FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about What In The World Were They Selling
Quiz about What In The World Were They Selling

What In The World Were They Selling? Quiz


These products were sold at various times in the U.S. The marketing strategies and/or slogans should indicate the type or name of these products that were being touted during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Enjoy the memories!

A multiple-choice quiz by logcrawler. Estimated time: 7 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. World Trivia
  6. »
  7. Marketing
  8. »
  9. U.S. Commercials

Author
logcrawler
Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
366,620
Updated
Feb 02 24
# Qns
25
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
19 / 25
Plays
1958
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 216 (23/25), Guest 72 (18/25), Guest 193 (23/25).
- -
Question 1 of 25
1. "You can trust your car to the man who wears the star", was a television jingle from the 1960s that touted products that had something to do with autos, (obviously).

What was the product that this commercial wanted you to purchase?
Hint


Question 2 of 25
2. "Take it off. Take it ALL off!"

This urging was directed at men in an effort to sell a particular product. Swedish actress Gunilla Knutsson famously and breathlessly encouraged football quarterback Joe Namath to follow her advice during one of these advertisements.

What was she helping to market?
Hint


Question 3 of 25
3. This simple little marketing slogan sold a lot of this company's products in the 1950s. What personal care product was being advertised when they implored you to take it easy on usage with the phrase "A little dab'll do ya"? Hint


Question 4 of 25
4. Bardahl was supposed to get rid of "Dirty Sludge". Where would this sludge have been found in the mid-1950s? Hint


Question 5 of 25
5. The Perfect Sleeper. "Now, instead of counting sheep, you can count on a perfect night's sleep..." went the jingle.

What brand of mattress was dancer/singer Joey Heatherton touting in those '70s TV commercials?
Hint


Question 6 of 25
6. A very memorable television and radio advertisement used a simple theme of music coupled with several singers to convey their musical slogan.
These folks offered to transport you anywhere; for a price, of course.
What company in the transportation industry told us that we should merely
"Go ---, and leave the driving to us"?
Hint


Question 7 of 25
7. "You've got a lot to live, and ----'s got a lot to give."

What soft drink billed itself as the "giver" that promised to "help you come alive" in the late 60s and early 70s?
Hint


Question 8 of 25
8. "See the USA in your..." - what type of vehicle?

(This jingle, originally sung by Dinah Shore appeared in many 50s and 60s television ads.)
Hint


Question 9 of 25
9. "I can't believe I ate the whole thing."
"You ate it, Ralph."

From what advertising jewel did this little ditty originate?
Hint


Question 10 of 25
10. "You're soaking in it."

As she delivered this line during the advertisement, with what product did Madge shock her customers?
Hint


Question 11 of 25
11. In the days before cigarette smoking had been declared a health hazard, Fred and Wilma Flintstone and their neighbors, Barney and Betty Rubble, hawked cigarettes in advertisements. What brand did they all smoke? Hint


Question 12 of 25
12. In 1965 United Airlines encouraged folks to take off into the wild blue yonder with this catchy phrase. Do you recall what it was? Hint


Question 13 of 25
13. This advertisement wasn't your traditional commercial ad. It featured a Native American rowing down a waterway. No words were spoken during the majority of the ad, but eventually a lone tear could be seen falling from one of his eyes.
Do you remember what the ad was concerned with?
Hint


Question 14 of 25
14. This former country singer who sang the ballad of "Big Bad John" in 1961 later began his own food product line in 1969. What was the name of the man and that of his company? Hint


Question 15 of 25
15. The bottles - that's right; the GLASS BOTTLES for this soft drink featured numbers on the face of a clock. What three numbers appeared on the bottles that contained Dr. Pepper? