80's Commercials Vol. 29

These commercials aired during the 1984 Olympics on ABC on August 12th, 1984. These are from a 24 year old beta tape that my Aunt and Uncle recorded, so the quality isn't the best.
1. McDonald's (An EPIC one minute ad, featuring that great 80's jingle)
2. Dean Witter (With Paul Gleason)
3. General Motors (Their feeble robots couldn't hold up to the brutal efficiency of the Japanese variety)
4. Gatorade (I love the pixelated bodies)
5. Symphony Software by Lotus (A word processing suite for DOS)
6. ARCO (Before the Exxon Valdez, obviously)
7. GMC Vans and Trucks
8. Xerox (With Edward Herrmann)
9. Levi's 501 Jeans
10. Ortega Taco Shells (With Cornthenticity! I love how he says "Ortega"!)
11. Sears (They mixed up CD's and Laserdiscs, LOL)
12. Promo for "Call To Glory" (With Craig T. Nelson)
13. Mervyns (I wish I had an older brother like that kid to show me the moves)
14. Western Appliance (Electronics have always been expensive)
15. Aetna Insurance
16. M&M's (Look how huge that bag is!)
17. Converse
18. Promo for "Family Feud Celebrity Special", "Loving" and "Family Feud"
19. ABC News Promo (Uniquely qualified to bring you the world)

[@doctorwhofan1989]

Gosh, these videos are so addictive. I literally cannot stop watching them. Thanks so much for investing your time and energy to upload these for everyone to enjoy!

[@jerzboy2011]

Ditto. I can't stop watching them either. I feel like I'm reliving my childhood with each video!

[@RetroBigCat75]

Agree as well! Look at the M&M's bags, lol!

[@timothysprengeler4071]

I've been watching 1970's Vol 1, 1980's Vol 1, 1970's Vol 2, 1980's Vol 2, etc, in that order. Looks like there are fewer volumes from the 1970's (I assume because fewer good quality videos exist of commercials from that far back), but I see there is also a 1990's series, so I'll probably start watching those when I get through the 1970's volumes.

[@garybrice7689]

It's so funny. Back in the day when these commercials came on, we thought "what? Another one, already?! Jeez, I hate all these effin' ads!". Now, we're going out of our way to actually watch these. Classic gems!

[@starcader9997]

That Arco commercial killed me with cuteness.

[@shaywhite172]

RIP Alex Kerns,Peter Jennings and Richard Dawson.

[@thetxaggie6575]

and Paul Gleason

[@80sCommercialVault]

Unfortunately, many people probably look at the happiness and sheer optimism of these ads and think how silly and naive people were back then, failing to realize that those same people went through a terrible recession and came out of it strong. I'm not sure if history will be able to say the same thing about the current generation.

[@timothysprengeler4071]

2:00--"Gatorade is thirst aid, for that deep-down body thirst." Another great classic jingle fondly remembered by many of us who grew up in the 1980's, 4:31--I didn't care for most Levi's commercials at the time, but I really like this one, with its great bluesy jingle. 5:02--"Cornthenticity"--a made-up word, I'm sure, but it's a lot of fun to say. 8:05--Back when M & M's only came in "Plain" (now called "Milk Chocolate") and "Peanut", and had tan pieces but not red or blue. I heard the red ones were absent for a time because of concerns about whether the red pigment was safe to consume. 9:05--I loved every incarnation of "Family Feud" up to and including the John O'Hurley version, but I don't like the current Steve Harvey version because some of the questions have gotten so risque. They sure knew how to ruin a good show IMHO.

[@picorna1977]

these commercials are so fun to watch. i'm 31 and i remember quite a few of them... however: $2395 for a bloody television?!? yeah.....it might have been state of the art in 1984, but that's one piece of technology i would have learned to live without :-) but thanks for the memories

[@hopegrimsley3427]

I didn’t know that McDonalds had the Filet O’ Fish back in 1984!

[@timothysprengeler4071]

I distinctly remember the Filet O' Fish and the McChicken from that period. I believe the latter is still around but only resurfaces on a seasonal basis.

