10 retro advertising jingles permanently seared into my brain.

Like many others of my generation, there are a multitude of advertising slogans and jingles permanently burned into my 20th century brain.  I could go on for days about jingles I love, hate, or often recite.  However, I've decided to limit the list to my top ten favorites.  For better or worse.. here's a list of jingles that are floating around my brain, always ready to surface at any given moment.

  • FOLGERS -The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup

  • BRILL CREAM - A little Dab'll Do Ya!

  • ROTO-ROOTER - Roto-Rooter, that's the name, and away go troubles down the drain.

  • STATE FARM - Like a good neighbor.. State Farm is there.

  • ALKA SELTZER - Plop Plop.. Fizz Fizz.. oh what a relief it is!

  • McDONALD'S BIG MAC -
    Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun.

  • SLINKY -

    What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, and makes a slinkity sound?
    A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing.. Everyone knows it's Slinky.
    It's Slinky.. it's Slinky.. For fun it's a wonderful toy.
    It's Slinky.. it's Slinky.. It's fun for a girl or a boy.
    It's fun for a girl or a boy.

  • CHICKEN OF THE SEA - What's the best tuna? Chicken of the Sea!
  • LUCKY CHARMS - Frosted Lucky Charms.. They're magically delicious!
  • OSCAR MAYER -

    Oh I wish I were Oscar Mayer Wiener.
    That is what I'd truly like to be.
    'Cause if I were Oscar Mayer Wiener,
    Everyone would be in love with me.

Looking over this list has impressed upon me just how deeply these jingles have ingrained themselves into pop culture!  I can't even count how many times over the years that friends and I have used these jingles (or altered versions of them) as hilarious puns and punchlines.

It truly takes an extraordinary talent to come up with such catchy jingles.  In fact, many recording artists were jingle writers at one time. A lot of people have no clue that Barry Manilow had a very successful career writing jingles before hitting it big in the music industry.  What's more.. he's the one who wrote the jingle for State Farm which is still used to this very day!

I can't think of many jingles from the last decade that I have a fondness for.  Sure.. there are a lot of annoying  jingles, as well as rehashed 60's, 70's, and 80's music which have been used for branding popular products, but no real jingles that are as unique unto themselves like the ones listed above (In my humble opinion).