Spooky Commercials Of Yesteryear

Surely nobody can resist the urge to celebrate Halloween right now. Halfway there, yet it still feels like a long way off. I’ve dug out some classic commercials that are sure to bring back fond memories.

There is an infinite number of commercials from the ‘70s, ’80s and ’90s that I could have chosen to highlight the heyday of Halloween-themed TV commercials, but I’ve narrowed it down to a few of my favorites.

TOYS R US (1985)

The nostalgic peaks are all present in this one. It’s a time capsule from the golden age of Geoffrey and Toys ‘R’ Us, and a testament to how integral the store was to our childhoods. Toys R Us was always a source of excitement for us. Masks and smocks in the style popularized by Ben Cooper.

There can’t be a Halloween commercial compilation without some sort of sweets ad. When I think about Halloween treats, I can’t help but recall this commercial. It appears that this commercial was the first of many that promoted Reese’s peanut butter cups. There isn’t a lot going on, but the merchandise is displayed superbly.

You can’t go wrong with Reese’s peanut butter cups. The company not only sells a tasty peanut butter and chocolate combination, but its packaging is also in the seasonally appropriate hues of orange, yellow, and black. You can’t go wrong with peanut butter cups, whether you get a single one, a two-pack, or a case of various sizes.

Even though most people just bite and chew peanut butter cups, a prominent advertising campaign for confectionery in the ’90s depicted the different ways one could eat them. On Halloween, however, viewers saw what the treat would look like after being sunk teeth-first by a fanged vampire, which sucked out the peanut butter. The brief commercial, which featured a peanut butter cup with two punctures in it, was subtle and successful, despite raising several questions regarding the physiology of vampires and the impression that their fangs were like sharpened straws.

Coke 3 Liter Thirst Buster (1985)

I realize this isn’t scary or even Halloween-related, but I doubt I’ll ever get another opportunity to discuss the merits of the 3-litre Coke bottle, so here we are.  There’s also a tie to the Ghostbusters franchise.

In 1985, Coca-Cola introduced the “Thirst Buster,” a 3-litre bottle that seemed more like a curiosity than a necessity at the time.  The Thirst Buster brand name was inspired by the 1984 movie Ghostbusters.  Columbia Pictures, which is owned by Coca-Cola, coincidentally distributed Ghostbusters.  You can always count on things to loop back around.  What happens when you pair a popular film with a soda?  Why, we’ll just have Ray Parker, Jr. come in and change the words to his smash hit theme song.

Burger Chef (1976)

It must hurt for those who have lost loved ones to lycanthropy to learn that waving a burger and the promise of free magic tricks is all it takes to protect oneself from a werewolf attack.

Burger Chef’s rogues’ gallery of monsters first appeared in the early 1970s, and they quickly became a year-round fixture in the company’s marketing. Vampire family Fangburger, the Monster Crankenburger, Werewolf Burger Burger, Witch Burger Cackleburger, Ape Burger Burgerilla, and Wizard Burgerini.

Monster Fun Records were released in a total of six different variations; fans could get their hands on “Fangburger’s Haunted Hotel” in black, “The Ghost of Grizzly Mountain” in red, “Transylvania’s Big Game” in yellow, “Wolfburger’s Problem” in translucent red, “Cackelburger Casts a Spell” in powder blue, “Crankenburger, the Super Salesman” in translucent blue.

Burger Chef must have had a Monster Kid working in their advertising department. In the spring and summer, the monsters were featured on a line of sports glasses and in a set of baseball cards.

Local City Advertising-

Anyone with a video camera and some basic editing software at a local cable access studio could make their own commercial in the late ’80s and ’90s before the monopoly of large advertising agencies was restored. Low-budget Halloween commercials produced by small businesses were among the most thrilling things to see on television around Halloween.

Local merchants recognized that all they needed to sell their seasonal food items, decorations and costumes were to shoot footage of these products, some eerie sound effects and a sinister narration. Better still were advertisements for regional attractions like haunted houses, mazes or pumpkin patches, which would typically end with a map and a description like “Just off the highway between Wilmas Watermelon Waterpark and The Place Where That Guy Was Murdered in 57’.”