Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - Debut Commercials

Episode Date: May 9, 2026

This week, we take a look at marketing firsts.Specifically, the very first commercials ever produced for famous products and companies.From the debut of the Jolly Green Giant, to the first AIDS PSAs, to the very first pharmaceutical ad, all the way to the first iPhone commercial, we say hello to these products and issues for the very first time.We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you don’t, subscribe ad-free here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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What love doesn't conquer. Alka-Seltzer will. What a relief. You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. On the last day of the year in 1955, Looney Tunes released a new cartoon titled One Froggy Evening. It was inspired by a 1944 Carrie Grant movie titled Once Upon a Time, which involved a dancing caterpillar in a small box.

The Looney Tunes cartoon featured a singing frog in a small box. In this short, a construction worker is demolishing a building, he prized the top off the cornerstone, and discovers a small metal box. He opens the lid, a frog jumps out, grabs a top hat and cane, and start singing. Hello, my baby, hello my honey, hello my rag, I'm gal. Send me a kiss my wine.

Baby, my heart's on fire. If you refuse me, honey, you lose me, then you'll be left alone, oh baby, telephone, and tell me I'm your own. The construction worker can't believe his luck, a singing frog that will make him rich. But every time he shows the frog to someone,

it just sits there. But when no one's around, the frog pulls out the top hat. Hello my baby. Hello my honey. Hello my raccoon. It's a very funny cartoon. Time magazine said it comes

as close to any cartoon ever has to perfection. Stephen Spielberg called it the Citizen Kane of the animated short. And the song, Hello My Baby, has an interesting history. When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, he answered calls with the nautical greeting,

Ahoy, hoi. It didn't catch on. Thomas Edison suggested another greeting instead, the word hello. Up until then, the word hello was an exclamation of surprises in, hello! Soon, people began adopting hello when answering the phone. It was a brand new word for a brand new invention. Because the telephone was such a revolutionary device, and because saying hello was so new, a novelty song was recorded to poke fun at it all. Titled Hello My Baby, the song was written in 1890. The lyrics tell the story about a man who has a girlfriend he knows only through the telephone. The song was never seen money, but she's mine all right.

So take my face and leave it, care. The song was first recorded by a singer named Arthur Collins back in 1890. Hello. My baby, hello, honey, hello. The song, beyond being used in one froggy evening, has two important distinctions. It is credited as the first song, ever written about the new invention called The Telephone. And it's the very first song to make fun of the brand-new telephone greeting.

Hello. Today, we take a look at marketing firsts. Specifically, the very first commercials ever produced for popular products and companies. Television was brand new in the 40s and 50s, and it ushered in another new thing, the television commercial. From the debut of the Jolly Green Giant to the first Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial, to the very first pharmaceutical ad and all the way to the first iPhone commercial, we say hello to these products for the first time.

You're under the influence. Back in 1925, the Minnesota canning company discovered a brand-new variety of green peas called Prince of Wales peas. These peas were tender with a delicious flavor and had one more distinguishing feature. They were huge. So the Minnesota canning company who canned vegetables for other companies offered the huge peas to their clients,

but no one was interested. So the Minnesota canning company decided to sell the peas under its own brand name, and it decided to emphasize the size of the peas. They called the brand, Green Giant. Three years later, a mascot was created to help sell these giant peas. He was a giant, scowling caveman wearing a bearskin, and kind of terrifying, to be honest.

In 1935, an ad writer named Leo Burnett, who had started his own advertising agency, decided the Green Giant mascot needed to be warmed up a bit. So he traded in the bear skin for a leafy onesie, made the giant smile, turned him green, and put the word jolly in front of his name. Now, when the jolly green giant came to television in 1954, he gave a friendly wave to viewers while holding a can of giant peas. Here's the very first green giant TV commercial.

