Did you play tag on the Boston Store elevators as a child? Did someone you know belong to “Grant’s Record Club” because after the “purchase of 12 Pop records” they got the next one for free? Dip your local trivia toe into this snazzy quiz about jingles and slogans that have rattled around Erie, PA over the years. It’ll be as refreshing as a swim at Stone Jetty Beach on a 90-degree day. So wade on in, crack open your local brain files, and expERIEnce this Erie-iffic quiz.
Grab your pencil and jot down your answers so you can calculate your score, then match it to the guide located below the answers.
The +5 questions were added to this quiz on Feb. 27, 2020, which was originally published in 2017.
Note: The number of dashes indicates the number of letters in each answer
Q U E S T I O N S
1. Jingle: “You’ve tried the rest now try the best, _ _ _ _ and _ _ _ _ _ Tire” (1980s-90s)
2. Slogan: “Good prices, good service and no _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .” (1980s)
3. Jingle: “School bells ring and children sing it’s back
to _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ‘ s again. Mother knows for all their clothes it’s back
to _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _’ s again.” (1960s)
4. Jingle: “When the hungries hit, when the hungries hit,
hit the _ _ _ _ _ _ _.” (1960s-70s)
5. Jingle: “We put the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in Koehler Beer” (1970s)
6. Jingle: “_ _ _ _ ‘s is the low-cost living, anti-inflation department store.” (1970s-80s)
7. Jingle: “Get on Board _ _ _ _ ” (1990s – 2000s)
8. Jingle: ” _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for the fun of it, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for the fun of it,
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for the fun of it, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for the fun of it.” (70s-80s)
9. Slogan: “One of the many _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , do you have all of them?” (1950s)
10. Jingle: “Love that _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ” (1970s-80s)
11. Slogan: “Loblaws – Your _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ supermarket!” (1970s)
12. Slogan – Edgar Snyder: “There’s never a _ _ _ unless we get money
for you .” (1990s-ongoing)
13. Jingle: “_ _ _ _ Moble Homes, _ _ _ _ Mobile Homes…” holiday song repeated to the melody of “Carol of the Bells”
14. Slogan: “We want to be your _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . ” (ongoing)
15. Jingle: “We give a little more, take a little less,
at _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Buick Chevrolet.” (1990s-2000s)
16. Slogan: “Look for our great big _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ sign” Hint: the answer is a musical instrument in this ad for Osiecki Brothers Music Center, 22nd and Parade Sts., Erie (1950s)
17. Slogan: retail store “Meet me at money-saving _ _ _ _ _ _ . ” (1960s)
18. Slogan: Erie County Fieldhouse “Home of the Erie _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ team” (1970s-early 1980s)
19. Slogan: “_ _ _ _ _ _’s Choice” – advertisted by S. S. Kresge Co. at 9th & State in Erie (1950s)
20. Jingle: “You can trust your _ _ _ to the man who wears the _ _ _ _ ” (1950s-60s)
+1. Slogan: “Get out and _ _ _ _ ” (2000s)
+2. Slogan: “Herb Rubenfield, the king of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .” (1980s-2000s)
+3. Jingle: “Call – – – – – – – , Erie Insurance Exchange.” (1960s)
+4. Jingle: “You deserve the very best, _ _ _ _ _ _ _’_ Auto Group.” (2000s-now)
+5. Theme song: “Tick tock tick tock, listen to the happy clock, tick tock tick tock, it’s time for _ _ _. ” (1960s WJET-TV)
A N S W E R S
1. Ross/Copus. “You’ve tried the rest now try the best, Ross and Copus Tire,” was a frequently played jingle for a local business fixture that started in 1958.
2. Baloney – “Good prices, good service and no baloney,” was one of the most recognizable slogans of the 1970s and 1980s. It was stated emphatically in TV commercials by Dave Hallman himself.
3. Robert Hall’s. “School bells ring and children sing it’s back to Robert Hall’s again. Mother knows for all their clothes it’s back to Robert Halls again.” Robert Hall’s was a clothing store located at 420 E. 26th St., Erie in the ’50s and ’60s.
4. Hungries, Hungries/Red Barn. “When the hungries hit, when the hungries hit, hit the Red Barn.” This chain competed against McDonald’s locally back when the fast food market was in its infancy. Most folks who lived in Erie, PA in the 1960s and 1970s can recall these unique barn-shaped restaurants, which offered the notorious “Big Barney” on its burger-oriented menu.
5. Dutch touch. “We put the Dutch Touch in Koehler Beer” was one of many catch phrases and jingles offered on tap by this colorful local brewery, which was headquartered at 21st & State Street.
6. Hill’s. “Hill’s is the low-cost living, anti-inflation department store.” Two locations, at 2323 W. 38th St. and 2711 Elm St., were both very popular shopping destinations in the 1970s and ’80s. A Wal-Mart now stands at the Elm Street site, and Agility is situated in the same W. 38th Street structure.
7. E. M. T. A. “Get on Board EMTA.” Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority featured this jingle on TV and radio in the late 1990s. It also utilized a personified bus mascot named “Hop On” at local ball games, in commercials and for promotional appearances.
8. Putt Putt. “Putt Putt for the fun of it, Putt Putt for the fun of it, Putt Putt for the fun of it, Putt Putt for the fun of it.” There were two Putt Putt locations in Erie, one on Buffalo Road and another on Peninsula Drive just south of W. 12th St.
