Retro TV Commercials

It’s finally here! We know there was an extra long wait for the latest episode of the Purple Stuff Podcast, but when you find out what we’re covering, I think you’ll forgive us. That’s right! Time for another VHS dive! Join me and Jay from Sludge Central as we watch a network telev

I’ve been sitting on a particularly great home-recorded VHS tape for a while now, waiting for the Halloween Countdown to get rollin’ so I could show you its holy/unholy contents. The day is finally here! WATCH ON YOUTUBE! In my new vid, we’re diving into a network television broadcas

Well, in keeping with my long-standing tradition of dropping big content at the worst possible time, here’s a 16-minute video on Super Bowl Sunday! Watch it on YouTube! This one is very special to me. Today we’re gonna dive into a 1993 network television broadcast of The Exorcist, and

I’ve been searching through VHS tapes for old Christmas commercials, and in the process noticed that I’d amassed a nice little collection of Thanksgiving commercials. So, for the first time ever, here’s a Dino Drac article exclusively about old TG spots! I’m already laughing at mys

This edition of Classic Creepy Commercials features everything from candy to Candyman. It’s kind of my “cleanout special,” as I’ve been sitting on some of these spots since last year. What I like about this particular assortment is how off-the-nose it is. When you want to dig up me

In this edition of Five Retro TV Commercials, you’ll see everything from Simpsons dolls to candy bars to exactly eight seconds’ worth of a vampire cinephile. Just another Tuesday on Dino Drac. The Tortellis on NBC! (1987) Count me among the eight people who actually watched The Tor

Let’s ease out of the holidays and into 2021 with some random TV commercials from 30 years ago. (That line played better in my head, but since nobody reads intros, better to be clunky now than later.) Rare TMNT PPV Promo! (1990) Here’s an extremely rare promo that ran on preview channe

There are some big swings in this edition of Classic Christmas Commercials, so if you thought I’d be down to the dregs by now, THINK AGAIN. A Fruity Pebbles Christmas! (1986) I’ve covered this spot before, but in an ancient article that’s unrelated to this series. Forgive me for doub

Welcome to December! Like clockwork, the minor draft from the window I sit beside — endurable through most of the year — now has my right hand feeling like the discarded prisoner from Star Trek VI’s snow jail sequence. Most of the ads in this edition of Classic Christmas Comm

How about a new edition of Classic Christmas Commercials? Okay good, you approve! If you’re new to the site, this is where I gush about ancient TV spots that have some tie to Santa Claus, no matter how minor. The commercials below were rescued from old VHS tapes with incorrect labels. �

Whether you’re into Freddy Krueger, Universal Studios or KILLER ROBOT CABBAGE PATCH KIDS, this edition of Classic Creepy Commercials will satisfy your weird craving. Enjoy: Freddy’s Holiday Party Contest! (1988) Stay with me here, because it gets convoluted! If you lived in Portlan

With even the most obscure horror movies now available on Blu-ray, collecting VHS tapes is mostly for the diehards. (Course, you’ll never convince me that watching something like Ghoulies doesn’t “hit different” on videocassette!) Still, there is one unsung aspect of those old tape

In this edition of Classic Creepy Commercials, you’ll see everything from an ophidian drug dealer to grainy Ghoulies. What fun we’ll have! These spots are older than you, and so am I. If you missed Volume 26, click here. If you miss Dairy Queen’s Cotton Candy Blizzard, click here

Get set for the 26th edition of Classic Creepy Commercials, featuring spooky ads that I rescued from decaying VHS tapes. This series is as old as Dino Drac itself, and it wouldn’t be the Halloween Countdown without a few new chapters! The Real 976-EVIL Hotline! (1988) If you’ve never s

After I selected the ads for this edition of Five Retro TV Commercials, I worried that they were a little blah. Then I started writing about ‘em and realized, OH, shit, I’m actually super invested in every last one. Sometimes you don’t know how you feel about something until you’re

It’s a bit soon for another edition of Five Retro TV Commercials, but my brain is being pulled in a thousand directions (join the club, I know), and writing three paragraphs about thirty-second things is all I’m sure I can do reasonably well. In today’s batch: Ewoks, eggs and Unsolve

I take pride in letting Dino Drac be a distraction from the real world, but to ignore the real world this week is beyond gross. Here’s a list of Black Lives Matter fundraisers that you should consider donating to. There are many orgs on that list that are purely humanitarian, and I’d l

It’s been nearly a full year since the last edition of Five Retro TV Commercials, which means little to you but for me is definitive proof that time moves faster when you’re an old rag. The good news is that I spent the downtime collecting more old TV commercials than I could ever reas

I’m not sure if there’s much point in writing about old Christmas commercials the day before Christmas Eve, when 95% of the people who’d be interested are too busy to look. Oh well. If you’re in the remaining 5%, this one’s for you!  A Christmas Story on WPIX! (1990) Even befo

I know that the last edition of Classic Christmas Commercials was published just a few days ago, but inspiration hits where it hits. I’m back on my bullshit. For what it’s worth, there are some serious heavy hitters in this batch. Everything from a rapping Santa Claus to a soup-eating

I’m writing this on Thanksgiving Eve, so apologies if I seem a little distracted. Based on the Sharpie notes scrawled on my arm, today I gotta shop for 80 mushrooms, stuff 80 mushrooms, wash three loads of clothes, pick up relatives from the airport, shave for the first time in weeks and

We’re kicking off the Purple Stuff Podcast’s 2019 holiday season with one of our most-requested episodes: CHRISTMAS COMMERCIALS. It’s one of my favorite subjects! This week, me and Jay from The Sexy Armpit celebrate 10 of our favorite Christmassy TV ads, covering everything from the

Well, here’s the 25th (!!!) edition of Classic Creepy Commercials, which’ll also be the last edition posted during this year’s Halloween Countdown. (I hate how final that sounds. Can I take it back?) I wasn’t expecting to find enough ads for another chapter, but two friends cam

Get set for the 24th edition of Classic Creepy Commercials, where I rescue ads from wheezing VHS tapes and willfully ignore the too-scratchy audio. This is the third volume posted during the 2019 Halloween Countdown, which is pretty nuts considering that I wasn’t sure I’d even find eno

Set aside two and a half minutes and however long it takes to read 900 words, because it’s time for the 23rd edition of Classic Creepy Commercials! If this batch doesn’t put you in the mood for spiked cider and dimmed lighting, nothing will. Except maybe pot.  Halloween III on Broad