The Fifi Fou Fum soundtrack borrowed heavily from the Jack and the Beanstalk story. The giant was still a bit of a bit of a bit of a child and Sounder Trial and a tailored with golden born and tamar a big giant is flying. Oh, bum. Giant was still a bit scary looking, but over the years, Leo Burnett and Company would soften him up and added a jolly laugh so kids wouldn't run and hide under their beds

when he came on television. From the valley of the jolly, oh, oh, oh. Speaking of food, another well-known advertising campaign began in 1953. It was for spaghetti sauce made by Chef Boyardy. But when you listen to this very first commercial for the brand, you realize the correct pronunciation was actually Chef Boyardy. Hello, may I come in? I am Chef Boyardy.

Perhaps you have seen my picture on Chef Boyardy products, at two grocers. Today I want to tell you about a wonderful dinner for three, a dinner that only cost about 15 cents a serving. It's my own Chef Boiarty Spaghetti Dinner with meat sauce or mushroom sauce. It all comes in one carton. A full half pound of tender, quick-cooking spaghetti, 10 full ounces of rich, tasty sauce, and to top it off, a whole can of zippy grated cheese, a wonderful food. Chef Hector Boiarty, spelled B-O-I-A-O-O-O-A-O. R-D-I was an Italian immigrant and the head chef at the Plaza Hotel in New York. Later, he and his wife opened a popular restaurant in Cleveland,

where his spaghetti sauce became so popular, they decided to bottle it. And Hector changed his name on the label to a more phonetic spelling, B-O-Y-A-R-D-E, so non- Italians could pronounce it. The rest is Spaghetti, History, History. The very first toy TV commercial ever aimed at kids was created in 1952. It was for Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. The commercial introduced the toy, then showed kids that the box came with eyes, ears, hands, and feet. All they had to do was supply the potato.

Hey, it's Hasbro. Hasbro makes toys. What's new, Hasbro? Mr. and Mrs. Potatohead with her own cars and cars. trailers. That's what's new. Take any fruit or vegetable. Just stick in eyes, then ears, and then the mouth. You can make the funniest-looking people in the whole world. Potato-head people look different every time you make them. Mr. and Mrs. Potato-Head with cars and trailers come in one and two-dollar sizes. That simple commercials sold over one million Mr. Potato-Head kits in its first year.

This first toy commercial would lead to an avalanche of toy commercials now that kids were a captive TV audience. The car industry threw its arms around television. In 1964, Ford released the very first commercial for its exciting new sports car, the Mustang. Coming April 17th, the unexpected, the new Ford Mustang, brilliant new kind of car. A new generation of Ford's,

for the new breed of Americans who want thick shift action and room for four, who collect sports car badges and trading stamps, who want the elegance of a European touring car, and till now have to settle for basic transportation. This is for them. This is Mustang. The one-millionth Mustang would roll off the assembly line just two years later, thanks in large part to television,

as the Mustang advertising launch was one of the first to use all three TV networks, CBS, NBC at ABC, simultaneously. Ronald McDonald has been a staple of McDonald's advertising since 1963. It all began when a local Washington, D.C. McDonald's, did a successful promotion with the Bozo the Clown TV show. Kids love Bozo and sales shot up 30%. But when the Bozo TV show was canceled in 1963, the McDonald's franchisee, owner saw an opportunity. First, he hired the actor who played Bozo named Willard Scott, who years later would go on to become the weatherman on NBC's Today Show. Then the franchise owner

gave Willard Scott a new costume and a new name, Ronald McDonald. Back in 63, Ronald was a scary looking dude. He wore lots of odd makeup, a striped costume, a soft drink cup as a nose, and he wore a tray on his head that held a hamburger, fries, and a milkshake. In this debut commercial, he was called Ronald McDonald the hamburger happy clown. Introducing the world's newest, silliest, and hamburger-eating his clown, Ronald McDonald. Now, where is that clown? Oh, Ronald, here I am, kids. Hey, isn't watching TV fun? Especially when you got delicious McDonald's hamburgers. Ronald, you can't be on TV, and watch it at the same time. Now, come on and meet the boys and girls. Oh, we've already met. I know we're going to be friends, too, because I like to do everything boys and girls like to do, especially when it comes

to eating those delicious McDonald's hamburgers. Watch for me on TV. We'll have lots of fun. He's Ronald McDonald's, the hamburger happy clown. Three commercials later, McDonald's head office knew a good thing when they saw it, and incorporated Ronald McDonald into national advertising campaigns. Colonel Sanders opened his first restaurant back in 1930. His fried chicken was so popular, the colonel began franchising his business. The first KFC TV commercial was created in 1967. It has a sexist theme, where a husband gets a phone call and a voice.