9. Marx Toys. “One of the many Marx Toys, do you have all of them?” Louis Marx and Company was an American toy manufacturer from 1919 to 1978, and was among the best known toy companies into the 1950s. Its toys were typically imprinted with this slogan. Erie was one of three key plants, located near W. 18th and Cranberry Sts., others were in Girard on Route 20, and Glen Dale, WV.
10. Super Duper. “Love that Super Duper.” One location of this popular grocery store was housed in a building where the department store Millers was previously located on W. 26th St. near I-79. It is presently the home of Champion Ford.
11. Hometown. “Loblaws – Your hometown supermarket!” (see photo below of 1979 print ad). Loblaws was one of Erie’s first self-service groceterias. The first store at E. 6th & East Ave., shown in the 2nd photo below, was managed by the author’s grandfather, Charles G. Dunn.
12. Fee. “There’s never a fee unless we get money for you.” This Edgar Snyder slogan was sometimes accompanied with a pointing finger.
13. Star. “Star Mobile Homes” was sung to the catchy melody of “Carol of the Bells”
14. Plumber. “We want to be your plumber.” This H. Jack Langer tag line was preceded by, “No problem,” with a thumbs-up gesture.
15. Walker Brothers. “We give a little more, take a little less, at Walker Brothers Buick Chevrolet.”
This memorable musical jingle aired on local TV and radio stations for decades.
16. Accordion. “Look for our great big accordion sign.” Osiecki Brothers, which also had a Corry location, offered the following musical invitation: “learn to play the accordion or any other instrument without buying one.”
17. Mason’s. “Meet me at money-saving Mason’s.” Mason’s of Erie had two locations, 12th & Pittsburgh Avenue and Buffalo Road and Broad Street.
18. Erie Lions Hockey team. “Home of the Erie Lions Hockey team.” The fieldhouse also advertised, “year-round family entertainment,” a promise it lived up to from 1974 to 1983.
19. “Family’s choice.” This full-scale department store at the southwest corner of 9th & State offered a meatloaf dinner for 59 cents during the time it was promoting its “Family’s Choice” slogan. Kresges’ grand escalators delighted both shoppers and neighborhood children.
20. Car/Star. “You can trust your car to the man who wears the star,” …the big bright Texaco star. This jingle belonged to a sponsor of WICU’s weather forecast, as predicted by Vance McBryde.
Plus
+1. Play. “Get out and play” is a familiar tag line for Off Road Express commercials.
+2. Diamonds. “Herb Rubenfield, the king of Diamonds,” was the slogan for Fisher Jewelers, which was located at 1012 State Street for 55 years, from 1962 until 2017.
+3. 452-6831. “Call 452-6831, Erie Insurance Exchange,” was a memorable jingle that was played so frequently that there may still be a few folks who remember hearing it. A lot. (Note – Please DO NOT call this number as it is no longer connected with Erie Insurance.)
+4. Bonnell’s. “You deserve the very best, Bonnell’s Auto Group” is presently played on local media. Hat tip to this local business for understanding the relevance of utilizing a catchy jingle.
+5. Bob. “Tick tock tick tock, listen to the happy clock, tick tock tick tock, it’s time for Bob. Big hand is on the six, the little hand is on the four, that’s the time to open up the door.”
“Time For Bob” was a locally-originated children’s TV program that aired on WJET-TV in the 1960s. Its theme was so memorable that this author is still able to recall it. It might have been competing with WICU’s “The Pappy Show” for viewers and popularity.
S C O R I N G
15-25 correct – ErieExpert. Holy Wayne Blockhouse – your knowledge of Erie is eerie. You may have attended Emerson Elementary School or dined at York Steak House. It’s also possible that you bought fishing bait at Smitty’s back when it was still the Public Dock, and crunched on toast from Firch’s Bakery. Be sure to hold your head high next time you remember how much fun it was to bug State Street on a Saturday night and do the jitterbug at Rainbow Gardens when it was a popular dance hall.
9-14 correct – ErieOpolizer. Your knowledge of local historic details has probably earned you a ride or two on the Little Toot, and it’s entirely possible that you used to buy your clothes from Valu City. One of your prior memories might include a trip to the Planters Store in the Baldwin Building to buy a paper bag full of hot roasted peanuts, and you might have been late for work once or twice by being stopped by a train as it traveled down the center of W. 19th Street.
3-8 correct – ErieAdequator. Although you may have wished for a slightly higher score, your local knowledge is nothing to shake a Whippy Dip cone at. Even though it’s apparent you never snuck into the old grain elevators to play as a kid, you probably did have a cool mom-and-pop store in your neighborhood like Manendo’s or Dan’s Deli. There’s also a filmy chance you honked your horn waiting for the movie to start at the Star Drive-in or had your prescriptions filled at Eckerd Drugs.
0-2 correct – ErieStriver. You might want to brush up on your local knowledge by reading about Erie’s remarkable roots. Other techniques that could broaden your NWPA horizons include driving around Presque Isle once a day for a month, popping in at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center a few times, and wondering if your best friend jumped into the bay, would you follow? Even though the answer is “no,” most people who grew up here understand the relevance of that query as they were typically asked that question at least a hundred times during childhood.
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