On the heels of last week's infomercial post, I've been thinking about the little jingles and advertisements that float around in my brain. Maybe you were a kid during the 90s like me, or even a teen or adult already, you probably heard these constant advertisements for toys and kids' things. Even if you don't actively remember, the weird thing about jingles is that they immediately pop back into your brain.
Sort of like if I was to ask you to sing the lyrics to an old hit song. You probably couldn't do it on the spot. However, if I pressed play on the music, the lyrics would immediately come back to you, and you'd be able to sing right along.
The human brain is an amazing thing.
There are a ton of these little jingles from the 90s (and before). I picked 5 that stuck out in my brain that I repeatedly heard as a kid for this list. I also narrowed it down to just songs or jingles from commercials, but I could have easily included the frequent slogans or other things we often heard. Maybe you remember the bumpers before commercial breaks on ABC's Saturday morning cartoons that went "After these messages... we'll be right back!"
Even little things take up space in my brain. For instance, the old Blow Pops lollipop commercial that ended with a kid whispering, "Say it's from Charms!" or the fast-talking Micro Machines guy.
Without further ado, let's look back at Five 90s Kid-Focused Ad Jingles!
1. Pizza Bites (Ore-Ida)
Aside from the fact these kids were playing street hockey, as my brother and I used to do, the upbeat little song about "pizza in the morning, pizza in the evening..." was quite catchy. Not to mention, I consumed a TON of these little pizza bagels during the 90s.
2. Toys R Us
This needs no introduction. The jingle was likely from before the 90s but hit its peak as TV and cable television expanded rapidly during the mid to late 90s. I'm pretty bummed that my daughter's generation won't come close to the experience we all had going to Toys R Us. The three or four toy aisles at Target or Walmart just don't hold a candle to the wall-to-wall toys, games, and the video game cage at Toys R Us.
3. Connect Four (Milton Bradley)
I only ever played this game at school but always found it somewhat dull when compared to the commercial. I guess I was already engrossed in video games and flashing lights or noises to enjoy this game, but the song was undoubtedly an earworm. As a kid, my favorite part of the commercial was the little cartoon game pieces reminiscent of another classic 90s advertisement, the 7-Up Dots. I still get a memory blast when someone says "Go for it" and have to fight the urge to yell "CONNECT FOUR!"
4. My Buddy (Hasbro)
Originally sold in the late 80s, this creepy doll was forced to live buried in the back of my closet once my neighbor showed me the movie Child's Play, featuring a murderous living doll based on the "My Buddy" doll. Once I had written off the doll, the song became annoying to me too, but it was undoubtedly a classic of the 90s. Eventually, Hasbro branched off the doll line into his "Kid Sister" doll with an equally infectious ad jingle.
5. Skip-It (Tiger Toys)
I saved Skip-It for last since it's my favorite of these advertisements. I never had one of these but I was pretty good using the ones kids would bring to school. The song was fast-paced and appealing, and we kids would sing it as we skipped and hopped around the playground. I can even still picture where we'd gather around the tree right outside of my elementary school's back doors and the roots that would get in the way, to take turns as we tried to get "the counter on the ball.... to beat the very best score!"
Honorable Mentions
You know I can't leave you with just five, so enjoy these two other games from the 90s that have catchy songs.
Hungry, Hungry Hippos (Milton Bradley) was actually created in the 70s, but the commercials in the early 1990s caused a resurgence in popularity. The happy little jingle didn't hurt, either.
Mr. Bucket (Milton Bradley) - When the commercials hit peak popularity, Mr. Bucket was a game for kids much younger than I. Of course, we older kids on the school bus modified the lyrics of the oh-so-catchy jingle into some not-so-nice words.
.png)
Comments