162 Fun Facts About Commercial & Jingle

What did the first radio commercial jingle, aired in December 1926, advertise?

Wheaties' 'Have You Tried Wheaties?' jingle aired on WCCO Minneapolis on Christmas Eve 1926; strong Twin Cities sales persuaded General Mills to keep the cereal and take the jingle national.

The first official paid TV commercial, in 1941, was for which brand?

Bulova paid less than $10 for the spot on New York's WNBT on July 1, 1941, the first day US stations were allowed to sell airtime; it showed a clock face just before a Dodgers-Phillies game.

The first TV ad in the UK, in 1955, was for what?

Toothpaste: Gibbs SR's spot went out at 8.12pm on 22 September 1955, the opening night of ITV, Britain's first commercial channel; until then British viewers had only the ad-free BBC.

Which cereal does Tony the Tiger sell?

Tony the Tiger has fronted Kellogg's Frosted Flakes (originally Sugar Frosted Flakes) since the cereal launched in 1952, outlasting co-mascot Katy the Kangaroo within a few years.

Who provided Tony the Tiger's deep bass voice for five decades?

Thurl Ravenscroft voiced Tony the Tiger for more than 50 years, until his death in 2005; he also sang 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch', but a missing credit led many to assume it was Boris Karloff.

Which cereal took its bee mascot, Buzz, off the box in 2017 to highlight declining bee populations?

Honey Nut Cheerios left a blank space where Buzz usually stands and gave away free wildflower seeds; ecologists then warned that some of the flowers could turn invasive in places where they aren't native.

Who first played Ronald McDonald on TV in 1963?

Willard Scott, later the Today show weatherman, first played Ronald McDonald on Washington's WRC-TV in 1963 after playing Bozo there from 1959 to 1962.

Which McDonaldland character started out evil, stealing milkshakes?

Grimace debuted in 1971 as 'Evil Grimace', a four-armed shake thief; McDonald's later softened him into a gentle friend and sold a Grimace birthday shake in 2023.

Who sued McDonald's claiming McDonaldland plagiarized their children's TV show?

Sid and Marty Krofft won: a jury found McDonaldland copied H.R. Pufnstuf, with Mayor McCheese too close to Pufnstuf himself, and the Ninth Circuit upheld the verdict in 1977.

Which McDonald's sandwich did franchisee Jim Delligatti create in 1967?

The Big Mac started at Delligatti's restaurant in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and was on every US McDonald's menu the following year; he went on to run 48 of the chain's restaurants.

McDonald's 'I'm lovin' it' campaign came from an agency outside the United States, based in which country?

German agency Heye & Partner of Unterhaching, near Munich, created the campaign; it launched in Germany on 2 September 2003 as 'ich liebe es' before rolling out worldwide.

Who sang the vocals on the original 2003 'I'm lovin' it' spots?

Justin Timberlake sang the jingle, produced by Pharrell Williams' Neptunes; McDonald's launched the 2003 campaign, its first global one, after posting its first-ever quarterly loss in late 2002.

A 1992 settlement gave Energizer sole rights to a drumming battery bunny in which two countries?

United States and Canada went to Energizer under a confidential 1992 settlement, which left an older rival's pink rabbit with the rest of the world; the two firms were back in court over the split in 2016.

What does the Energizer Bunny wear on its feet?

Blue and black striped flip-flops and sunglasses have stayed with the pink drumming rabbit since his debut; they even survived his 2016 redesign, when a slimmer Bunny walked a New York Fashion Week runway.

What is the Pillsbury Doughboy's proper name?

Poppin' Fresh dates from 1965, when ad man Rudy Perz was working with Pillsbury's canned dough in his own kitchen and the idea arose of a mascot who pops out of the can; the name nods to the dough's freshness.

What does the Doughboy do when a finger pokes his belly?

The Doughboy giggles 'Hoo hoo!' when poked; the first stop-motion puppet cost $16,000, came with five bodies and 15 heads, and needed 24 separate shots for every second on screen.

Who was the first voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy, for 21 years?

Paul Frees, the voice of Boris Badenov in Rocky and Bullwinkle, beat more than 50 actors to the part, Paul Winchell among them, and kept it from 1965 until his death in 1986.

What is the Michelin Man's official name?

Bibendum comes from 'Nunc est bibendum' ('now is the time to drink'), the Latin toast on a rejected beer-poster sketch that the Michelin brothers had the artist O'Galop rework around their mascot in 1898.

What sight at an 1894 Lyon fair inspired the Michelin Man?

Stacked tires at the Lyon fair struck Édouard Michelin as a man without arms; four years later his brother André had the cartoonist O'Galop turn the idea into the company's poster figure.

What is Mr. Clean's first name, chosen in a 1962 contest?

Veritably won a 1962 'Give Mr. Clean a First Name' promotion; the character had made his TV debut in 1958, played in live action by actor House Peters Jr.

