I knew it was going to be a good day when I woke up this morning, turned on the computer to browse the news on CNN.com, and came across a hot naked man singing to a ham sandwich.
Admittedly, such imagery isn’t to everyone’s taste (seriously? But there’s cured meat!). But that’s not why Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned this witty commercial for Richmond Ham. It got, uh, canned, for a failure to uphold truthful standards in advertising, by declaring itself “Britain’s only natural ham made with 100% natural ingredients.” The ham is actually made in Ireland.
Wisconsin has enough odd history that the “Odd Wisconsin” exhibit at the Wisconsin Historical Museum in Madison has swapped in 40% of what is on display. The result is a fresh look at Wisconsin’s oddball undertakings.
What makes many of the objects odd are not the objects themselves, but the stories behind them. Many–from the serious to the nostalgic, illuminate aspects of American history that have a Wisconsin connection.
One of the items in particular has me humming a tune that’s probably going to be with me for the rest of the day.
Do you remember a certain hot dog commercial with a certain song? The instrument that played the tune offers a trip down memory lane for anyone whose childhood goes back that far.
Although Aaron’s the Tuesday Trivia aficionado, here are two more pieces of trivia to add to this week’s questions. What instrument is on display and what’s the song? You don’t have to wait until next Tuesday to find out the answers to these two. They are after the jump.
The song: Oh I Wish I Were an Oscar Mayer Wiener.”
The song title is written on the instrument. Banjo-ukulele’s were made in the 1920s and 1930s in response to the popularity of Hawaiian music at the time.
The museum’s Web pages that highlight the Odd Wisconsin exhibit describes some of the items on display. They include:
Wonder Spot “Book” Sign. The Wonder Spot was a cabin built on the side of a hill that was angled in such a way to give tourists to Wisconsin Dells a discombobulated feeling. The cabin was taken down in 2006 to make room for Highway 12.
Giant Punt Gun. Used in the 19th century to hunt ducks, this gun weighs 26 pounds.
Skunk Grease Medicine. Made in 1920 as a home remedy for pleurisy. (That’s what’s in the jar.) The description of this concoction centers on the self-reliance of Wisconsin’s farmers.
In case you missed out on the Oscar Meyer Wiener commericals, here’s one of the classics.
“Sometimes we have to get lost to find ourselves. Sometimes we have to go on a walkabout.”
If some angelic looking child whispered this in my ear while I slept, I’d hop out of bed and head straight to Australia myself. This alluring bit of dialog is only part of what makes Tourism Australia’s ‘Come Walkabout’ TV ad brilliant. With Baz Luhrmann’s creative juices adding to the mix of the ad’s creators, there is almost a complete movie here in all of a minute and a half. In a way, it’s the poem version of the full length feature film Walkabout, but happier–much happier.
For it’s brilliance, the ad won the silver Clio Award as an entry in this prestige’s international advertising and design competition. It’s like the Oscars for commercials. According to this article in Scoop, the ad’s impact has already been felt, particularly by folks looking for adventure. I wonder how crowded that swimming hole surrounded by gorgeous scenery will get?