includes the promo for Angry Anderson helping a kid get surgery - that was later spoofed by Frontline
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Home and Away parodies itself.
Sharp video recorders, it’s just like the movie Click (2006)
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Loving the retro lines on the screen lol.
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Adelaide TV
ADS10 1989
NWS9 1989
ADS10 1991
ADS10 1996
SAS7 1998
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NBN Commercial for driving safely around horses
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Windows 95
1992/93 commercials
2007 Banking app commercial
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Hmm…
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Back in my home country…
In the late 1990s Chesdale’s two mascots - Ches, a dairy farmer, and Dale, a cheese factory worker - reunited after retiring from television advertising in New Zealand during 1975.
Dale: Ches, is that you?
Ches: Dale! How are you, mate? Long time no see.
Dale: You haven’t changed a bit. This must be Little Ches.
Ches: Yeah. Hey! Remember the old song?
(Music starts)
Ches + Dale: 
We are the boys from down on the farm,
We really know our cheese.
There’s much better value in Chesdale,
It never fails to please.
Chesdale…
(Ches and Dale forget to sing the next verse)
Little Ches: And boy, it’s got a mighty taste!
Ches + Dale: Chesdale cheese!
(Pause)
Little Ches: It’s finest cheddar,
All: Made better!
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A commercial for United Airlines starring Bill Collins and MASH’s Loretta Swit.
YouTube: Petarkco’s Media Archive
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They reaired that ad around 2010 I think?
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IIRC, when Ten aired the first episode of the US Life On Mars remake, they had a retro-themed ad break which featured the Gaytime ad and one of Colgate’s Mrs Marsh ads.
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YouTube: matrixfan01
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YouTube: Australia Past
When the Lexcen ad first came out, I thought “how could it look like a Holden Commodore?” It was not until years later that I learned that the Lexcen was made by United Australian Automobile Industries, a joint venture of Toyota and Holden.
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The Lexcen was not the only one. Toyota Camry and Holden Apollo. Mazda 323 and Ford Laser. I think it was something to do with a federal government policy at the time.
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The Button Car Plan. I can remember the Holden Nova and Ford Corsair as well, which were from Toyota and Nissan respectively.
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Off topic I know, I remember from working in my former job in the acrylics factory that manufacturered vehicle accessories,headlight and bonnet protectors,etc ,that the Holden Commodore/Toyota Lexcen accessories were identical apart from the logo printed on them.Same with the Holden Apollo/Toyota Camry,
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Bert Newton TAB Clear commercial
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Another classic local ad from my area:
https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=i2b_TTYL28o
Trailer’s a beauty, where’d you get it?
Polymate!
I can see it’s a poly trailer, mate, it hasn’t rusted like mine!
Where do you get one?
From Polymate, mate!
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@OnAir @TV4 I’ve recently begun researching Lotto commercials screened on New Zealand television during the late 1980s. Here’s what I’ve unearthed:
When Lotto launched in 1987, alongside the formation of the New Zealand Lotteries Commission (now Lotto NZ), its initial slogan was “You Get a Lot Out of It!”. The commercials primarily focused on introducing the game and featured colourful balls (blue, red and yellow) bouncing down a road.
In February 1988 a new campaign and ‘jazzed up’ live draw format were introduced. Inspired by 1930s Broadway musicals, like Gold Diggers of 1933, the campaign boasted the slogan/song “We’re in the Money” - aka ‘Gold Diggers of 1988’!
Ellie Smith headlined the commercials which also featured a supporting cast of characters preparing backstage for their onstage numbers. Notably Billy T James, who sadly passed away in 1991, appeared in one of these commercials.
Saatchi & Saatchi designed the campaign which was produced by Flying Fish. It is a New Zealand film production company which, for over 35 years, has serviced the many content requirements of its advertising clients. Lee Tamahori, the director of the opening number and other Lotto commercials, later went on to direct the acclaimed 1994 film, Once Were Warriors.
In February 1989 “We’re in the Money” was replaced with the Depression-era tune, “Happy Days Are Here Again”. This shift also transformed the musical number, moving away from the Busby Berkeley-style dance of 1988. Instead, dancers donned Barbershop-inspired clothing - straw boater hats and striped blazers - paying homage to the 1951 musical film, An American in Paris, though the connection remains unclear.
The grand, sun-shaped backdrop for the 1989 “Happy Days Are Here Again” opening/commercials was the brainchild of Richard Taylor and his special effects team. Taylor, whose illustrious career began crafting puppets for the iconic TV series Public Eye (a New Zealand equivalent of Spitting Image which screened on TVNZ from 1988-89), later founded Weta Workshop, an award-winning prop design and special effects company.
Although it is progressively difficult for me to find Lotto’s 1989 opening/commercial online or via YouTube, my sincere gratitude goes out to Mark Hutchings, a senior collections archivist at Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, for his assistance during my research as a television trivia expert. This allowed me to provide a more detailed and engaging account of how Lotto advertised on New Zealand TV screens in its first three years.
I must admit I am not very good at playing Lotto but I wish an all new version (and 2024 remake) of the “Happy Days” campaign for Lotto NZ would come to fruition, featuring a new cast of dancer/performers and replica costumes from the original.
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