10 classic Canadian commercials that will give you a serious dose of nostalgia

Howdy folks! We had so much fun writing about Canadian one-hit wonders last week, that we thought we’d look at another classic medium- TV commercials. That’s right, Canada has a great track record of making some top tier commercials and PSAs. So, let’s see what’s out there.

Here are 10 amazingly nostalgic Canadian commercials.

The House Hippo

Full disclosure- most of these are going to be PSAs from the now-defunct ‘Concerned Children’s Advertisers’ group. This one worked too well on our childhood brains, and we hoped that we would eventually come across one in ‘the wild’ (the basement).

What’s Your Thing?

Grungy background music, smash cuts, and street scenes, oh my! Funny how we’ve come to appreciate this more and more over the years. Now, as mid-twenty-somethings, we would love to have a friend who’s into bugs. The dude who makes T. Rex sound effects? Not so much.

Astar the Robot

Beep boop, I am a robot. Nah, just kidding, Astar is. And, that’s why they get to jump around a stupidly deadly planet, not us. Curse you Astar, for making danger look so darn cool! Honestly, this commercial reminds us of the ‘one-armed man’ scenes from Arrested Development.

Don’t Put It In Your Mouth

Clocking in at 2 full minutes, this puppet show has a very simple message- don’t put things in your mouth if you don’t know what they are. Ironically, the clip ends with one character enabling the other to not eat beets, instead of like an eraser or something.

I Am Canadian

Ready to feel patriotic? You better be. This Molson commercial is one man, on a stage, talking about the differences between Canadians and Americans. Ironically, the thing hit a lot harder pre-2005, when Molson decided it wasn’t in fact Canadian, and merged the business with Coors. Remember kids- corporations are loyal to shareholders, not countries.

Kokanee Ranger Saga

Speaking of beer, why not talk about one of the longest-running beer commercial ideas out there? The Kokanee ranger spent six years messing around Canada’s forests, trying to find a sasquatch. Fun fact- the series refers to an even earlier set of commercials in the 80s, which only featured the sasquatch.

Smart as You

Wait a second, the TV you’re watching is just a TV! Thank goodness this early CGI commercial takes the time to explain it to you. But, by interfacing with the viewer, does this particular TV transcend its status as an object and become a subject? You’ll have 5 minutes to discuss.

The Trap

After the whole ‘Don’t put it in your mouth’ idea, the CCA went ahead and expanded the message to simply be ‘don’t touch stuff you don’t know about’. We’re laughing, because now all we can image is some child getting really spooked by a book or something.

Dairy Farmers of Canada

Over the years, the Dairy Farmers of Canada have put out so many commercials that you’d think it was the backbone of our economy. While we can’t claim to remember any one spot over another, one thing does stick with us. That’s right- the MGM-esque cow clip at the end of each one.

Media Monkey

One of the last PSAs to come out from the CCA, with a message we can all get behind: reject modernity, embrace monkey. It’s simple, and it’s true- you can trace the degeneration of the western world to the death of Harambe. Just kidding (or are we???)

And that’s our roundup of some Canadian commercials that’ll bring on some great nostalgia. What are ads anymore anyway? AdBlocker (bless them) removed the concept from the world.