All Time Great TV Commercials

[Billy A. Anderson]

I've done some threads on individual TV commercials, but I think we need a central thread for all of us to post links to of our favorites.

I think "VD Is For Everyone" is the perfect starting point for what I hope other ZAQBers will add many more favorites to.

[Choconado]

Don't you put it your mouth, til you ask someone you love.

[Billy A. Anderson]

That's a good un Choco. Thanks for posting it.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Who could forget the "Annoying Encyclopedia Brittanica Boy?"

[Deeky]

Here he is now.

[Billy A. Anderson]

I know he was in several commercials for Encyclopedia Britannica. In searching for one to post here, there was a lot of background given about who he was, although I really didn't have time to read it. The main thing that. The thing most emphasized in the comments is that Encyclopedia Britannica and other hard copy encyclopedias are now anachronisims, that have been made obsolete by the Internet.

The main thing I remember some years back was that the main word internet commentators used for this guy was "annoying." I never really found him annoying. I remember what was probably his first commercial, then, how much later, his second one, where he begins by saying, "remember me?"

If you or anyone else knows how many commercials he did for Encyclopedia Britannica and if he continued as a commercial actor for other products, or films or TV dramas, or whatever his career continued as, please tell me. But, I don't want to know badly enough to find out for myself. I don't even know his name, stage name or real name. He doesn't look like he has aged all that much in the above photo.

I'm not exactly the best typist today, or any other day.

[Deeky]

Donavan Freberg (born April 6, 1971 in Los Angeles, California, U.S.) is an American photographer, advertising creative, voice actor, and writer.

Freberg is probably best known for appearing in a series of commercials for Encyclopædia Britannica produced by his father, satirist and advertising creative Stan Freberg. The 1988–1993 advertising campaign was the most successful in the company's 200-year history and Donavan was elevated to cult status. He was parodied on Saturday Night Live, dubbed a "Pop Intellectual" by GQ magazine, and named "The Most Annoying Geek of the '90s" by TV Tome. He was spoofed in a 2003 feature in The Onion, and in 2006 was chosen for VH1's "100 Greatest Teen Stars," ranking number 83.

Freberg's voice-acting credits include Peanuts' Linus (1977–1978) and Charlie Brown (1978–1980) in commercials and public service announcements, Tom Little on The Littles (1983–1985), Montgomery Moose on The Get-Along Gang, the video game Zork: Grand Inquisitor, and voiceovers for hundreds of radio and television commercials. He also performed the puppet character Baby Boolie on The Weird Al Show.

Freberg currently works as a portrait photographer in Los Angeles. His work has been featured in Forbes, Los Angeles magazine and the Instagram book, This Is Happening. Freberg's headshot clientele include working actors and Fortune 500 companies, notably the CEO of Snapchat, Evan Spiegel.

[Deeky]

[Dr. Kobb]

Mar 30, 2018 9:35:38 GMT -5 Deeky said:

Donavan Freberg (born April 6, 1971 in Los Angeles, California, U.S.) is an American photographer, advertising creative, voice actor, and writer.

Freberg is probably best known for appearing in a series of commercials for Encyclopædia Britannica produced by his father, satirist and advertising creative Stan Freberg. The 1988–1993 advertising campaign was the most successful in the company's 200-year history and Donavan was elevated to cult status. He was parodied on Saturday Night Live, dubbed a "Pop Intellectual" by GQ magazine, and named "The Most Annoying Geek of the '90s" by TV Tome. He was spoofed in a 2003 feature in The Onion, and in 2006 was chosen for VH1's "100 Greatest Teen Stars," ranking number 83.

Freberg's voice-acting credits include Peanuts' Linus (1977–1978) and Charlie Brown (1978–1980) in commercials and public service announcements, Tom Little on The Littles (1983–1985), Montgomery Moose on The Get-Along Gang, the video game Zork: Grand Inquisitor, and voiceovers for hundreds of radio and television commercials. He also performed the puppet character Baby Boolie on The Weird Al Show.

Freberg currently works as a portrait photographer in Los Angeles. His work has been featured in Forbes, Los Angeles magazine and the Instagram book, This Is Happening. Freberg's headshot clientele include working actors and Fortune 500 companies, notably the CEO of Snapchat, Evan Spiegel.

I watched a doc on the hippies called Like It Is (1970) recently, and an interesting aspect of it was the credits were done as graffiti on signs and so on.  Below is an example where they did a credit on Stan Freberg's Hollywood star on the Walk of Fame.

[Count Zero]

Maybe PSAs should be considered a separate thing from commercials, but this is maybe my favorite PSA ever - this fucking terrified me when I was 10, but naturally, I also thought it was super awesome:

[Billy A. Anderson]

Deeky, Ball Buster is a good 'un, and thanks for your post, Dr. Kobb. I think that "public service" commercials are my favorites, and have just thought of an all time great one I hope to get a link to on here.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Count Zero, that was a good one, and I think it's the firstime I've seen it.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Here's another PSA, and I hope to find more of my favorites.

[Billy A. Anderson]

This one looks kinda like the one I described before, probably on another thread.  Obviously the album cover is not the PSA commercial I remember, but it is similar enough to where it might lead to finding the video I'm looking for, with the guy in the bell bottom pants holding onto the parking meter and the song, "Standing Here, Wondering . . . "

I'm just wondering what Public Service cause the commercial was for?

[Dr. Kobb]

Here's my submission.  I would have literally sold my siblings into white slavery for one of these:

[Billy A. Anderson]

Dr. Kobb:

BONNASTOLE ! ! !

[Choconado]

Mar 30, 2018 11:58:33 GMT -5 Count Zero said:

Maybe PSAs should be considered a separate thing from commercials, but this is maybe my favorite PSA ever - this fucking terrified me when I was 10, but naturally, I also thought it was super awesome:

Man, that's one of the best.  There's this one PSA that also used to freak me out from the late 80s-early 90s that was about unsafe sex that I just cannot find online.  It has this hazy blue filter on it and shows a girl at some sort of fancy dance, waltzing from one partner to the next, faster and faster, while the narrator totally slut-shames the girl.  Her final partner is then shown in closeup to be revealed as DEATH!!

[Deeky]

Holy shit, that sounds awesome!

[Billy A. Anderson]

Mar 31, 2018 12:52:17 GMT -5 Choconado said:

Mar 30, 2018 11:58:33 GMT -5 Count Zero said:

Maybe PSAs should be considered a separate thing from commercials, but this is maybe my favorite PSA ever - this fucking terrified me when I was 10, but naturally, I also thought it was super awesome:

Man, that's one of the best.  There's this one PSA that also used to freak me out from the late 80s-early 90s that was about unsafe sex that I just cannot find online.  It has this hazy blue filter on it and shows a girl at some sort of fancy dance, waltzing from one partner to the next, faster and faster, while the narrator totally slut-shames the girl.  Her final partner is then shown in closeup to be revealed as DEATH!!

Choco, I'll be on the lookout for that one.

[Billy A. Anderson]

And, here's another All Time Favorite of Mine!