The Green Giant began in the 1920s as the brand for which vegetable?

The Minnesota Valley Canning Company of Le Sueur first used 'Green Giant' in the 1920s for a variety of unusually large peas, with a giant on the label; it took the name for the whole firm in 1950.

What is the name of the Jolly Green Giant's young apprentice?

Little Green Sprout joined the ads in the early 1970s as the Giant's apprentice; the Giant himself began as a scowling, threatening figure and only became 'Jolly' in a 1935 rebranding.

What does the Kool-Aid Man shout after bursting through a wall?

'Oh, yeah!' is the Kool-Aid Man's catchphrase, bellowed after he smashes through a wall when thirsty kids shout 'Hey, Kool-Aid!'

What inspired the smiling pitcher face that became the Kool-Aid Man in 1954?

A child drawing on a frosted window gave art director Marvin Potts the idea: he watched his young son trace smiley faces on the glass, then put one on a pitcher he called the Pitcher Man.

What gave an ad agency the idea for the Aflac Duck?

The sound of the company's name was the spark: the agency was hunting for a way to make people remember 'Aflac' when someone noticed that, said aloud, it resembles a duck's quack.

What were the three Budweiser Frogs named?

The frogs croaked 'Bud', 'Weis' and 'Er' in turn to spell Budweiser; the spot debuted during Super Bowl XXIX in January 1995 and later spawned the rival lizards Frank and Louie.

Which future Pirates of the Caribbean director shot the first Budweiser Frogs ad?

Gore Verbinski, who later directed the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films, shot the 1995 Budweiser Frogs spot before making his feature debut with Mouse Hunt in 1997.

Budweiser's 'Whassup?' ads were based on a short film with what title?

'True' was Charles Stone III's short film of himself and his childhood friends greeting each other with 'Whassup?'; a Chicago ad man who saw it took the idea to Budweiser, and Stone directed the commercials.

The first 'Whassup?' spot aired in December 1999 during which broadcast?

The first 'Whassup?' spot ran on 20 December 1999 during Monday Night Football; it aired again during Super Bowl XXXIV and took the Cannes Lions Grand Prix in 2000.

The Budweiser Clydesdales were first shown to the public in 1933 to celebrate what?

August Busch Jr. presented the hitch to his father on 7 April 1933 to mark the repeal of Prohibition, the day beer became legal again; it carried the first case from the St. Louis brewery.

Which dog breed rides beside the driver on every Budweiser Clydesdale hitch?

A Dalmatian has travelled with each hitch since the 1950s; the breed's old job was to guard the wagon and team while the driver went indoors to make deliveries.

Which Bud Light mascot dog of the late 1980s was billed as 'The Original Party Animal'?

Spuds MacKenzie, 'The Original Party Animal', arrived in a 1987 Super Bowl ad, drew fire from Senator Strom Thurmond for making beer appealing to children, and was retired in 1989.

What did the public later learn about the bull terrier who played Bud Light's party-animal mascot?

It was female: the dog was Honey Tree Evil Eye, 'Evie' for short, and her handlers reportedly shielded her from cameras with their coats whenever she squatted.

Bud Light's 2017 toast 'Dilly Dilly' was already the refrain of which 17th-century English folk song?

'Lavender's Blue' was first printed in the 1670s with 'diddle, diddle' and sings 'dilly dilly' in its familiar later versions; the ad's writers say they made up their toast without knowing the song.

In the 'Dilly Dilly' ads, where is a guest banished for bringing spiced honey mead wine?

The Pit of Misery takes the guest whose spiced honey mead wine offends the king in the 'Banquet' spot; later that year a sequel went down into the pit, where a returning prisoner shares Bud Light with the others.

Which beer has long been advertised as 'The Champagne of Beers'?

Miller High Life launched in 1903 in clear glass bottles whose long, tapered necks were styled after Champagne bottles, and the comparison became its slogan.

Which Pittsburgh Steelers star tossed a kid his jersey in Coca-Cola's famous 1979 'Hey Kid, Catch' commercial?

Mean Joe Greene said his final line took several takes because he kept burping from all the Coke; the 1979 spot went on to win a Clio and re-air during Super Bowl XIV.

Coca-Cola's 1971 'Hilltop' jingle was sung by which group?

The New Seekers recorded the jingle after ad man Bill Backer, fog-bound overnight at Shannon Airport in Ireland, watched furious fellow passengers calm down and joke together over bottles of Coke.

Coca-Cola's 'Hilltop' jingle became which hit pop song?

I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing was the jingle with the Coke line taken out; one recording charted within two weeks of release, and a second went on to become a Top 10 hit.

What inspired the creator of Coca-Cola's 1993 animated polar bears?

His labrador retriever was the model: creator Ken Stewart thought the dog looked like a polar bear, and built the 1993 film 'Northern Lights' around bears watching the aurora over bottles of Coke.

Which brand launched blind taste tests called 'the Challenge' in 1975?