[@Bab2092]

That is a BIG M&M's bag at 8:18! modern bags seem like they are half the size. Thanks so much for posting this.

[@TheMichaelaJJackson]

I remember some of these commercials...the national ones. I don't remember the California ones because I don't live there, but those national commercials...man! I miss the 80s.

[@eriksojka9209]

These are so addicting!!! 80s were the best

[@rainbowstarkitten2445]

Erik Sojka I know they seemed like a fun decade

[@jpowell180]

You just bought yourself another Saturday in detention....wanna make it another?

[@emmysrandomreport]

I remember those big black floppy disks. That is what we used to play Reader Rabbit and Oregon Trail!

[@jpowell180]

5:49 - "I heard sound from a Laserdisc, what a surprise!" ...yeah, especially since you were listening to a CD; Laserdiscs are LP-sized and used for video.

[@emgee81]

In the late 90's we had an advert here in the UK for the 'Morgan Stanley Dean Witter' credit card. Now I know why it was called that ;)

[@80sCommercialVault]

Ray Combs was the host when me and my sister watched it, but I've seen some episodes of the classic Dawson version on GSN. He always seemed like someone's drunk uncle that wandered onto the set, flirting with the young women. Definitely entertaining to watch.

[@towhead72]

Ahh...memories! That M&M's commercial was back when they had the tan ones--spotted at 8:30.

[@jpowell180]

He must have been all stoked b/c he had passed the screen tests for a major show that was about to air in the fall on ABC!! Also note the guy in the Dan Whittler ad - it was Paul Gleason, who played the Deputy Chief of Police in Die Hard (& of course the Principal from the Breakfast Club).

[@Retrofanatic10]

Edward Herman was from the 90's film ``Richie Rich'', I recognized the second I saw his face. I love how the Converse commercial sounds like ``Rockit'' from Herbie Hancock.

[@seattlesfinestwrx]

- Cornthenticity? - At least this 501 commercial was better than the one of that guy just jumping around. - Wasn't this around the time Gung Ho was made? - Damn the M&M's bag is pretty f'in big. - I never was the biggest Converse fan.

[@Chub4ChubsRule]

You know, I hate it to when you bite into a taco and it literaly disinteigrates in your hand like an ancent parchment scroll. Thank goodness for Otega Taco shells!

[@Handlethis81637]

If your taco explodes while you eat it, switch to a soft taco!!!

[@jpowell180]

Although it was read by a laser, the term was and still is, CD; a Laserdisc is a separate technology which plays movies from LP-sized optical discs.

[@80sCommercialVault]

In terms of your basic fries and hamburgers, both would probably be about the same. They generally had smaller portions back then though.

[@thetxaggie6575]

I remember the large size cups back then are now the medium size cups

[@m3trooper]

At 4:41, that most certainly is Jason Alexander AKA George Costanza!! He was so thin! But you can really tell it's him! LOL

[@RoxyAlexander]

Ahhh. 80's McDonalds. Genuine deep fried apple pies and fries...styrofoam burger containers...white, waxy soda cups...and good old-fashioned deadly playground equipment!

[@EKS511]

Cornthenticity! Inventing your own word shows creativity and vision. Visitivity! :) I literally laughed out loud when I saw those people in formal wear getting out of that GMC van.

[@orcrush1]

I wonder if Paul Gleason was the wisest choice for that commercial considering the role he had just played in Trading Places. As for your videos as a whole, to borrow a newer McDonalds phrase, 'I'm loving it!'

[@cbunni666]

THE TAN M&M'S!!!!! the lost m&m of the 80s. so sad

[@CamaroAmx]

my whole family thought my grandparents were rich in the late 80s cause they bought a big screen tv (floor mount). i don't remember the screen size, but it was 6 feet tall. it lasted for a long time. it finally was tossed when the picture tube burned out (again) and we couldn't find anther in 2004.

[@chicksheldon]

i think the quality of these commercials is almost perfect. beta was great. thanks for uploading.

[@DougUnfunny]

4:40 Jason Alexander aka george costanza

[@CamaroAmx]

when i worked in fast food while in high school, i ate it everyday, but i also was very active and had (and still have) a high metabolism.

