Vintage Ads

Adventure Library (1923)

2026-05-02T02:26:16Z

Posted by: dandyads

comments

Local Love: Londonderry Mall

2026-04-05T16:00:59Z

Posted by: calzephyr

Londonderry Mall was our "mall of choice" mostly because Mom worked in one of the department stores! It boasted a Woolco, Eaton's, and The Bay.

Mall commercials always tend to have low production values, so this one was rather intriguing--and possibly the eightiest 80s commercial that every eighted :-D

I tried to find a version on YouTube, but a Facebook embed will have to suffice.

Dreamwidth doesn't like the Facebook embed code, so there is the link instead: https://www.facebook.com/oldcanada/videos/a-londonderry-mall-commercial-in-the-1980s/2116760189178934/

comments

Local Love: 4-2-6, 5-0-5-0...

2025-10-29T00:54:41Z

Posted by: calzephyr

...if you're hungry, call The Lydo. FREE DELIVERY!

Eventually, the Internet coughs up everything--and apparently, seven months ago someone found and uploaded a ubiquitous hometown ad to YouTube. The local earworm was heard on TV and radio throughout the 80s. I shrieked with delight last night to hear the jingle; it had been decades. Although I sang it to myself at times, it was just not the same.

The Lydo was a legendary Chinese restaurant, located at 9203-111 Street NW, which opened in 1966 and closed down in 2003. The food was not great, yet somehow it managed to stay in business until family problems forced the closure in 2003. Today, the building is a sleek catering business.

comments

Weekend Event: Horses - Grand Champions

2025-03-31T01:19:14Z

Posted by: calzephyr

Grand Champions were a line of toy horses which sadly rode off into the sunset many years ago! They were produced from about 1988 to 2008.

The horses were about the same size as a Breyer Traditional size horse. They were definitely more on the "toy" side of things, but they were so wonderful in their toyness. They had rooted manes and tails for you to brush and braid and loads of accessories. Unlike many toy horses, the Grand Champions and their accessories were on the realistic side of things as opposed to being pink, so they were for any horse-loving kid! Amongst model horse collectors, these horses are still loved by their fans :-)

comments

Local Love: Calgary International Speedway

2025-03-31T01:07:37Z

Posted by: calzephyr

Sunday! Sunday! SUNDAY!

LOL I have no idea if these events are as popular as they once were, but the Calgary International Speedway is long gone. Once on the edge of town, it's now pretty much where the landfill and sanitary ponds are :-D

comments

George Plimpton for Intellivision

2025-03-20T17:17:37Z

Posted by: calzephyr

Watching these ads, I feel a little confused as to who the target market was :-D

comments

Local Love: Pied Pickle Deli and Restaurant

2025-01-28T15:54:23Z

Posted by: calzephyr

A cheery number for Pied Pickle Deli and Restaurant. The historic building/stairs the dancers are performing on is historic city hall in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It's one of the few sandstone buildings left and actually recently underwent a four year renovation to restore the sandstone exterior. As far as I can tell, the restaurant(s) closed down around 2006--the last mention I can find is a job ad from that year.

As far as local commercials go, this one has some budget for the locations, music and actors :-)

comments

Weekend Event: Black - Black Beauty

2025-01-20T16:22:08Z

Posted by: calzephyr

Horse girls represent!!!

Trailer for Black Beauty, 1994

comments

1985 Canned Food Information Council Commercial

2024-09-03T15:38:34Z

Posted by: calzephyr

Not your typical Superbowl ad! Hubs randomly mentioned watching this as a kid and fortunately it wasn't just a mashed up childhood memory :-)

comments

2001 Space Channel

2024-05-23T21:55:59Z

Posted by: calzephyr

Now boringly known as the CTV Sci-Fi Channel, Space was (is?) a Canadian sci-fiction channel which first began airing in the 1990s. This low-key ad tells a surprising little story. The actress is Gillian Dobb, who 80s TV fans may remember from Magnum PI.

comments

SEGA CD

2024-04-14T17:12:09Z

Posted by: calzephyr

A recent Twitter thread reminded me of how...intriguing 90s video games ads were.

I have no idea where this style of design came from, just that I forgot it used to be prominent!

comments

Local Love: Bullwinkle's Family Food N Fun

2024-01-13T23:27:11Z

Posted by: calzephyr

Many people are familiar with Showbiz Pizza and Chuck E. Cheese, which served up pizza and fun, but there was a third contender with pizza and an animatronic stage show--Bullwinkle's! Based on the world's only moose and squirrel cartoon team, the restaurants were like a mini indoor theme park for kids with the arcade, restaurant, stage show, and rustic decor. Bullwinkle's was a popular place for birthday parties and for many years Edmonton kids received a coupon for a free pizza with their final report card, much to my dad's consternation.

I don't know if the footage below is from the Edmonton or Calgary location or perhaps another location--those two are long closed. Technically three Bullwinkle's restaurants remain although the original decor has been long retired.

comments

Canadian Tire's Albert

2023-12-20T05:45:25Z

Posted by: calzephyr

A charming story and fond memory for many Canadians, "Albert" is the short story of a boy who doesn't let being picked being last for hockey stop him from doing great things down the road with the support of his older brother and Canadian Tire, of course!