Pepsi launched the Pepsi Challenge blind taste tests in 1975; a decade later Coca-Cola answered with New Coke in April 1985, then revived the original as Coca-Cola Classic within three months.

Which Pepsi commercial was cancelled in 1989 after backlash over a music video?

Pepsi pulled Madonna's 'Make a Wish' spot in 1989 after religious groups protested the burning crosses in her 'Like a Prayer' video; she kept the $5 million fee.

Who directed Apple's '1984' Macintosh commercial?

Ridley Scott, fresh from Blade Runner, directed '1984' for agency Chiat/Day; English discus thrower Anya Major hurled the hammer at the Big Brother screen.

Why did Apple's '1984' Macintosh ad air once on a Twin Falls, Idaho, station in December 1983?

To qualify for advertising awards, the agency ran it once, late at night, on KMVT; its only national airing came weeks later, in the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII.

Who played the Mac and the PC in Apple's 'Get a Mac' ads?

Justin Long and John Hodgman played the Mac and the PC from 2006 to 2009, and Microsoft hit back in 2008 with its own 'I'm a PC' ads; the UK version cast Robert Webb as the Mac and David Mitchell as the PC.

Which agency's 1959 'Think Small' Volkswagen ads were named the top campaign of the century?

Doyle Dane Bernbach's Helmut Krone and Julian Koenig showed a tiny car alone on a bare white page when rival car ads sold fantasy; Advertising Age later ranked it the top campaign of the 20th century.

Volkswagen's 1960 ad admitted a flaw in its own car under which one-word headline?

'Lemon' ran beneath a photo of a Volkswagen in an ad by copywriter Julian Koenig and art director Helmut Krone; its sign-off promised, 'We pluck the lemons; you get the plums.'

Dan Wieden says Nike's 'Just Do It' slogan was inspired by the last words of whom?

Wieden adapted a death-row inmate's last words, Gary Gilmore's 'Let's do it', in 1988.

From 1988 to 1998, Nike's share of the North American sports-shoe market grew from 18% to what?

Nike's share of the North American athletic-shoe market rose from 18% to 43% between 1988 and 1998, as worldwide sales climbed from $877 million to $9.2 billion.

Before Nike won him over in 1984, Michael Jordan wanted to sign with which rival sneaker brand?

Adidas was the deal Jordan wanted, and he refused even to fly out to Nike until his parents made him go; Nike's pitch then changed his mind.

Who asked 'Where's the beef?' for Wendy's in 1984?

Clara Peller, a Chicago manicurist first hired to do nails on a commercial set, was in her eighties when she barked 'Where's the beef?' in Joe Sedelmaier's 1984 Wendy's spot mocking rivals' big buns and small patties.

Which 1984 presidential hopeful borrowed 'Where's the beef?' to jab a rival?

Walter Mondale asked 'Where's the beef?' of Gary Hart's 'new ideas' in a March 1984 Democratic debate, turning the Wendy's line into a campaign catchphrase.

Which fast-food chain's 1997-2000 mascot was a talking chihuahua named Gidget?

Taco Bell retired the dog in 2000, and in 2003 a jury ordered the chain to pay $30.1 million to two Michigan men who had pitched it a 'Psycho Chihuahua' character years earlier.

Who voiced the Taco Bell chihuahua?

Carlos Alazraqui, the voice of Rocko in Rocko's Modern Life, supplied the chihuahua's voice for Taco Bell's 1997-2000 campaign by TBWA\Chiat\Day.

Which fast-food mascot's giant spherical white head sits on a business suit?

Jack Box came back in 1994 as the chain's suited founder and CEO, crediting 'the miracle of plastic surgery'; in his first ad he blew up the boardroom in revenge for the 1980 commercial that had blown him up.

Burger King's 2004 Subservient Chicken campaign promoted which sandwich?

Crispin Porter + Bogusky's 2004 Subservient Chicken site, where a man in a chicken suit obeyed typed commands, pushed Burger King's TenderCrisp chicken sandwich under the line 'Get chicken just the way you like it.'

Which fast-food founder sold his chain for $2 million in 1964 and stayed its public face?

Colonel Sanders, then 73, sold Kentucky Fried Chicken to investors led by John Y. Brown Jr. and Jack Massey, then spent his later years attacking the new owners' food, calling their gravy 'slop'.

Which Dunkin' Donuts character got up before dawn saying 'Time to make the donuts'?

Fred the Baker, played by Michael Vale, shuffled off each morning muttering 'Time to make the donuts'; when Dunkin' retired him in 1997, it threw a parade in Boston and gave away free donuts for a day.

Mr. Whipple scolded shoppers for squeezing which product?

Charmin was the toilet paper Dick Wilson's fussy grocer Mr. Whipple begged shoppers not to squeeze in more than 500 commercials, while sneaking a squeeze himself when he thought no one was looking.

Madge the manicurist soaked customers' fingers in which dish soap?