voice on the other end says, Sir, do you have any idea what your wife has to do to run your house? We then see a quick sequence of a wife washing the dishes, shining shoes, scrubbing the floor, dusting, ironing, and vacuuming. Come on, doesn't she deserve a break? Take her out to dinner at home with convenient, delicious Colonel Sanders Kentucky fried chicken. Made from the Colonel's secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices. It's the best-tasted chicken you ever ate

And the best way to say thank you to your busy wife The Colonel hands a bucket of chicken to the husband And he brings it home Enjoy Sunday dinner tonight at your house Colonel Sanders fixes Sunday dinner seven days a week And it's finger-licking good It wasn't just the first Kentucky Fried Chicken TV ad It was also the debut of Colonel Sanders

In a TV ad Expo 67 was a celebrating of Canada's centennial year. The Progressive Conservative Party commissioned a short film to promote the Ontario Pavilion at Expo 67. The film also contained a memorable song

the first time a song had ever been written to celebrate Ontario. It was composed by the amazing Dolores Clayman. The song was titled, A Place to Stand. You probably remember it, word for word. Hats off to the legendary Dolores Klayman,

who also wrote the famous theme song for Hockey Night in Canada. When we come back, music takes a walk. If you're enjoying this episode, you might also like Kentucky Fried Brand Myths from our 2018 season, where we bust the myth that P&G's logo promoted Satanism. You'll find the episode on your favorite podcast. Stop. Not all debut commercials happened back in the 50s and 60s. In the 1980s, we saw several debut commercials for brand new products, like the revolutionary Sony Walkman in 1981, which this very first commercial tells us is actually called the Sony Walkman. The Sony Walkman is a tiny

stereo cassette player with truly incredible sound. Put on a Walkman and and see the world in a whole new light. Back in 1981, a woman named Liz Mensch was interviewing for a job at Boots Pharmaceuticals. She was meeting with the president of the company, John Breyer, and they were talking about marketing. Mench asked Breyer to describe the company's main customers. Doctors, the president replied.

Mench was surprised. Why isn't it the consumer, she asked. Breyer sat there silent for a moment, then hired her on the spot. On May 19, 1983, Boots aired the first broadcast television commercial for a pharmaceutical pain reliever called Rufem, starring the president of Boots. If you're one of the many people who take the prescription drug Motrin, you should ask your physician or pharmacist about Rufin. They will tell you that both Motrin 400 milligram tablets and Rufan 400 milligram tablets are

different brand names for the same drug, ibuprofen. There is only one important difference. Rufin can cost you considerably less. Within two days, Boots received a cease and desist letter from the FDA, otherwise known as the Food and Drug Administration. When Boots went to meet with the FDA, it was clear the FDA had never anticipated that a drug company would attempt to advertise directly to the general public.

The FDA didn't exactly know what to do. Suddenly, dozens of pharma companies were kicking at the door wanting to advertise. That's when the FDA was forced to draft regulations and insisted on fair balance, which meant drug companies could advertise, but they had to give equal weight to benefits and the possible side effects. That's why American drug ads look and sound like they do to this day. And it all started with that first Boots commercial. In 1986, AIDS was reaching epidemic levels and couldn't be ignored anymore.

At the time, the public was well aware of AIDS, but didn't fully understand how it spread. The first two AIDS public service announcements were produced in 86. One starred Robert De Niro and another with Merrill Streep. There's a reason people whisper when they tell you, a rumor. It's because nine times out of ten, it's not true. Take all the rumors about AIDS. People are saying you can catch AIDS from a mosquito bite or in swimming pools. The fact is there isn't a single case of AIDS on record caused by casual contact. It's up to you. You can believe the rumors or you can get the facts. Rumors are spreading faster than AIDS. For more information, write the American Red Cross.

