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Scotsman
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
11 of the most memorable adverts of the 1980s, including ridiculously catchy jingles
These infectious advertising jingles will transport you back to the 80s Sign up to our Retro newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... They are the adverts and jingles that you just couldn't get out of your head They helped to sell us everything from butter and sweets to toys Is your favourite ad from the 80s featured in our rundown of the best of the decade? These are some of the most memorable adverts of the 1980s | Various Forget the actual programmes, the adverts are sometimes the best things on TV. That was especially true during the 1980s, which were a golden age for advertising, long before streaming became a thing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Below are some of the greatest ads of the 80s, which used a combination of classic British humour, catchy jingles and some animated wizardry to persuade us to part with our hard-earned cash. Apologies in advance if you'd only just managed to get these ear-worms out of your head after all these years, as they'll probably be wriggling around there for a little longer now. Shake n' Vac Housework has never looked as fun as the actor Jenny Logan made it appear in the classic ads for the carpet freshener Shake n' Vac. She is seen twirling round her living room as she vacuums in her high heels while singing the unforgettable lyrics 'do the Shake n' Vac and put the freshness back'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad How long Shake n' Vac kept your carpet fresh for is unclear, but once that jingle made it into your head it was there for good. Milk Tray The popular Milk Tray ads of the 80s made chocolate sexy, featuring adrenaline-filled action sequences which mirrored the thrill of a James Bond movie. Gary Myers was the original Milk Tray Man, who went to extraordinary lengths to deliver the said chocs to the object of his affections, 'all because the lady loves Milk Tray'. That included diving into shark infested waters, invading a heavily-guarded castle and displaying some daring skiing skills to escape an avalanche. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Cornetto What's not to love about gliding down the canals of Venice, licking an ice cream and being serenaded by a bouffant-haired Italian stud with an implausibly wide-collared shirt? This was the stuff of dreams portrayed in the famous Cornetto ads of the early 80s, in which the classic line 'just one Cornetto, give it to me' is belted out opera-style. Things sadly turn sour when the deep-voiced dreamboat plucks the ice cream from the woman's hands as their gondolas pass. She can't say she hadn't been warned! Lurpak Long before Aardman Animations became synonymous with the claymation adventures of Wallace and Gromit, it produced this classic ad for Lurpak butter. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A snorkel-wearing Douglas the Butterman is seen emerging from a buttered crumpet before advising us to 'spread a little creaminess the Lurpak way', to the strains of a gentle melody. He then grabs a couple of butter knives and rows across the table in this clever advert, which showcases the skills of the team who were also behind the award-winning music video for Peter Gabriel's song Sledgehammer. National Dairy Council This is the ad which spawned a generation of milk lovers, especially in the red half of Merseyside. Produced at the height of Ian Rush's goal-scoring prowess for Liverpool, a young boy is seen guzzling milk straight from the bottle. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad When his friend expresses his disgust, he replies 'It's what Ian Rush drinks', before adding 'he said if I didn't drink lots of milk, when I grow up I'll only be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley'. His friend then delivers the classic line: 'Accrington Stanley, who are they?' The ad was replayed many times in January 2025 when Liverpool were drawn to play Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup. The Premier League giants had clearly been drinking enough milk as they secured a comfortable 4-0 victory over their League Two opponents. Trebor Softmints Another animated triumph is this stylish advert for Trebor Softmints, featuring a rewritten version of the hit song Mr Soft by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Mr Soft character, looking a little like an underinflated Michelin Man, is seen strolling jauntily down a street in which everything is white, padded and bouncing merrily along to the catchy tune. He casually flicks a mint into the mouth of a swaying postbox, which chomps away eagerly, before walking into a lamppost and collapsing to the ground. The ad features the catchline: 'Bite through the shell of a Trebor Spearmint Softmint and everything turns chewy and soft.' Many people described this as their favourite advert growing up, but a few said it gave them nightmares when they were young. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Toys 'R' Us This is surely one of the most memorable advertising jingles for any child growing up during the late 80s or early 90s, most of whom will be able to recite the lyrics - at least in part. The animated ad shows a cartoon giraffe called Geoffrey and his team of young assistants stacking the shelves of the famous toy store overnight, ready for opening. The jingle, sung in hushed tones, opens with the lyrics: 'It's a magical world, we're on our way there, with toys in their millions all under one roof. It's called Toys 'R' Us.' Bird's Eye Potato Waffles These tea time staples gave us one of the catchiest jingles of the 80s, reminding us how they're 'waffly versatile'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It rattles through a host of serving suggestions, including beans, bangers, bacon, burgers and fish fingers, before instructing us to 'grill 'em, bake 'em, fry 'em, eat 'em'. The jingle was so catchy it was revived many years later in a sing-along karaoke style version, with the words appearing at the bottom of the screen and a waffle bouncing along above them to the tune. Kwik Fit This classic 80s ad features not just a memorable jingle but some great dance moves to accompany it from the team of merry mechanics. When a beleaguered motorist pulls into a Kwik Fit garage, she's so impressed by the speedy service she asks 'how do you do it?'