Tuesday, September 8, 2009

The MVPs of PSAs!


I really miss the ol' public service announcements (PSAs) from the TV of my youth. With Smokey the Bear, McGruff the Crime Dog, Woodsy Owl and celebs like Nancy McKeon, Soleil Moon Frye, and Jason Bateman doing their part, we learned about safety, drugs, the environment and all sorts of life lessons while filling our heads with mindless entertainment. With a little poking around, I found a bunch of my favorites from when I was kid. So here are a few of them. Enjoy, but most importantly...LEARN!



I LEARNED IT BY WATCHING YOU!
Still quoted to this day by my generation, witness the best/worst parental/child drug confrontation ever.

YOUR BRAIN ON DRUGS
Simple, effective, timeless...and somehow appetizing.

WHO BROKE MY WINDOW?
Telling the truth isn't going to be easy for tiny Alfonso Ribeiro after he breaks old man Robinson's window with a baseball in this rockopera by the Mormon Church. I never associated this with religion at all as a child--but I did learn that if I SUNG the truth, things could all work out in the end.

TIME FOR TIMER
I sure was hankerin' for a hunka cheese after these spots ran on Saturday morning. Never mind that it's a creepy pale yellow stetson-wearin' walkin' thing trying to sell us on an afternoon dairy treat.

DON'T DO CRACK!
If Pee-Wee won't do crack, neither will I. I mean, he's a loner, a rebel, Dottie, but he's not stupid. The site of Reubens deep in character in this deadly serious spot always stuck with me.

STAR WARS ANTI-SMOKING
Look, it's stressful being a droid, and sometimes R2 just needs a drag or 2. I just wish C3Party Pooper understood.

CAPTAIN OG READMORE
Not only did he introduce me to the Secret World of Og on Saturday mornings, but Captain OG Readmore took time to remind us of the power of reading. And if a cartoon cat with a Captain's rank tells me to read, then I am going to.

WOODSY OWL: DON'T POLLUTE!
We all know the drill--in the city, or in the woods, help keep America looking good. At least that's what giant Robin-Hood wanna Owl Woodsy would like us to do. The song really resonates, especially when it's signed to me.

McGRUFF THE CRIME DOG: BIKE THEFT!
In order to fight crime, you need two things: Chutzpah, and a giant over sized walkie talkie.

ONE TO GROW ON with JASON BATEMAN
Tiny Jason Bateman does his best to caution us against noise pollution. So if you're an 80s punk with absolutely horrid taste in music, do not force it upon passengers on public transportation.

ALCOHOL PSA with SHABBA-DOO
Poppin. Lockin. Advisin.'

***It's been more than 3 days, so this is where normally you'd get the required Scott Baio photo.
I'm gonna go one better, and give you an early Love Boat clip with Scott Baio falling for Kristy McNichol. Talk about storybook romances!



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