. Candy-coated popcorn, peanuts and a prize, that’s what you get in Crackerjack.”

We inhaled ads for Silly Putty, Etch-a-Sketch, Mousetrap, Rock’em Sock’em Robots.

Brylcreem—A little dab’ll do ya.

“Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t…” for Mounds and Almond Joy.

Snap crackle pop Rice Krispies.

“Choo Choo Charlie was an engineer, Choo Choo Charlie had a train we hear. He had an engine and it sure was fun. He used Good n Plenty to make the train run.”

Russ Alben, who wrote the jingle, also came up with Timex’s “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking.”

Mr. Belvedere did “good work.” Mel Farr Superstar could fly. Highland and Fretter Appliance competed. And we all knew that you’d…

“Stay on the right track to Nine Mile and Mack, Roy O’Brien trucks and cars, make your money back!”

No, I don’t see commercials like those anymore.