created another groundbreaking AIDS PSA. It was the first commercial to ever use the word, condom, a word that had been banned on network TV for decades. The ad was titled Macho, and by the end of the commercial, we realize it's taking place in a graveyard. My brother wouldn't listen to me. I told them,

you have sex, you use condoms, so you don't get AIDS. He laughed. and said condoms were macho. My brother, he was so macho. Words on the screen said, Help Stop AIDS Wear a Condom. That AIDS PSA also meant the entire condom industry

could now start advertising for the first time. When we come back, the first Nike commercial launches a famous slogan. When advertising agency wide, and Kennedy first landed the Nike account in 1988, Nike founder Phil Knight told agency founder Dan Wyden that he hated advertising. Wyden said, he did too, which was an odd thing for an ad man to say. But what they really meant was that they both hated bad advertising.

So Dan Wyden created the very first Nike commercial. It showed a man named Walt Stack jogging over the Golden Games, bridge on a sun-filled morning in San Francisco. I run 17 miles every morning. Walt Stack was 80 years old. People ask me how I keep my teeth from chattering in a wintertime. I leave them in my locker. I leave them in my locker.

So good. As we watch Walt jog away, words on the screen reveal the new Nike slogan. Just do it. It would become the brand's empowering slogan to this day. And since 1988, Nike has gone on to do some of the world's best advertising, making Phil Knight a very happy and rich man. This next commercial was done in 1994 for IKEA. It wasn't the first commercial ever done for IKEA,

but it was the very first commercial in North America to feature an openly gay couple. In the ad, two middle-aged men talk about choosing a diner. dining room table at IKEA. Well, you know, we went to IKEA because we thought it was time for a serious dining room table. We have a slightly different taste. I mean, Steve is more into country. It frightens me, but at the same time, I have compassion. We've been together about three years.

I met Steve and my sister's wedding. I was really impressed with how just well designed the IKEA furniture was. He's really into craftsmanship. His chairs are really sturdy. This table concluded a leaf. A leaf means staying together, commitment. We've got another leaf waiting when we really really. really start getting along.

Being the first commercial to show a gay couple, it created quite a stir. CNN ran the ad 38 times in newsblocks commenting on reactions from viewers. IKEA received over 3,000 phone calls, conservative Catholic groups protested, and an IKEA store in New York received a bomb threat. IKEA refused to pull the ad. Back in 2007, nobody had anything. any idea how remarkable and addictive smartphones would be. But Steve Jobs knew.

The very first iPhone commercial premiered during the Academy Awards broadcast on February 5, 2007. Playing to the audience, this commercial featured a montage of famous actors in famous movies, picking up a phone and saying, hello. It begins with Lucille Ball and ends with the reveal of the first Apple iPhone. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Keyes. God. Oh, hello. How you doing there? Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Words on the screen said, Hello, coming in June.

By September, just 76 days later, Apple had sold its one-millionth iPhone. Three billion have been sold to date. That's a lot of hellos. You never forget your first. Seeing and hearing these debut commercials is not only fun, we get let in on the origin stories. The Jolly Green Giant was terrifying at first.

So is Ronald McDonald. Both have become perennial mascots, and both had to undergo dramatic facelifts over the years to be palatable. We learned that Chef Boyardy was actually Chef Boyardy, and the Sony Walkman was originally called the Sony Walk Man. And we can follow a telephone line all the way from Hello My Baby to the Apple Hello commercial 108 years later.

Some of these original commercials were not just the first in their categories, but were the first to tackle important issues. The first pharma ad opened a Pandora's box of regulatory issues. IKEA dared to show the first gay couple in a commercial, and the first AIDS PSAs not only help people understand the disease, they opened the door so the entire condom industry could walk through. A lot of ground was broken there. Such was the power of television.

It was a medium that allowed us to leapfrog into the future when you're under the influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly. This episode was recorded in the Terstream Mobile Recording Studio, producer Debbie O'Reilly, Chief Sound Engineer Jeff Devine, theme music by Casey Pick, Jeremiah Pick, and James Aiton. Tunes provided by APM Music. Follow me at Terry.

O Influence. This podcast is powered by ACAST. Terry's top slogans of all time. Number seven. KFC. It's finger-licking good. Stay tuned for part two of this episode. See you next week.