A more contemporary Canadian Tire ad called The Outsider echoes "Albert" although I wonder how many people see the connection.

comments

Earl Scheib auto painting

2023-12-04T01:43:51Z

Posted by: calzephyr

A Facebook post reminded me of something I hadn't heard since I was a kid back in the day--"What a Scheib job!" and had no idea it had basis in reality. It was especially funny having grown up in Canada where there were no local Earl Scheibs. Earl Scheib was famous for his inexpensive car painting and automobile repairs as well as his eponymous print, radio and TV ads. The company, which began in 1937, no longer exists as it once was.

comments

RIP Suzanne Somers

2023-10-16T15:58:53Z

Posted by: calzephyr

comments

Chesterfield Cigarettes (1935)

2023-10-03T22:12:22Z

Posted by: josephrigo

comments

Old Gold Cigarettes

2023-10-03T20:02:48Z

Posted by: josephrigo

comments

Local Love: City Ford

2023-08-25T00:03:39Z

Posted by: calzephyr

TBT! Today I remember the silly car commercials of City Ford starring a caricature of Edmonton's Ukrainian population, Nicky Fordinski.

The ads usually paired Nicky with spokeswoman Shannon where they pitched great deals and ended with a corny joke, sometimes about Nicky's wife Nellie.

In actuality Nicky was Raymond Johnston who passed away in 2019. I used to think the commercials were funny as a kid; nowadays they're a little cringey. But the character was popular enough to last years and years!

comments

1988's Cooking With Gas

2023-08-14T18:53:12Z

Posted by: calzephyr

I can't tell if this four minute video is an ad or edutainment, but it's certainly promoting cooking with gas.

I said to hubs, it would be great if contemporary rappers took some of the painful rapped messages of the 80s and 90s and put an authentic spin on them :-D

comments

Local Love: Wild Rapids

2023-05-16T02:26:48Z

Posted by: calzephyr

Growing up in Edmonton, my little child brain was easily tricked by these low-budget commercials for Wild Rapids, a now defunct waterslide park in Sylvan Lake, Alberta. Located halfway between Edmonton and Calgary, Wild Rapids was hugely popular. It opened in 1982 and closed in 2016. According to Wikipedia it was one of five waterslide parks at the time.

I never got to ride the rapids despite it's proximity to home. Probably like most things, it was more work for my parents than it appeared.

Some vintage ads survive!

CW: This ad has a cringey Japanese stereotype as it advertises the Hari Kari slide:

This ad has a cringey use of rap:

This ad has a cringey use of vocal effects :-D

comments

Local Love: Bonzai Waterslides

2023-05-15T04:55:56Z

Posted by: calzephyr

Every now and then I love me a good, local commercial. The production values may have been budget-friendly or featured a local celebrity, or, as in the case of Bonzai Waterslides, a moment in time!

Bonzai Waterslides is a defunct waterslide park once operated in South Calgary, Alberta, Canada. A rather geographically plucky venture for a winter city, the ad below promised fun and good times!

Today the location at Heritage and Macleod Trail is a weedy lot.

comments

C.O.D - Cuddle on Delivery

2023-03-11T16:53:53Z

Posted by: calzephyr

A successful gem from the mind of Mel Brinkrant, C.O.D. or Cuddle on Delivery dolls featured flocked surfaces and a surprise name. The name and packaging made them stand out from other baby dolls--a category where every one has to have a gimmick!

comments

Sound Wear (1989)

2023-03-11T05:22:08Z

Posted by: calzephyr

If you're bored this weekend or snowed in, you may want to take a deep dive on toy inventor Mel Birnkrant's website where he discusses the ups and downs, joys and pains of bringing an idea to market. There's also a smattering of vintage ads within!

Such was Sound Wear which was possibly a bit ahead of its time. The little speakers plugged into your portable cassette player and you could clip them anywhere. Sounds pretty handy, right? Well...the product is a solid idea, but headphones provide privacy and you probably don't want your parents overhearing verboten music :-D

The commercial is clunky and those kids are just not cool, LOL! Ah well...

comments

Weekend Event: Laura Secord's Magic Moments Pudding

2023-01-13T18:15:41Z

Posted by: calzephyr

Laura Secord is a noted Canadian confectioner and the company behind these tasty puddings with a very memorable jingle. It used to come in a metal can before it came in a plastic cup.

I can't tell if it was marketed in the US under the Jell-O named brand or not after finding the commercial below. I haven't seen it on the shelf for years, so I assume it's no longer made. The only one I can find are Hunt's Snack Packs and they seem super cheap :S

comments

Weekend Event: Pudding

2023-01-13T18:14:42Z

Posted by: calzephyr

This ad with bonus recipe appeared in the May, 1983 issue of Canadian Living. Maybe it's a perfect Valentine's treat? I dunno...I wouldn't be able to make it or eat it, LOL.

The key ingredients are gelatin, mini marshmallows, and heavy whipped cream--so while it doesn't have the traditional pudding ingredients, it's definitely something in-between. It does have dairy and sugar, so I guess that counts?

comments