While today we fast forward through most commercials on TV thanks to the invention of the DVR (or pay for a streaming service without any ads!), back in the ‘80s, that was not possible. Sure, you could tape something via a VHS player and fast forward through your tape, but more often than not, you’d just watch television live — and that meant watching all of the commercials too. The most memorable of those commercials undoubtedly were the ones that had such snappy jingles, you couldn’t help but sing along, even once the commercial was over. Some of those jingles were more catchy than others, so today we’re going to rank the top 10 of those ‘80s commercial jingles — and spoiler alert: these will definitely get stuck in your head!
More into the ‘90s? Check out: The 10 Best ‘90s Commercial Jingles to Get Stuck in Your Head – Ranked
10. Diet coke
Diet Coke first hit the market in late 1982, and to get people pumped about this new drink, they had to advertise the heck out of it. And the best way to do that was to come up with a memorable jingle — and they did. “Just for the taste of it” was the slogan, and Diet Coke even got some major stars on board to help sling their new drink — Whitney Houston is featured in one of the commercials in the compilation above!
9. Nair
The jingle Nair has used throughout the years may be a bit of a cheat, because it’s based on a real song from 1958 called “Short Shorts” by The Royal Teens. Of course, Nair did mix it up a bit, often using just the tune to some different lyrics, but the main jingle was “We wear short shorts, Nair for short shorts.” Technically this jingle was introduced in 1975, but it was the ‘80s where it really became popular, so we bent the rules a bit to include it here (and we could only find commercials from the ‘80s and later!).
8. Doublemint Gum
The Doublemint twins were so iconic, we’ve got them featured in the ‘90s countdown as well! The jingles between the two decades changed, though — the one from the ‘80s is all about “a double pleasure waiting for you” and feels very ‘80s! The charm of the Doublemint twins wearing their green and white outfits is undeniable.
7. Lite-Brite
If you grew up in the ‘80s, you definitely had a Lite-Brite, which could very well have been passed down to you from an older sibling or cousin since they were first produced in the late ‘60s. But this commercial really got the Lite-Brite jingle down, telling you to “turn on the magic of shining lights.” These days Lite-Brites aren’t that exciting, but back then they were super cool, man.
6. Juicy Fruit
Juicy Fruit’s jingle in the ‘80s was all about grabbing some skis, whether they be water or snow skis, and getting out there to have an adventure because “the taste is gonna move ya.” The jingle is really quite rockin’, and the first commercial featured in the above compilation features a longer, minute-long version than what you’d see in the typical 30 seconds of most TV commercials.
5. Folgers
While some of the jingles you’ve already read about on this list might not immediately come to mind until you hear them, we know you definitely remember Folgers’ “the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup!” This jingle has been in almost every marketing campaign since they introduced it in 1984, so you know it’s a winner.
4. My Buddy
Oh yes, how can you forget the My Buddy jingle? Answer: you can’t. The “my buddy and me” jingle is so catchy, if you knew it back in the day, you for sure remember it now. The subsequent addition of the female version, Kid Sister, used the same tune and just changed it up to be “kid sister and me” — you’d think it would matter, but it doesn’t. It’s equally memorable either way!
3. Kit Kat
Though Kit Kats have been around since the 1930s, it wasn’t until the mid-80s that they really hit their stride with the “gimme a break” jingle that started airing in 1986. The version of the jingle that we remember most included the line “that chocolate crispy taste is gonna make your day,” which interestingly isn’t a line in the first commercials. Kit Kat definitely made a good decision to add the “chocolate crispy taste” line, as the jingle became instantly more memorable!
2. Big Red
Chewing gum brands were sure hitting it out of the park with their jingles in the ‘80s — we have three of them featured on this list, with Big Red here rounding it out with their awesome jingle. These commercials pretty much all feature couples making out to the point where they’re so distracted that one of them is about to miss their ride and has to run after it. You know, because Big Red gives “your breath long lasting freshness” so you can kiss for days.
1. Toys R Us
It’s really sad that Toys R Us isn’t what it was back in the ‘80s and ‘90s — it was the place you always wanted to visit as a kid, and as the jingle said, there were “a million toys at Toys R Us that I can play with!” The jingle really resonates as an adult as you can now truly realize how nice childhood was for most of us, with little cares or worries other than what you wanted for your next toy. The commercials above are particularly fun as they feature actors such as Jenny Lewis and Lindsay Price who reprise the same commercial from when they were children in 1982 when they are adults in 1996.
What jingle was your favorite? Let us know in the comments! But first, if these jingles have got you craving some of these items, check out a few of our favorites below:
- The initial “Short Shorts” 1975 commercial from Nair actually won them a Clio award, which is the world’s most recognizable international advertising award. However, we could not find a copy of that commercial online anywhere.
- The My Buddy doll was one of the main inspirations for the evil Chucky doll in the movie Child’s Play.
- The Folgers jingle has been performed and rearranged by many musicians over the years, including Ritchie Havens, Randy Travis, Bonnie Tyler, Paul Stanley, Aretha Franklin, and Rockapella.
- Juicy Fruit was one of the first two gums (the other being Spearmint) that Wrigley came out with in the 1890s. The Wrigley company originally sold scouring soap and baking powder, but the popularity of the two free chewing gum packages they included with each purchase of baking powder led to a rebrand as a chewing gum company.
- Though Diet Pepsi had been around since 1964, and Coca Cola introduced their alternative diet soda, Tab, in 1963, they didn’t create Diet Coke until 1982. Diet Coke isn’t a variation on the original Coca Cola recipe, but rather the Tab recipe.
- The initial “Short Shorts” 1975 commercial from Nair actually won them a Clio award, which is the world’s most recognizable international advertising award. However, we could not find a copy of that commercial online anywhere.
- The My Buddy doll was one of the main inspirations for the evil Chucky doll in the movie Child’s Play.
- The Folgers jingle has been performed and rearranged by many musicians over the years, including Ritchie Havens, Randy Travis, Bonnie Tyler, Paul Stanley, Aretha Franklin, and Rockapella.
- Juicy Fruit was one of the first two gums (the other being Spearmint) that Wrigley came out with in the 1890s. The Wrigley company originally sold scouring soap and baking powder, but the popularity of the two free chewing gum packages they included with each purchase of baking powder led to a rebrand as a chewing gum company.
- Though Diet Pepsi had been around since 1964, and Coca Cola introduced their alternative diet soda, Tab, in 1963, they didn’t create Diet Coke until 1982. Diet Coke isn’t a variation on the original Coca Cola recipe, but rather the Tab recipe.
