Just a sleighful of nostalgic '90s Christmas ads

By Reid McCarter  |  December 3, 2020 | 3:50pm
Aux Features TV
Just a sleighful of nostalgic '90s Christmas ads
Screenshot: Dino Drac

Master nostalgia archivist Matt Carracappas (a.k.a. Dinosaur Dracula) has long devoted himself to the (sometimes revolting) work of sifting through long-neglected cultural junk heaps to excavate all kinds of strange treasures. His latest effort is 2020's edition of Classic Christmas Commercials, a collection of ‘90s ads for everything from old Dunkin’ Donuts promotional items to a TV broadcast of Gremlins and a special Velveeta holiday dip.

Probably the best of these is Velveeta’s 1994 “Christmas Recipe Commercial,” a spot that promises prospective cheese-buyers some “holiday magic” in the form of an ad-hoc dip made from cubes of processed cheese and salsa. The tagline promises “a dip so cheesy good, they’ll think it’s incredible!” Back in the ‘90s, someone was paid top dollar for writing that exceptional line of copy.

There’s also a commercial for Dunkin’ Donuts that shows an incredibly dedicated, mustachioed donut maestro working late into the night to create the chain’s selection of red and green baked goods before flying off to, we presume, let them get stale and mushed-up in stockings around the world.

A brief ad for a Frosty The Snowman broadcast provides the most concentrated dose of ‘90s advertising of all. In it, the narrator tries to appeal to the decade’s jaded youth by calling Frosty a “durable dude made of snow” and “way cool,” not some dumb snowman for babies.

For the rest of the 2020 commercials to date—and commentary from Carracappas—check out the Dinosaur Dracula site.

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