published By Christine Lorraine, Jan. 9, 2010~originally written in 1996
The author poses on the set of the TV station where she worked in the early 2000s.
A few short decades ago there were only three commercial TV networks to captivate us and dazzle our senses with jingles and slogans.
In TV’s early days, sponsors purchased half-hour and one-hour blocks of time, then presented the show with their commercials embedded into the program. In its true original format, for example, the horse character “Mr. Ed” endorsed Studebakers, and Wilbur even drove one during the show’s “commercial” breaks.
Is it any wonder that so many baby boomers have a vast array of advertising jingles and once-familiar slogans rattling around in their age-defying minds?
Give a gander to this jingle and slogan quiz from the past, and see how many long-forgotten blanks you can fill in. The number in parenthesis at the end of each line specifies the correct number of words. The dashes in answer fields represent the total number of letters.
If you want to play along, keep track of your answers and don’t peek ahead – The answers are below the questions, there’s a grading guide beneath the answers.
1. The chicken has a certain _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (1)
2. Every _ _ _ _ tastes as good as the first (1)
3. Have it _ _ _ _ way (1)
4. You deserve a _ _ _ _ _ today (1)
5. When it says _ _ _ _ _ ‘ _ , _ _ _ _ _ ‘ _ , _ _ _ _ _ ‘ _ on the label label label, you will like it like it like it on your table table table (3)
6. Everything’s better with _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ on it (2)
7. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , a little dab’ll do ya (1)
8. A _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ a day helps keep odors away, have you had your _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ today? (2)
9. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , the champagne of bottled beers. Sparkling, flavorful, distinctive (3)
10. Wouldn’t you like to be a _ _ _ _ _ _ too? (1)
11. If you think it’s butter, but it’s not, it’s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (1)
12. Ring around the _ _ _ _ _ _ (1)
13. It’s _ _ _ _ _ ‘_ _ _ _ _ , and I helped (3)
14. Knock on any _ _ _ _ _ (1)
15. Lemon _ _ _ _ _ _ very pretty (1)
16. Aye, yi yi yi, I am the _ _ _ _ _ bandito (1)
17. His _ _ _ _ _ is knocked off! (1)
18. Open wide for _ _ _ _ _ _ (1)
19. Mr. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ mess (1)
20. Melts in your _ _ _ _ _ , not in your _ _ _ _ _ (2)
21. Pop pop _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (2)
22. Let go my _ _ _ _ (1)
23. I want my _ _ _ _ _ (1)
24. They’re _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ delicious (1)
25. They’re baked in _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (2)
26. It’s not nice to fool _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (2)
27. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Oh what a relief it is (4)
28. I can’t believe I ate the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (2)
29. Hey big spender, spend a little _ _ _ _ with me (1)
30. Cigars, cigarettes, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (1)
31. My dog’s bigger cuz he eats _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , my dog’s bigger than yours (1)
32. Oh I wish I was an _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (3)
33. My baloney has a first name, it’s _ – _ – _ – _ – _ (1)
34. Where’s the _ _ _ _? (1)
35. Let _ _ _ _ _ put you in the driver’s seat today (1)
36. You can trust your car to the man who wears the star, the big, bright _ _ _ _ _ _ star (1)
37. The hit of the day when your ready to play, everyone knows it’s _ _ _ _ _ _ (1)
38. Weekends were made for _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (1)
39. Is it true _ _ _ _ _ _ have more fun? (1)
40. Only her _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ knows for sure (1)
41. Brush your breath, brush your breath, brush your breath with _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (1)
42. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ consumes 47 times its weight in excess stomach acid (1)
43. In the valley of the _ _ _ _ _ (ho ho ho) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (3)
44. Good to the last _ _ _ _ (1)
45. Fill it to the rim with the rich taste of _ _ _ _ (1)
46. Have a _ _ _ _ , have a _ _ _ _ , have a _ _ _ _ today (3)
47. When you say _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , you’ve said it all (1)
48. A day without _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is like a day without sunshine (2)
49. I’d like to give the world a _ _ _ _ and keep it company (1)
50. It’s the _ _ _ _ _ generation (1)
51. _ _ _ _ -A- _ _ _ _ , the San Francisco treat (2)
52. Is it live or is it _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ? (1)
53. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ leads the way (1)
54. You’ve come a long way baby, to get where you got to today, you’ve got your own
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ now baby, you’ve come a long, long way (1)
3. your – Burger King
4. break – McDonald’s
5. Libby’s Libby’s Libby’s
6. Blue Bonnet
7. Brylcream
8. sprinkle – sprinkle
9. Miller High Life
10. Pepper – Dr. Pepper
11. Chiffon
12. collar – All
13. Shake ‘n Bake
14. Norge
15. Pledge
16. Frito
17. block – Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots
18. Chunky
19. chocolate – M & Ms
20. mouth – hands – M & Ms
21. Tootsie Pop
22. Eggo
23. Maypo
24. magically – Keebler
25. Magic Ovens (by elves) – Keebler
26. Mother Nature
27. plop, plop, fizz, fizz – Alka Seltzer
28. whole thing – Alka Seltzer
29. dime – Muriel Cigars
30. Tiparillos
31. KennelRation
32. Oscar Mayer weiner
33. O – S – C – A – R ~ Oscar Mayer
34. beef – Wendy’s
35. Hertz (driver was lowered into the car, which was sitting in front of a screen)
36. Texaco
37. Slinky
38. Michelob
39. blonds
40. hairdresser
41. Dentyne
42. Rolaids
43. Jolly Green Giant
44. drop (especially when it’s endorsed by the Wicked Witch of the West) – Maxwell House
45. Brim
46. Lark, Lark, Lark
47. Budweiser
48. orange juice
49. Coke
50. Pepsi
51. Rice A Roni
52. Memorex
53. Lincoln-Mercury
54. cigarette – Virginia Slims
Check out your knowledge level with this rating guide:
1-10 correct – There’s a relatively good chance that you might be a little young to remember these over-played commercials. If you can remember watching cable as a child, then this quiz doesn’t directly apply to you. If you are over 50 and you scored 1-10 correct, your parents may have sent you to bed too early. Or maybe you just napped right through TV’s commercial golden age.
11-20 correct – Your memory level of TV jingles is pretty good. You probably recall the more well-known slogans, and perhaps some of these musical jingles own a corner of your deepest memory center.
21-30 correct – You’re right on the money because you’re able to recall around half of these masterpiece ditties. Your attention was somewhat focused on the tube, and your expanded brain holds a reasonable mound of residual recollections. Good work.
31-40 correct – Wow. You really zoomed in when the commercials aired back in “the day.” Your tender, young mind systematically absorbed a good bit of what you saw and heard as a child. This sponge-like mental attribute has probably carried you far in life, and knowing all these jingles probably helped you gain success.
41-54 correct – You are a nostalgic TV jingle and slogan mastermind. Your knowledge and memory from TVs earlier days is immensely impressive, and your ability to recall details throughout your illustrious life has probably helped you win an argument or two. Stay tuned and focused, and utilize your slogan-laden memories to win trivia challenges and score highly on quizzes like these.
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