I love laughing at the past. Ha, you would have thought we’d have flying (and folding) automobiles, along with robot maids by now. Boy were we wrong.
That’s why I like these Christmas commercials from the 1950s and 1960s so much. There’s something undeniably wonderful – nay, EGGNOG’y – about watching Santa carry around a carton of cigarettes to hawk to all the good little boys(‘ parents), or listening to a little girl say, “When I grow up, I want to be a mommy” while playing with a Betsy Wetsy doll.
Camel Cigarettes
Best Line: “Oh, cartons of Camels are sure to please/Besides they look so handsome under the Christmas tree.”
Viceroy Cigarettes
Best Line: “Well, Christmas morning was merry and bright/The perfect gift: the taste that’s right.”
Lucky Strike Cigarettes
Best Line: “Friends, here’s a wonderful Christmas gift for anyone who smokes, because it says, ‘Merry Christmas and Happy Smoking!’ 200 times.”
Betsy Wetsy Doll
Best Line: “When I grow up, I want to be a mommy.”
Hoover Vacuum
Best Line: “Give her what she really wants for Christmas: [a vacuum cleaner].”
