Retromercials Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alka-Seltzer

Alka-Seltzer was created by the Dr. Miles Medical Company in 1931 and was acquired by Bayer in 1978. It is marketed as an OTC (over-the-counter) antacid and pain reliever. The first commercial featuring Alka-Seltzer's iconic "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz" jingle made its television debut in 1976.

The jingle itself was actually created by American advertiser Paul Marguiles in 1953. A slightly modified version of the of the slogan "Plink, plink, fizz, fizz" was used for commercials in the United Kingdom.

Answer: True Love and Apple Pie

The iconic jingle "I'd like to buy the world a Coke!" made its television debut in 1971. The jingle was actually a rewrite of the song "True Love and Apple Pie", which was first performed by singer Susan Shirley. The popularity of the Coca-Cola jingle led to it being rewritten again as the song "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" which became one of the most popular songs on the radio in 1971 and 1972, even reaching number one status on several charts.

Answer: Wheaties

Wheaties cereal was first introduced in 1924 by the Washburn-Crosby Company, which later became known as General Mills. Wheaties soon became known as "The Breakfast of Champions" and the cereal often features prominent sports teams and athletes on its boxes and advertisements.

In 1985, former baseball star Pete Rose was featured on the Wheaties box as well as the television commercial that featured the jingle "Go tell your momma what the big boys eat!" Four years later, Pete Rose would be permanently banned from Major League Baseball after he was caught allegedly betting on baseball games.

Answer: Littering

In 1953, the Keep America Beautiful organization was founded in order to promote cleaner streets and encourage recycling. In 1971, the organization released a commercial that featured a Native American man shedding a tear after walking through natural areas and streets covered in trash.

While at first the commercial was praised, nowadays it is often criticized for not being genuine, especially since the actor who played the Native American was allegedly of Italian descent.

Answer: Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, which was founded in 1929, grew from a small crop dusting company in Macon, Georgia into one of the largest airlines in the world. In 1987, Delta began airing commercials that featured the slogan "We love to fly and it shows!" There have been numerous advertising slogans used by Delta during its history such as "Hospitality and service from the heart!", "Ready when you are!" and "Keep Climbing!".

Answer: Squeeze the Charmin

Mr. George Whipple was a fictional grocer who became the spokesman for Charmin bathroom tissue. Mr. Whipple was famous for his catchphrase "Please don't squeeze the Charmin!". However, he was sometimes seen squeezing them himself when no one was looking. The character was played by actor Dick Wilson (1916-2007) and was featured in over 500 commercials for the brand.

Answer: 1981

The slogan "Time to make the donuts!" made its debut in 1981, which is the same year that the space shuttle Columbia was launched on its first official mission into orbit. The commercial also debuted Dunkin' Donuts' famous spokesman Fred the Baker, who was played by actor Michael Vale (1922-2005).

In the first commercial, Fred groggily woke up at the crack of dawn in order to make sure Dunkin's donuts were all made fresh for their customers.

Answer: Mars

M&M's were first introduced by the Mars candy company in 1941. The idea for the famous chocolate candies actually came from a similar product named Smarties (not the chalky ones), which had been made in the United Kingdom. The exterior candy shell of M&M's prevents the chocolate inside from melting via body heat which led to their iconic catchphrase "Melts in your mouth, not in your hand!"

Answer: Lay's

"Betcha can't eat just one!" is a slogan used in advertisements for Lay's potato chips. The brand is actually owned by PepsiCo, who acquired Frito-Lay in 1965. Actor Bert Lahr (1895-1967), who portrayed the Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard of Oz" starred in numerous commercials for Lay's.

In one commercial from the 60s, Bert played a dual role as both himself and his evil conscience who taunted him with Lay's chips.

Answer: Wendy's

"Where's the beef?" was a slogan used to promote Wendy's fast food restaurants. Wendy's is famous for having square shaped hamburgers as opposed to other restaurants like McDonald's and Burger King who use round shaped hamburgers, which (as exaggerated in the commercial) could get lost between the buns.

The original 1984 commercial featured three elderly women. Clara Peller (1902-1987), the actress who said the line "Where's the beef?", had actually been given a shortened version of the intended slogan, due to her having emphysema.