Happy 7-Eleven Day 2009!

Today is 7-Eleven Day -- July 11th! Stores were giving away free 7.11 ounce Slurpees today in celebration.

Slurpees have been one of my great obsessions since childhood. The perfect mix of ice, syrup, colors, cool straws and cups. Of course back in the old days we were treated to all sorts of collectible plastic cups featuring super heroes, baseball players and cartoon characters. Fortunately I've never outgrown my love for Slurpees. I grab one whenever I can, and rather frequently in this crazy summer heat!

Here's a vintage matchbook cover from 7-Eleven in the 1960s. They used this bespectacled fellow in some of their ads back then. I'd like to know if he had a name. Also we see the older style store logo here. I'm more familiar with the logo atop this blog post from the 1970s to today.

And while we're at it, let's enjoy some salty snacks with our Big Gulp or Slurpee. Nothing better than Frito-Lay products to tackle that job! Here's a cross-promotional pog from the early 1990s in Hawaii featuring Chester Cheetah. "It isn't easy being cheesy," though it's much easier with an ice cold Slurpee on hand.

Golden Crisp / Night At The Museum Promotion

Post Cereal had a nice promotion this year in conjunction with the Night At The Museum movie. Some really cool cereal boxes were produced, like this one from Golden Crisp. I saved one from Honey-Comb and Fruity Pebbles, too.

They didn't do anything special on the box backs. They've used this same back in recent years.

Saturday Commercial Break #18: Hostess Fruit Pies

This week's commercial break features our good friend Fruit Pie The Magician bringing some snacks to the kids at the Franklin School. Good wholesome fun with Hostess Cakes.

This commercial was uploaded to YouTube by divishion, and should date to the early 1980s.

I sure miss the old Hostess gang! Let's hope that Fruit Pie The Magician returns to his rightful place on the pie wrappers soon.

Saturday Commercial Break #17: Exploding Jack In The Box

I haven't been posting as regularly as I would like on my blog. I'm going to try to start posting twice a week. We'll see how that goes...

I thought that I would revive the Saturday Commercial Break segment. I had stopped it for a while because it seemed that YouTube was removing old commercials from their site. Apparently that was due to copyright issues or something. I'm still seeing a lot of new commercials being posted there, so I'll try it again for a while.

Here's Saturday Commercial Break #17 from Jack In The Box restaurants. I don't recall the year, but I do remember when this commercial came out. What a sight to see that clown exploding! Maybe they decided to stop clowning around and concentrate on good food -- like their *new* Hot Ham and Cheese (as shown here)! This was uploaded to YouTube by commercialclassic.

Invisible Ink Monster Pens

If you were rolling your shopping cart down the cereal aisle in June of 1978, you may have spotted this Super Sugar Crisp box and had some fun with an Invisible Ink Monster Pen.

Blueberry Eggo Waffles

Popping out of the magic toaster this week is a delicious Blueberry Eggo Waffles box from 1979! I love the colors on this box and of course the graphics on back. The family is enjoying a nice breakfast together, the way it should be. Mmmm!

I am the Waffle Whiffer and I approve these waffles.

Happy Hoppy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!

Here's an old grocery store sign from the '70s which is advertising a special for Dolly Madison. I don't remember eating a Confetti Angel Food Ring, but it sure sounds good.

1972 Burger King Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's a groovy set of postcards from Burger King in 1972. The King is doing his best interpretation of The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love".

 

 

The (Burger) King and I

Have you seen this man? Last spotted putting extra cash in pockets.

That's what it says on the Burger King take-out bag shown below. Certainly my attention was captured -- enough so that I had to learn more about this curious new promotion. Thus I entered the local Burger King with both hunger and optimism, equally lured in by the whiff of flame-broiled Whoppers and the promise of a cash give-away.

The King and I have faced off before. Sometimes I leave victoriously, and other times the King gets the best of me. This would be our first showdown in 2009.

A burger was had during my visit. It was broiled up just right, fulfilling my usual expectations. But would The King grant me the extra cash, or would I leave empty-handed? Leaving empty-stomached, at least, was not an option.

Despite the blurb on the bag, I can undoubtedly confirm that NO EXTRA CASH was added to my pockets on this occasion. In reality, my nemesis The King absconded with six bucks from my wallet in exchange for a Double Whopper meal. Sure there was cheese and bacon for an extra fee, and the requisite french fries and Dr. Pepper stood by in a supporting role. But let's not kid ourselves -- the cash, MY cash, was gone!

Minutes later, as the smoke cleared from the broiler, The King smirked with folded arms from behind the counter. In the aftermath I felt more like the shards of my own cast-off lettuce than the victor in a great battle. Full but defeated, I crumpled my burger wrapper in preparation for a deposit in the nearby trash can. Today's victory, including my six dollars, would go to The King. Or so it seemed.

Perhaps the joke was on him, as he was left holding the onions. Yes, I'll cling to that until next time.

Watch out King! I will return.

Saturday Commercial Break #16: Waffle Whiffer

Oh the joys of YouTube! I recently discovered this commercial for Aunt Jemima's frozen waffles starring Wallace the Waffle Whiffer! I had not seen this particular one before, so it was such a treat to find. A number of commercials were made, but only a few have surfaced so far.

I referenced this in one of my Jay Ward books. The commercial is titled "Hammock" and was produced in 1971.

Enjoy this special Saturday Commercial Break which was posted to YouTube by thesixtiesguy.

Why not enjoy a delicious plate of Aunt Jemima frozen waffles from your grocer's freezer?