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Cue the mechanics bursting into song and dance as they belt out the lyrics: 'You can't get better than a Kwik Fit fitter. We're the boys to trust.' She doesn't seem bothered that they don't actually answer her question. The tune feels like it could be a collaboration between Chas & Dave and Madness, with a Cockney-style knees-up of a dance to match. Vitalite The dairy-free spread Vitalite gave Lurpak's Douglas the Butterman a run for his money with this simple cartoon ad, set to the infectious tune of Israelites by Desmond Dekker & the Aces. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A sunglasses-wearing animated sun can be seen spreading Vitalite on a piece of toast as he sings along accompanied by a chorus of crooning sunflowers 'Made with pure sunflower oil, and with a taste that'll make you shine, ooooooh, ooooooh, Vitalite,' they sing. Club biscuits This jingle might just be the catchiest of the lot, thanks to its simplicity. The ad features just one line: 'If you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit, join our club.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It's repeated ad nauseum by various groups of people enjoying the park - the message being 'who doesn't like a lot of chocolate on their biscuit?'. One fan said: 'My favourite advert of all time. So catchy, it's a permanent earworm.' Have we missed out your favourite ad from the 1980s? We'd love to know which other memorable adverts you think should have made the list. Do you have retro pictures or nostalgic memories to share with us? Send them online via YourWorld at It's free to use and, once checked, your story or picture will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.
Telegraph
26-01-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Daisy Buchanan's guide to reading your way to happiness
Books have saved my life. If it wasn't for books, I'm not sure that I'd be here. Reading has brought me comfort and hope during some of the darkest, most difficult periods of my life. I'm not especially clever or academic. I haven't read half the classics (yet). I don't have a story about how I mounted a bookcase and climbed my way out of a burning building. But I've read my way through triumph and disaster. When I was violently bullied at primary school, stories eased my anxiety, and the friends I found on the page lessened my acute feelings of loneliness. When I've had my heart broken, romantic novels have helped me to patch it back together. I've read my way through broken bones, punishing commutes, UTIs, getting fired and moving house. When I was 21, and an ex-boyfriend brought his new girlfriend to a party, I hid in the toilets with a copy of Indiscretions of Archie by PG Wodehouse until I had laughed enough to recover my composure. Last year, when my Eurostar train broke down between Paris and London, I was oblivious to the chorus of huffing and muttering because I had On my wedding day, my godmother read out a short passage from The Pursuit of Love ('She was filled with a strange, wild, unfamiliar happiness, and knew that this was love'). I'd been reading and rereading the novel since I was 12 years old. It was a beloved guest at the ceremony, a dear friend whose presence was very important to me. It had also been guiding me in my own pursuit, for my whole adult life. When things went romantically wrong for me – and they often did – Nancy Mitford's words had been the best possible balm. Then, and now, they seemed to offer joy and encouragement, just as a proper mate might. Books made me dream My School was a complicated place for me. I was good at listening and quietly following instructions – and I was anxious to please my teachers and do well. But the playground was another terrifying problem. Chubby, sensitive and intense, I was a clear target for bullies, and being around other children was overwhelming. My world felt violent and chaotic, so I turned to books – when I was lost in a story, I was guaranteed some peace. Looking back, I realise that Even though I tried to be a 'good' girl, when I was reading I could secretly rebel. At home, my parents were quite strict about what we were allowed to watch on TV – and in the '90s and Noughties, the internet was patchy, and the smartphone era was far away. But it was relatively easy to sneakily read adult books in the library. That was where I discovered At the time, I was struggling with an eating disorder. Critics of the book have claimed that Bridget's Most powerfully of all, the book's teasing tone helped me to relax, and worry less about what I was eating. Bridget never sticks to a diet and eats a lot of Milk Tray. When she finally reaches her impossible 'goal weight', she goes to a party, and everyone tells her she looks tired and terrible. It was the first time anyone had ever suggested to me that there might be more to life than trying to be as thin as possible. It was also the first book that made me feel optimistic and excited about my adult life. I didn't fantasise about finding my Mr Darcy – I wanted an 'urban family', Agnès b jeans, a flat in Borough and a glamorous job in TV. Books taught me to dream. They made me realise that I'd probably never have a perfect life, but I could look forward to an interesting one. When I was 15, I inhaled Ralph's Party by Lisa Jewell, because it came free with Elle magazine – and vowed that I'd move to London as soon