Palmolive was the dish liquid Jan Miner's Madge the manicurist secretly used on her clients, telling them 'You're soaking in it' to prove that it softened hands while it did the dishes.

What is Snap, of Snap, Crackle and Pop, usually wearing?

A chef's toque is Snap's usual hat, while Crackle gets the sleeping cap and Pop the shako; the trio started out as big-nosed elderly gnomes before being redrawn with younger faces.

Which illustrator designed Snap, Crackle and Pop in the early 1930s?

Illustrator Vernon Grant drew the gnome-like trio after hearing a 1932 Rice Krispies radio jingle; Snap appeared alone on boxes in 1933, with Crackle and Pop joining by 1941.

Kids voted to let which cereal mascot eat his breakfast?

The Trix Rabbit won the 'Let the Rabbit Eat Trix' box-top vote by a landslide and was shown enjoying a bowl, a rare break from the rule 'Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!'

What was the first cereal to include marshmallows?

Lucky Charms, launched by General Mills in 1964, was the first cereal with marshmallow bits; developer John Holahan got the idea chopping Brach's circus peanuts into Cheerios.

Cap'n Crunch's ship is called what?

The Guppy carries Cap'n Crunch, his dog first mate Seadog and a crew of kids, and is forever being attacked by Jean LaFoote, the Barefoot Pirate, who wants its cargo of cereal.

In 2013, reporters noticed that Cap'n Crunch's three sleeve stripes actually match which US Navy rank?

Commander: three gold sleeve stripes mark a US Navy commander, one short of a captain's four. When the mismatch made headlines in 2013, one newspaper joked that the Navy had no record of him.

Sonny the Cuckoo Bird goes cuckoo for which cereal?

Cocoa Puffs send Sonny the Cuckoo Bird 'cuckoo': he tries to resist, fails, and usually wrecks wherever he is standing. His name is left over from early ads that paired him with his grandfather, Gramps.

Which two monster cereals launched together in March 1971?

Count Chocula and Franken Berry arrived together in March 1971, with Boo Berry following later. Franken Berry's red dye soon turned some children's stool pink, a harmless scare doctors nicknamed 'Franken Berry stool'.

Toucan Sam tells kids to 'follow your nose' to which cereal?

Froot Loops has been Toucan Sam's cereal since 1963; in his earliest ads he spoke Pig Latin, calling it 'Oot-fray Oops-lay', before he was given the British accent he is known for.

Morris the Cat, 'the world's most finicky cat', sells which brand?

Morris, 'the world's most finicky cat', has fronted 9Lives since 1969; the original orange tabby was found at a Hinsdale, Illinois shelter in 1968 by trainer Bob Martwick.

Which voice actor played the Frito Bandito, retired in 1971 after protests?

Mel Blanc gave the Frito Bandito an accent like his Speedy Gonzales. Under pressure from Mexican-American groups, Frito-Lay first removed the bandit's gold tooth and stubble, then dropped him altogether in 1971.

Which brand's 1944 calypso jingle featured a singing, dancing banana?

Chiquita's 1944 jingle was really a lesson: its animated banana, the work of Hägar the Horrible cartoonist Dik Browne, sang about when bananas were ripe enough to eat and how to store them.

In Oscar Mayer's 1973 commercial, a small boy fishing on a dock sings that which lunch meat 'has a first name'?

Bologna's 'first name' jingle followed Oscar Mayer's Wiener song, which Richard Trentlage wrote in under a day to beat a contest deadline and recorded at home with his own children singing.

In 2023, Oscar Mayer briefly renamed its Wienermobile as what?

The Frankmobile name, adopted in May 2023 to push Oscar Mayer's all-beef franks, lasted about four months before the Wienermobile returned; Carl Mayer, Oscar's nephew, had built the first one in 1936.

Which three words open Kit Kat's 1986 TV jingle?

'Gimme a break' was written to lose: composer Michael A. Levine says he sketched it on an elevator ride as the agency's throwaway second option, yet test audiences preferred it to the polished campaign.

Which brand's US commercials are made by Hershey under licence, not by its owner Nestlé?

Kit Kat is made and advertised in the US by Hershey under a licence from Rowntree, the bar's British creator; Nestlé took over the brand everywhere else when it bought Rowntree in 1988.

Which future pop star wrote State Farm's 'Like a good neighbor' jingle in 1971?

Barry Manilow wrote 'Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there' as a jobbing jingle writer for a flat $500 and no residuals; State Farm went on airing it for more than 40 years.

What does the original Jake from State Farm say he is wearing when a suspicious wife takes the phone?

Asked 'What are you wearing, Jake from State Farm?', the original Jake, real employee Jake Stone, replied 'Uh, khakis' in the 2011 ad; Kevin Miles took over the role in 2020.

Which State Farm ad family had NBA players Chris Paul as dad and DeAndre Jordan as mom?

