What is it about cartoons and beer? There are millions of animated beer commercials, invariably featuring happy characters who live for the stuff. Mind you, we never actually see them drinking the beer. Do they really love it, or is this a typical bit of TV insincerity? Did the Hamm’s Beer Bear really prefer Ripple? For that matter, did Bugs Bunny enjoy Kool-Ade as much as he appeared to? I guess there are some things that man was never meant to know. Anyways, here’s a few spots to keep you entertained until happy hour rolls around…
Schmidt’s
Cartoon animals want to sell you your next beer. Produced and directed by Paul Fennell.
Hamm’s
Continuing the animal theme here. From 1966. Animated by Michael Lah.
National Bohemian
This is a pretty hummable jingle for a beer commercial. Animated by Emery Hawkins. Mel Blanc and Paul Frees can be heard in this spot.
Guinness
This ad uses the “spinach” approach…
Old Pro
Another Old Pro spot featuring Eddie Mayehoff. Animated by Bill Littlejohn. From Playhouse Pictures.
Piels Reel
A plethora of Piels! Featuring the voices of Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding. Read all about these spots on Gene Deitch’s blog.
Mike Kazaleh is a cartoonist and animator whose work can be seen in comic books like Bongo’s The Simpsons, Futurama and Papercutz’ Gumby – and on screen in Warner Bros. Tiny Toon Adventures, Ralph Bakshi’s Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures and Cool World.
Mike:The most wonderful assortment of animated ads I’ve seen in a long time! Especially the Piels Beer spots! How often do you hear a beer referred to as an “amber paradox”? I’ve always been a huge Bob and Ray fan,and these spots show why! “Naturally you worship me”! Great B and R dialogue!
Is that Candy Candido in the National Beer spot?
A few examples by Quilmes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v19a5jqeINQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU9Lbb5JYq8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xye7eTbVgT4
no animation on the last ad. shame that, as the animation on the first 2 were a lot of fun!
In live-action beer commercials, it was traditional that nobody was ever seen DRINKING the stuff. This is why there are so many shots of glasses with full, foamy heads–this had to substitute for folks actually drinking–or belching afterwards! (Never mind that most barkeeps pour beer down the sides of the glass, so as not to produce such a full, creamy head that the customer thinks he’s getting gypped!)
Perhaps the same discretion applied to animated ads for alcoholic “suds”–although I seem to recall that there may be some exceptions here.
Whatever the case was, it looked appealing despite the obvious. The foamy head look was quite iconic.
All of these were great, but, for me: cartoon, beer and Bob & Ray – can’t get better than that!
For that matter, did Bugs Bunny enjoy Kool-Ade as much as he appeared to? I guess there are some things that man was never meant to know.
It is kinda weird to wrap your head around that one once you have to stop and think about it. I suppose had the bear drank at all (at least shown perhaps to be a bit more anthro in that respect like someone who would travel to the Land of Sky Blue Waters to get away from it all), that would’ve made better sense.
Hamm’s
Continuing the animal theme here. From 1966. Animated by Michael Lah
There’s a color version of this ad out there on YT (though this clip appears to be recorded off a monitor screen but that can’t be helped given the way some users are with improper capturing methods).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwCOr3EOJLU
They kept that bear going for quite a long while, here’s an ad from the late 80’s!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZV2WGRBitE
Love seeing that Guinness ad again. A good example of British cinema advertising of the 60’s.
The new Guinness jingle: “I’m strong to the finich – cause I gets drunk….”
In the UK in the early nineties I did direct tens of animated commercials for Skol beer till they were banned for inducing children to drink…Here is one of them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6z-daQea_4
Ought to be proud of that, Oscar!
I cannot think of many projects that had both Mel and Paul Frees on them…