as I possibly could, for spliffs and boys and curries and parties. Around that time, I found a copy of Rachel's Holiday by When I picked the book up, it was with a wide-eyed, breathless curiosity about a scenario that seemed thrillingly adult and sophisticated. When I finished it, hours later, I had an unexpected insight into my own emotional state. The story is a comedy about pain, shame and big, complicated feelings. I read it every year, and every time it helps me to let go of something I've been struggling with. I finally quit drinking alcohol in 2022, after reading Rachel's Holiday 22 times in all. It's been the best friend and the kindest guidebook I could have hoped to find. Books are my drug – but they're the only drugs I've ever used that reliably leave me better than they find me. There have been periods of my life when I've struggled to read, and it's taken me a long time to understand that books can only meet us where we are. Like many people, I never read fewer books for pleasure than when I was studying English literature. There weren't many texts on my degree course that captured my imagination, and I resented the fact that I was always kept at arm's length from the novels and poems, and forced to read through the lens of dry critical theory. But every so often, something would surprise and delight me. I was thrilled when we were assigned Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos – a book about two of my favourite things, sex and gossip. I ignored the rest of the reading list and retreated into the arms of my favourite sex and gossipmongers – Jilly Cooper, Jackie Collins and Erica Jong. I fell upon Henry James and Edith Wharton with alacrity. I inhaled Alberto Moravia's The Time of Indifference – a book I'd never have discovered on my own. (This kicked off a love of Italian literature, and primed me for Ferrante's Neapolitan Quartet, as well as teaching me that you might judge a book by its cover, but you don't have to judge it by its boring-sounding title.) Reading is the best possible start to the day In my early 20s, I was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder, and I slowly started to make links between my behaviour and my mental health. When I was reading regularly, I felt much calmer, and life felt much easier. I loved funny books most of all, and if I needed to self-soothe, I could pick up an old favourite and fall straight into it, in the way you immediately feel at ease with a very old friend. And if I wasn't reading regularly, I struggled to maintain my appetite for books. Then, I acquired my first smartphone and discovered that I'd bought myself the ultimate 'I couldn't put it down' reading experience – one that left me feeling insatiable and agitated, with an unquenchable craving for stimulation. My relationship with work changed. Before, I'd read books on my commute, and arrived at the office feeling nourished, revived and ready for the day. After a train journey with my phone, I felt enervated and at odds with the world. There were two contradictory things at play – being intensely online made me feel as though I was falling behind. On the other hand, I was overstimulated and exhausted, as though I'd already put a shift in. When I left my job to go freelance, I realised that I didn't have a commute, but I needed to build some reading time back into my life. After a lot of trial and error, I discovered that the best time for me to read was the morning. I always wake up feeling anxious, and my brain is craving information and input. I've taught myself to reach for a book, instead of my phone. Reading gently leads my brain away from whatever it thinks it should be panicking about and forces it to focus on something sufficiently absorbing and distracting, at a more measured pace. I believe that reading anything at all, for just five or 10 minutes in the morning, is the best possible start to the day. Reading is like exercise Having interviewed hundreds of authors (my husband and I have a literary podcast, You're Booked ), I've been gratified to discover that nearly every writer is a catholic reader, with no book too grand, silly or strange to grace a shelf. My literary heroine, Jilly Cooper, told me that Middlemarch is one of her favourite comfort reads. I was delighted to discover that George Eliot has had as much of an influence on Cooper as Cooper has had on me. My morning reading habit has made me a more ambitious reader, too. I read Bleak House by tackling it as soon as I woke up, two chapters at a time. This has only been possible because I built up my reading muscles by picking up the books that have brought me uncomplicated joy. Reading in the morning has boosted my focus throughout the day; I notice that I'm more attentive, more productive and less distracted if I begin with a book. Ultimately, I think reading is a little bit like exercise. We all know it's 'good' for us, and we 'should' do it. It's easy to think of it as an earnest, worthy hobby – the kind that makes us feel guilty and resentful because it's hard to find the time for it when life is already so challenging. But, just like exercise, it can feel brilliant. It's simply a case of finding a way to do it that works for you. You might feel you ought to be working your way through the Booker shortlist, for the sake of cultural relevancy. But that might not be the best course of action if you're feeling lost and low – rereading The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole might be more restorative. If you're muddling your way through a dense political biography, and you want to pick up your phone after every two paragraphs, try picking up a different book instead. (Anthony Trollope's Palliser novels could satisfy an urge for political gossip.) Reading shouldn't feel hard – but nurturing a reading habit will make our lives easier, calmer and happier. Read Yourself Happy: How To Use Books To Ease Your Anxiety, by Daisy Buchanan, is published by on February 6