'The Hoopers' (2015) cast Chris Paul as dad and DeAndre Jordan as mom, with Kevin Love as the son, Kevin Garnett the grandfather and Damian Lillard the baby.

Which actress plays Flo, the Progressive Insurance saleswoman?

Stephanie Courtney, a Groundlings alumna, has played Progressive's Flo since 2008 and says the upbeat store clerk could be one of her improv characters; the retro hair and make-up take about two hours to put on.

Which insurer's jingle did Peyton Manning start humming in ads from 2014?

Nationwide's jingle trails Peyton Manning through the ads as he hums his own lines to its tune, such as 'Chicken parm, you taste so good'; fans took to singing the jingle back to him.

Which Frasier star was an early voice of the GEICO Gecko?

Kelsey Grammer voiced the Gecko in his early ads, before Jake Wood made the part his own; the lizard later moonlighted as 'spokescreature' for a touring gecko exhibit at zoos and aquariums.

Which GEICO character cried 'Wee wee wee' all the way home?

Maxwell the Pig squealed 'Wee wee wee' from a car all the way home, a riff on the 'This Little Piggy' rhyme, and later got his own run of ads promoting GEICO's app.

Liberty Mutual's LiMu Emu is accompanied by a human partner named what?

Doug, played by David Hoffman, has partnered LiMu since the ads began in 2019; the bird itself is a real emu helped out by computer animation.

Which insurer's 'good hands' slogan grew out of a child's illness?

Allstate sales chief Davis Ellis coined 'You're in good hands' in 1950, recalling the reassurance his family had felt about the doctor caring for his sick daughter.

Who played Dos Equis's Most Interesting Man in the World from 2006 to 2016?

Jonathan Goldsmith played him from 2006 to 2016, basing the voice on his late friend and sailing partner Fernando Lamas; Augustin Legrand took over in 2016.

How was the original Most Interesting Man written out in 2016?

He took a one-way trip to Mars: Dos Equis's 2016 farewell ad sent the character off into space as the narrator declared that his only regret was not knowing what regret feels like.

Old Spice's 'The Man Your Man Could Smell Like' starred whom?

Isaiah Mustafa, a former NFL practice-squad receiver, starred in Wieden+Kennedy's 2010 spot, which spoke to women because they so often choose the body wash the men in their homes use.

What is the Old Spice man riding at the end of his famous 2010 monologue?

A horse: the single-take monologue ends with 'I'm on a horse', a switch pulled off by rolling the actor on a hidden cart from the boat set onto the animal's back.

Cadbury's 2007 'Gorilla' ad has a gorilla drumming along to which song?

Phil Collins' 'In the Air Tonight' got a second life from Fallon London's 90-second spot: after the gorilla drummed its famous fill, the 1981 song climbed back to No. 14 on the UK singles chart.

Who created the Marlboro Man in 1954?

Leo Burnett's Chicago agency created the Marlboro Man in 1954 to make filtered cigarettes, then seen as feminine, appeal to men; sales rose sharply within a year.

Before the cowboy, Marlboro was sold to women under which slogan?

'Mild as May' sold Marlboro as a women's cigarette, complete with a red band around the tip to hide lipstick marks, until the 1950s cowboy campaign remade it as a men's brand.

A 1991 JAMA study found six-year-olds recognised Joe Camel as readily as which TV logo?

The Disney Channel's logo and Joe Camel were each matched by about nine in ten six-year-olds in the study; with regulators reopening their case against the ads, R.J. Reynolds dropped Joe in 1997.

Elsie the Cow was created in 1936 as the mascot of which dairy company?

Borden introduced Elsie the Cow in 1936 ads and picked a live Elsie at the 1939 New York World's Fair; her cartoon mate, Elmer the Bull, went on to become the face of Elmer's Glue.

Who drew the original Mr. Peanut for a 1916 contest?

A schoolboy, Antonio Gentile, won Planters' 1916 contest and five dollars with his peanut-man sketch; founder Amedeo Obici later paid his way through college and medical school.

After Planters 'killed off' Mr. Peanut in a 2020 Super Bowl campaign, which character took his place?

Baby Nut grew out of the soil at Mr. Peanut's televised funeral, after a teaser had shown the mascot letting go of a branch and falling to his death to save actors Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh.

How many licks did Mr. Owl manage before biting the Tootsie Pop in the 1970 ad?

Mr. Owl bit after only three licks; the cow, fox and turtle had all passed the question along, and Paul Winchell voiced the owl.

Which remedy's jingle went 'Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is'?

Alka-Seltzer's 'Plop, plop, fizz, fizz' jingle was composed by Tom Dawes, once of the band The Cyrkle; the brand's earlier mascot, Speedy, was named to fit a 'Speedy Relief' sales theme.

The 'Got Milk?' campaign launched in 1993 with an ad about which historical figure?

The 1993 'Aaron Burr' spot, directed by Michael Bay for the California Milk Processor Board, had a history buff too peanut-buttered to answer who shot Alexander Hamilton.

