Late Night TV Commercials.

This vid includes a bunch of TV commercials that aired in Detroit back in ‘86…

More specifically, it collects ads that aired during late night hours. The video quality is pretty bad, but I thought this represented the “flavor” of Dino Drac After Dark too well to skip.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a night owl. If I have no reason to get up in the morning, I’ll happily putz around until dawn.

That’s way easier to do nowadays, because the web never sleeps and even regular television gives you whatever you want whenever you want it. Back in the ‘80s and through most of the ‘90s, late nights were so much… emptier.

As a kid, I had a television in my bedroom, but not a cable box. If I was pulling a secret all-nighter, my entertainment was limited to whatever television threw at me.

Past a certain hour, there wasn’t much. There was that weird 60-90 minute period before the infomercials totally took over where you’d have a couple of ancient sitcom reruns or newsy-type programs, which at best served as background noise.

During those blocks, the commercials were worth more than the programming. They were more current, more energetic and often more familiar.

This mix of ads really captures what it was like to watch late night television back then. (Notice how some of them were slightly spooky, and remember about how easy it was for kids to freak themselves out… especially if they were alone at 2 in the morning!)

Tonight’s survey:

Were you a night owl as a kid? How did you pass the time? Nintendo, comics, Chips Ahoy and blanket forts? Share memories, in the comments!