[@bms1117]

I agree with you all the way. I wish life was like it was in the 80s, it was so simple.... Commercials in that time were so happy and hopeful and much more exciting... Paul Gleason, what a guy... hard to not think of "I'm gonna start cracking skulls" haha

[@Nostaljikone]

Am I the only one that finds pulling up to a red carpet event in a GMC Van hilarious?lol Ah, 80's I love you.

[@NoxHardigan]

Notice how the McDonalds commercial caters to all walks of life and not just lame ass so called cool people who overload their TV ads now. I fuckin' love the 80's!

[@NoxHardigan]

It's the Summer of George! 501 style.

[@NoxHardigan]

85 was the year CD's were released to the public. Some people at first called them LaserDiscs until Compact Disc finally caught on.

[@mikejohnson2369]

hilarious gmc van at red carpet lol

[@wingmanalive]

"A major television event". I love it lol.

[@pandycatbaby]

it's really sad to see the commercials of today while watching these...my boyfriend and i actually make youtube nights now instead of watching tv...everything lacks spirit, enjoyment...maybe things weren't perfect 20 years ago when i was a kid, but at least you were left with a feeling of hope and laughter...now all toys are digital, no one wants a stuffed puppy unless it runs around and every adult has verizon strapped to their head...

[@Xtrov]

Man I bet if you recorded commercials these days it would be "male enhancement" and lawsuit begging lawyers. It's nice to see actually happy commercials.

[@David62]

New GM slogan: "Nobody sweats the details like the taxpayers"

[@emmysrandomreport]

@TNTITAN They did not know back then that cats should not drink milk. That was something figured out in the next decade.

[@jason75]

Paul Gleason,looks like principal skinner from the simpons

[@LOAblue]

The GM commercial is ironic... says in the begining "the future is "on line", and talks about computer technology a bit later; but don't think they were reffering to anything like the internet

[@DEMERL]

Awesome!

[@MeInTX]

I'm assuming these are from the closing ceremonies, since I don't think ABC would be airing "Call to Glory" in the middle of the Olympics, no matter how much of a "major television event" it was. The hurricane in the Aetna ad was probably Alicia, which did tear up Houston pretty badly in 1983. It must have still been pretty strong by the time it got to Dallas, since I remember numerous fences in my neighborhood knocked down after the storm had passed.

[@timothysprengeler4071]

To me, the Olympics are a "major television event." 1984 was the first year I watched them seriously. Nowadays I'm an Olympics junkie, and I'm praying that the pandemic subsides enough that the "2020" Olympics can be held in the summer of 2021.

[@80sCommercialVault]

Nope, CD's were launched en masse in America on March 2nd, 1983...and these ads are from '84 after they'd been around for a year and a half. LaserDiscs were a completely separate format and I think Sears just confused the two niche products.

[@dukes0916]

Remember now... Nobody new what a CD was back then. (Unless, you were talking 'investment opportunity'!) I think that's why he phrased it, "I heard SONGS on a LAZERDISC... Like it was a novelty. (Like when I first heard you could take a 'picture' with your 'phone'!) Of course, we didn't have cell-phones either! We had CAR-phones, and they were literally installed into your dash! And only the rich family in the neighborhood had one! (God! I sound like my gramp pa!)

[@CamaroAmx]

wearing gloves while making food is a newer idea. i never wore gloves when i worked at fast food (left in january 03).

[@caesar349]

$469 for a VCR. Jeez- and that was 26 years ago

[@APIEngineering]

"If your taco breaks apart when you bite it... you must be a gringo."

[@herrgolf]

That, and I imagine people ate McDonalds less frequently and across a wider demographic than today. It wasn't exclusively the food of the working (or non-working) poor.

[@katy_looo]

the gm commercial makes me sad. my dad worked there durring the hype in the 80s. he did his 30 & out, but my husband whos worked @ the same plant hasnt worked in 2 yrs. i kinda grew up thinking the big 3 would never go under - & they did right before our eyes, but america doesnt care if MI goes under.