Which fabric softener has been pitched since the 1980s by a talking teddy bear puppet?

Snuggle's bear puppet was built by Kermit Love, who also helped create Big Bird; despite the rumour, Kermit the Frog was not named after him, since Jim Henson made the frog before the two men met.

Which mascot was created in 1974 for a French campaign, then redesigned for America in 1988?

Joe Camel was created by British artist Nicholas Price for a 1974 French campaign and Americanised in 1988; R.J. Reynolds retired him in 1997 after years of complaints that the cartoon appealed to kids.

Which gum brand began advertising with identical twins in the 1930s?

Doublemint leaned on the 'double' in its name: from the 1930s its ads paired up twins and doubled images, and real twin sisters later fronted its television spots.

Which candy promised to melt 'in your mouth, not in your hand'?

M&M's were sold only to the US military during World War II, because the hard sugar shell let soldiers carry chocolate in hot climates without it melting.

Which US network's three-note chimes became the first purely audio service mark, in 1950?

NBC's chimes, used since the late 1920s to cue station breaks, were registered with the US Patent Office in 1950 as the first service mark consisting only of sound.

Which tech company's five-note 'bong' has closed countless computer commercials?

Intel's bong came out of composer Walter Werzowa's home studio: stuck for ideas, he tried singing the slogan, and the four notes after the opening tone follow the syllables of 'In-tel In-side'.

Kars4Kids, of the notoriously catchy jingle, is based in which state?

Kars4Kids is a car-donation charity based in Lakewood, New Jersey, whose proceeds largely fund Oorah, an Orthodox Jewish outreach group.

Toys 'R' Us began in 1948 selling what?

Children's furniture, mainly cribs and strollers, was what Charles Lazarus sold when he opened in Washington, DC in 1948; his customers' appetite for toys led him to open the first Toys 'R' Us in 1957.

Which toy sold its first 400 units in 90 minutes after a demonstration at Gimbels in Philadelphia in 1945?

Slinky sat unsold on the Gimbels counter until Richard James demonstrated it walking down a ramp; the 400 he and his wife Betty had made were gone in 90 minutes, at a dollar apiece.

Which candy pair's jingle went 'Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't'?

Peter Paul's 1970s jingle for Almond Joy and Mounds ran 'Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't', because Almond Joy has almonds on top and Mounds does not.

Which beer's ads had sports stars arguing 'Tastes great!' against 'Less filling!'?

Miller Lite used macho sports stars to sell a reduced-calorie beer to male drinkers; the recipe itself came from Meister Brau Lite, a 1967 Chicago beer that Miller bought and renamed.

Which word replaced 'forest fires' in Smokey Bear's famous slogan in April 2001?

'Only You Can Prevent Wildfires' followed fires in grasslands and other non-forest areas; the campaign, begun in 1944, is the longest-running PSA in US history.

Which infomercial pitchman hawked his own ShamWow towel, Slap Chop and Schticky lint roller?

Vince Offer learned to pitch by selling vegetable choppers at swap meets, and used those earnings to buy the late-night infomercials that sold his 1999 film, The Underground Comedy Movie.

Which fast-food founder appeared in more than 800 commercials for the burger chain he named after his daughter?

Dave Thomas later regretted naming Wendy's after his young daughter Melinda Lou, saying it put a lot of pressure on her.

Which Golden Girls star played American football alongside Abe Vigoda in Snickers' 2010 Super Bowl commercial?

Betty White hosted Saturday Night Live that May, aged 88, after a Facebook campaign asking for it drew nearly half a million members.

In Volkswagen's 2011 Super Bowl ad 'The Force', a small boy tries to start a washing machine dressed as which villain?

Darth Vader's powers finally seem to work on the family car, which the boy's father secretly starts by remote control. The story is told without a word of dialogue.

Which cereal does hard-to-please four-year-old Mikey happily eat in an ad campaign that began in 1972?

Life kept the ad on air for 14 years, one of the longest runs of any TV commercial. Mikey's brothers push the bowl to him because he supposedly hates everything.

Which sports drink's 1991 commercial set clips of Michael Jordan to a song about wishing to be 'like Mike'?

Gatorade's ad man wanted 'I Wanna Be Like You' from Disney's The Jungle Book, could not get the rights, and wrote his own lyrics instead.

Which appliance brand's lonely repairman, played by Jesse White from 1967, has nothing to fix all day?

Maytag gave its idle repairman a companion in the 1980s: Newton, a basset hound named after the company's home town in Iowa.

Which restaurant chain's baby back ribs jingle is sung by a villain in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me?

Chili's jingle was written by Guy Bommarito for a Texas ad agency, and a 1996 version was sung a cappella by the vocal group Take 6.

Which phone carrier's horn-rimmed 'Test Man' spent 2002 to 2011 asking callers whether they could hear him now?

Verizon dropped its Test Man in 2011, and from 2016 actor Paul Marcarelli made commercials for rival Sprint about his switch.

