Karen Says: Let’s Hear It For the Jingles (& You Really Can)

By Karen Bazzani Zach

Well, to start off, I have a favor – think back (way back for some of you) to your earliest memory time frame and tell me what advertising jingle you remember.  Well, it wasn’t hard for me. “N-E-S-T-L-E-S – Nestles makes the very best Chocolate.”  Now, if you know me (then or now) you’ll almost be able to see this in your rearview – me with my mouth wide open and the voice extremely loud as I emphasized “Choc – o – late.”  Oddly, I hated Nestles but I learned early that these radio or television commercials made a big play on ya’! 

Next, hot dogs!  “I’d love to be an Oscar Mayer Weiner – everyone would be in love with me!”    Knew the Armour hot dog commercial, too but neither were what I liked – all hands down, Eckrich (used those for our coneys at the restaurant) – oh, yum!  Oddly, can’t think of that commercial (jingle) at all!

Although I’m a Pepsi (Diet Mountain Dew) fan, I do agree that “Things go better with Coca-Cola, things go better with Coke!”  My pop drank 5-6 a day when he was laying carpet and sometimes watching television (although he usually drank tea then but not when he could get a good Coke!) 

I had never tasted or even heard of Cracker Jack until we went to a Chicago Cubs game and that is where I was introduced to a box.  Delicious – think that might be the best thing – ever!

Never would I take Alka-Seltzer but did love the commercial.  I mean who wouldn’t – what a jingle to keep in your mind and recreate from time – to – time?  Come on, sing it with me!  — “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is!” 

I used these a lot.  My brother Garry & I were always getting some type of scratches and when we needed a glue stick, so to speak, we’d go to the medicine cabinet and sing our song while sticking a band aid on each of us — “I am stuck on Band Aid and Band Aid’s stuck on me!”

My brother, Garry was quite a stud.  He dressed in NY style in Waveland, Indiana, played a guitar similar to Elvis and his hair looked just like the famous singer’s – of course he said that was because of “Brylcreem” a little dab’ll do ya!”

Long before I needed to start thinking about insurance, I knew that I’d first get “Nation wide” as it was “on my side!”

At one time, we had about 15 cats so I was convinced that any of them could have done the Meow Mix commercials – I mean it was only a one-liner – “Meow, meow, meow, meow!”

Again, if you know me, you can probably conjure-up my rendition of “I don’t want to grow-up, I’m a Toys-R-Us Kid!”

Now, I am not, nor ever have been, a McDonald’s fan, but talk about good advertisement (75 total commercials – cheapism.com). I mean, you always knew exactly what was on the popular sandwich – special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun! 

Oddly, I don’t remember ever seeing an A&W commercial.  We paid ‘em quite a fortune for their name, but all the ads were on the radio and TV in Indianapolis.  Digging in to this I saw some really funny ones with Allen & Ryan, the A&W reps (blowing up balloons and talking in high voices – they kept getting faster and faster telling more and more about A&W).

So, I hope you enjoyed our look back at the old hay-day commercials as I sure enjoyed remembering chasing my mom emphasizing “choc o late!” Oh, and which jingle are you singing now?

For years, Karen Zach was the editor of Montgomery Memories, our monthly magazine all about Montgomery County. Her column, Around the County, appeared every Friday in The Paper of Montgomery County. Karen retired from all that a few years ago but sent us this gem to share with you. You can reach her at karen.zach@sbcglobal.net.