Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Toonfomercial: Toon ladies for shampoo (2003)

Sometime around 2003, an advertising rep acting on behalf of Unilever (formerly Lever Brothers), makers of Dove shampoo and soap, among other things, asked Warner Brothers if they could borrow some of the classic Hanna Barbera characters for an ad campaign. The end result is this gem, which helped introduce the shampoo as the latest addition to the Dove brand (along with soap and dish detergent). This would be the only time we'd see Jane Jetson, Wilma Flintstone, & Velma Dinkley in the same ad, pitching the same product.

For the record, Mindy Cohn (ex-Facts of Life), who had just been cast as Velma for WB's What's New Scooby-Doo a year earlier, essays the role here. Uploaded by Scooby317:



Like, they couldn't get Daphne for this gig? What about Penelope Pitstop?

2 comments:

magicdog said...

I loved this commercial! I nearly fell out of my chair when it first aired!

I thought it was a great idea to use the gals for a shampoo ad; it made sense since their hair literally was stuck in one continuous style for decades and needed a change!

I for one applaud Velma being used here, over Daphne. Firstly, because Daphne would be expected and too easy. Secondly, she was already pretty and her long red hair isn't really out of fashion as Velma's do was.

Velma looked adorable in her softer style!

hobbyfan said...

Have to agree that Daphne would've been too obvious, but speaking of being stuck with the same hairstyle, I can think of a certain Super Friend who'd fit right in, as well. Hint: the only one with an upraised ponytail in cartoon history (that I know of).