Which brand's 1975 jingle, with music by Barry Manilow, is about a product that sticks to the singer?

Band-Aid was invented in 1920 by Johnson & Johnson employee Earle Dickson for his wife Josephine, who kept cutting and burning herself while cooking.

Which tuna brand keeps rejecting Charlie, a beret-wearing cartoon fish who believes his good taste makes him a catch?

StarKist's announcer always turns him down: the brand wants tuna that tastes good, not tuna with good taste.

Which company's slogan about a diamond lasting forever was coined by copywriter Frances Gerety in 1947?

De Beers saw its line named the best advertising slogan of the 20th century by Advertising Age magazine.

Which company's traveler's cheques did actor Karl Malden warn TV viewers not to leave home without?

American Express kept Malden as the face of its traveler's cheques long after the 1970s: his last television ad for the company aired in 1994.

Which soft drink did David Naughton sing and dance for before starring in An American Werewolf in London?

Dr Pepper's commercials made Naughton popular enough to be cast as the star of the sitcom Makin' It, whose theme song he took into the US top five.

Which soft drink sold itself as the opposite of a cola in ads where Geoffrey Holder held up cola nuts?

Seven Up later turned the red dot in its logo into a mascot called Spot, who starred in the 1993 video game Cool Spot.

Which rock singer's song 'Like a Rock' was the soundtrack of Chevrolet truck commercials from 1991 until 2004?

Bob Seger was the second choice: Chevrolet first asked for Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the U.S.A.' and was turned down.

Which Rolling Stones single did Microsoft pay about $3 million to use in its launch campaign for Windows 95?

Start Me Up was a nod to the Start button that Windows 95 introduced. The Rolling Stones had long been known for refusing to let their songs sell products.

Which actor from Oz and 30 Rock was introduced in 2010 as 'Mayhem' in Allstate's insurance commercials?

Dean Winters, who played Dennis Duffy on 30 Rock, was joined in the Mayhem ads in 2019 by his co-star Tina Fey.

Which dot-com's sock puppet mascot starred in a 2000 Super Bowl ad months before the company shut down?

Pets.com paid $1.2 million for the spot and was out of business that November. Its puppet was even interviewed by People magazine.

Which Super Bowl-winning quarterback wore Beautymist pantyhose in one ad and was shaved by Farrah Fawcett in another?

Joe Namath made the shaving-cream ad when Fawcett was still unknown. His commercials helped turn 'Broadway Joe' into a pop-culture icon.

Which president's campaign aired the 'Daisy' ad, in which a small girl counting petals gives way to a nuclear countdown?

Lyndon Johnson's campaign aired it only once, yet it is counted among the biggest factors in his landslide win over Barry Goldwater.

The last cigarette ad on US television aired at 11:59 pm, just before a federal ban, during which late-night program?

The Tonight Show ran the Virginia Slims spot in the last legal minute. The ban began on 2 January so the New Year's Day bowl games could keep their cigarette ads.

Iron Eyes Cody, the 'Crying Indian' of 1970s anti-litter ads, was in fact the son of immigrants from which country?

Italy was the homeland of both his parents. He was born Espera Oscar de Corti in Louisiana, wore his costumes off screen and denied the story when a newspaper broke it.

Which padlock maker's 1974 Super Bowl commercial showed its product holding firm after being shot by a sharpshooter?

Master Lock repeated the stunt at later Super Bowls, spending almost its entire annual marketing budget on that single commercial.

Which rapper drove a Chrysler 200 to Detroit's Fox Theatre in a two-minute commercial during Super Bowl XLV?

Eminem ends the ad on stage with the Selected of God choir, after a drive through Detroit set to an instrumental of his song Lose Yourself.

Which fast-food chain's ads feature Holstein cows holding misspelled signs urging people to eat chicken instead of beef?

Chick-fil-A paused the cow campaign in January 2004 during a mad cow disease scare, so as not to seem to be cashing in on it.

Which antacid brand, whose ads spelled relief with its own name, sponsored baseball's Relief Man of the Year Award?

Rolaids had people in its ads spell relief using the letters of its own name. The pun fitted the top relief pitcher award, which it sponsored from 1976 to 2012.

Which actor replaced John Goodman as the voice of the yellow M&M in 1996 and later fronted Farmers Insurance ads?

J. K. Simmons appears in the insurance ads as Professor Nathaniel Burke of the 'University of Farmers', a role he took on in 2010.

Which company's Super Bowl commercial introduced Brother Dominic, a monk spared decades of copying manuscripts by hand?

Xerox feared the ad would be called blasphemous, so it was screened for the Archbishop of New York, who was amused and gave it his blessing.

Which boxed side dish, based on an Armenian pilaf recipe, has long been advertised as a San Francisco speciality?

Rice-A-Roni came from San Francisco's DeDomenico family, pasta makers who in 1958 boxed a family dinner dish of rice and macaroni with dry chicken soup mix.