[@mefault]

That converse commercial's background music sounds a lot like Rockit by Herbie Hancock.

[@gws51284]

the music in the Aetna commercial sounds slightly like Holding Out For a Hero by Bonnie Tyler.

[@weareclouds]

Plus, in terms of fast food in the 80s and even early 90s (when I was a kid) It wasn't an all the time thing. And, instead of eating 2 or 3 burgers most people ate one. And, also...people still cooked healthy meals at home most nights. Now, it's all fast food all the time for the majority of society. I hate these days.

[@danielwalterbury9233]

7:37 - This commercial predicted Hurricane Harvey. :O

[@80sCommercialVault]

It's a region known for hurricanes: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Texas_hurricanes_(1980%E2%80%93present) The footage here was most likely shot during Hurricane Alicia, which hit Houston in 1983: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Alicia The greatest natural disaster in U.S. history, the Galveston hurricane of 1900, occurred only around 50 miles away from Houston: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Galveston_hurricane

[@weadoj]

This has probably been shared already, but totally Jason Alexander in the Levi 501 commercial?

[@jamesanderson228]

that kid at 0:44 always made me laugh 😂

[@dukes0916]

That sounds right... but as I say, they were 'available' long before 'everybody has one'! Thus Mainstream America didn't see much of them. (I don't recall seeing the 'bag'-phones until after '85.) & to reply to an earlier post... I don't racall watching 'My Secret Identity'. (I was in college by then & I think it aired at a time when most students were out causing meyhem. Thanks for the info!

[@Nostaljikone]

@80sCommercialVault People were much more active then too.

[@smichelle65]

A lot of mentions of Jason Alexander in the Levi's ad @04:40, but does anyone recognize the even bigger star @ 04:44?

[@sgtpepper1138]

that's what I was wondering

[@bossbob]

Is that Florence Warner singing in the GMC commercial?

[@KLHTV]

Is that George Costanza in teh 501 Blues commercial?

[@michaelbell8834]

5:03 Maybe if you didn't crush the damn thing with your hand it wouldn't "break apart".

[@SideSwipeGTA]

That 45" tv must have weighed like 150 pounds!

[@RyanSellman1]

I don't know how people were able to bring TVs that size into their homes. You'd probably need a crane.

[@timothysprengeler4071]

It sure looks bulky compared with modern flat-screen sets. Also, 19" was considered a standard size for TV screens back then, and the 32" set that I have in my kitchen now is considered small by today's standards. Times have changed, haven't they?

[@camucamu09]

00:02 It's a good time for the great taste ." and get some extra kilos "

[@elineff6959]

I can relate to the Sears guy, I was the same way back when FYE was still Camelot. I miss those days, back then in the 80s music was worth listening to, now its nothing but crap!!

[@sgtpepper1138]

anyone know who the announcer was that did the voice over for the commercial to Call to Honor (6:00)???

[@RHGarciaApr85]

@5:03, Wow, that SUCKS!

[@karenobyrne8060]

Brian Wimmer at 0:39

[@TheDerpinator]

Is that Jason Alexander at 04:40?

[@mikekaraoke]

didn't mobile's or as you call them Cell lol come out over a year later in 85

[@rochellesamyee]

Would MacDonalds then be more or less healthy than it is now?

[@mikekaraoke]

yea but you must of heard of it though or saw it advertised even if you didn't watch it,bag-phones do you mean big-phones?

[@citrusmixer1313]

Levis tried really hard to be "cool" in the 80s. lolol

[@entertainme3000]

@liltwinshedevil McDonald's has never been healthy but it's an american institute. Where else can you meet a friend for a reasonable cup of coffee? Where can your kids socialize with the other neighborhood kids without finding something dangerous as a crack pipe? Where can a teenager go to make honest money? the answer McDonald's!

[@mikekaraoke]

oooooo a young Elisabeth Shue in c all to glory yes please :]

[@weareclouds]

@liltwinshedevil

[@TNTITAN]

Poor cat in the ARCO ad. They may call it inguity I call it harming an animal just for your bottom line (for those who don't know cats are lactose intolerant). Hey, just like the oil companies today