Three of the Creepiest Commercials from the Last Few Decades

One of my passions is archival data because it reveals a lot about society from years before we were born. The Internet Archive is one of my daily stops while online. While there, I discover a world completely different than the one to which I have grown accustomed. While I could not link the creepy commercials I found there to an article here, I found many of the same ones on YouTube.

Did you know in the 1960's The Flintstones, that is right, Fred and Wilma, well; really Barney Rubble enjoyed and encouraged people to buy cigarettes? I am a child of the 1980's so I remember The Flintstones as being geared toward children. Apparently it was initially geared toward adults in much the same manner The Simpsons is today. Have a look at Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble enjoying their Winston cigarettes because "Winstons taste good like a (click, click) cigarette should." Creepy is the one word I can think of in imagining my beloved childhood characters pushing cigarettes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAExoSozc2c

The next commercial is not for those who are afraid of clowns. Willard Scott (who was also involved in The Today Show) invented the idea of Ronald McDonald and played the character in the earliest commercials. The early Ronald McDonald was creepier looking than the well known clown of today. He had a food tray for a hat, a cup for a nose, and was simply a very creepy looking primitive Ronald. Have a look at the first Ronald McDonald version, if you are brave enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIuXv7Y8QA4

I do not remember encountering the following creepy commercial as a child because the product was banned in the United States. Kinder Surprise is a company that makes chocolate eggs and places a small toy inside the egg. Laws prohibiting the embedding of non-nutritive items in foods such as candy were passed in 1938 in the United States. In spite of this fact and a 1997 recall, some places in the US continue to sell genuine Kinder eggs. The character Kinder uses to sell the eggs resembles a creepy Humpty-Dumpty and does not speak a word of sense. If you can understand what he says, please email me or leave it in the comments because it sounds like jibber. This character frightened my 6 year old and 4 ½ year old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9MgA9kcw9I&feature=related

Obviously there are more creepy commercials out there than the three listed. These are the three main commercials I encountered that gave me pause to think about how much society has changed from past decades. Cigarettes are no longer advertised on television, Ronald McDonald the clown has evolved to being slightly creepy instead of run from him crazy creepy, and I have no remarks on Kinder as I picked up this creepy commercial while visiting YouTube.