Which toy became the first ever advertised on television in 1952, in a campaign aimed at children rather than parents?

Mr. Potato Head was sold as loose plastic parts to pin onto a real potato. Hasbro added a plastic body later, after complaints about rotting vegetables.

Which watch brand hired newsman John Cameron Swayze in 1956 to put its watches through torture tests on live TV?

Timex once lost a watch on air when Swayze strapped it to an outboard motor's propeller. He ad-libbed that it was probably on the bottom of the tank, still ticking.

Which future US president hosted General Electric Theater from 1954 and toured the company's plants as a speaker?

Ronald Reagan's contract sent him to 135 GE plants and labs as a motivational speaker, where he met more than 250,000 people.

Juan Valdez, a fictional farmer shown in ads since 1958 with his mule Conchita, promotes coffee from which country?

Colombia's coffee growers wanted drinkers to tell their beans from blends, so an American ad agency invented Valdez, who was first played by a Cuban actor.

Which 1952 presidential candidate answered ordinary citizens' questions in forty 20-second television spots?

Dwight Eisenhower filmed all his answers in one day. The 'ordinary' questioners were visitors to Radio City Music Hall, filmed gazing up at him.

Which singer of the jingle 'See the USA in Your Chevrolet' ended each of her 1950s variety shows by throwing a kiss?

Dinah Shore was so tied to her sponsor that she once introduced guest Tennessee Ernie Ford, tongue in cheek, with the carmaker's name in place of his surname.

Which cigarette brand's 1954 slogan irked grammarians by using the word like where they wanted as?

Winston answered the grammarians in 1970 with a new slogan that asked smokers whether they wanted good grammar or good taste.

Which cigarette brand, announced by a bellboy's shouted 'call', sponsored I Love Lucy from its 1951 debut?

Philip Morris found its bellboy, Johnny Roventini, working at the New Yorker Hotel in 1933. As sponsor it insisted that the sitcom air every week.

Which hair-color brand's 1956 campaign teased that only the hairdresser knows for sure whether a woman uses it?

Clairol's teasing question came from junior copywriter Shirley Polykoff, whose future mother-in-law had once asked the same thing about her hair.

Which actress became the face of Westinghouse appliances with live commercials during Studio One in the 1950s?

Betty Furness is often blamed for a famous live blooper, a refrigerator door that refused to open, but her stand-in June Graham was the one at the handle.

Which Motown hit did the claymation California Raisins sing in their 1980s commercials?

I Heard It Through the Grapevine was the whole joke: a copywriter said the agency had tried everything but dancing raisins singing it. Buddy Miles sang lead.

Which 1980s TV character became the global spokesman for New Coke?

Max Headroom was really actor Matt Frewer in prosthetic make-up and a moulded plastic suit, sitting in front of a blue screen.

Which two-sport star fails at playing guitar beside a blues legend in a 1989 Nike cross-training commercial?

Bo Jackson's ad first aired in the break right after he hit a lead-off home run in the 1989 All-Star Game. Blues legend Bo Diddley delivers the punchline.

Which pizza chain's 1980s ads warned customers about the Noid, a villain in a rabbit-like mask and red bodysuit?

Domino's villain spawned a 1989 computer game, Avoid the Noid, in which the player has half an hour to deliver a pizza through a building full of Noids.

Which mustard does a Rolls-Royce passenger politely request from the car alongside in a commercial first shown in 1981?

Grey Poupon's ad set out to show that the finer things, like white wine mustard, need not cost much. Wayne's World parodied it in 1992.

Which cable channel's 1982 campaign had Mick Jagger and David Bowie urging viewers to call and demand it?

MTV adapted its line from a 1950s cereal commercial, and Sting later sang it on the Dire Straits hit Money for Nothing.

Which Beatles song became the band's first recording licensed for a TV commercial when Nike used it in 1987?

Revolution cost Nike $500,000 for a year's use, and the commercial prompted a lawsuit from the surviving Beatles.

Which standard did Mac Tonight, the moon-headed piano crooner of 1980s McDonald's ads, turn into a dinner jingle?

Mack the Knife was dropped in 1989 after the son of singer Bobby Darin, who made the song famous in America, sued the chain.

Which delivery company's 1981 commercial starred John Moschitta as a fast-talking executive called Jim Spleen?

Federal Express, as FedEx was then known, found Moschitta after he rattled off a song from The Music Man on the TV show That's Incredible!

Which snack maker's commercials show elves led by Ernie baking cookies inside the Hollow Tree?

Keebler's elves arrived in 1968, and the cast grew to include Ma Keebler, Fast Eddie the wrapper and Buckets, who threw fudge on the cookies.

Which budget lodging chain hired Alaskan builder Tom Bodett in 1986 to voice ads promising to keep a light on?

Motel 6 got its famous sign-off by accident: Bodett ad-libbed the line, after an ad agency creative director heard him on public radio.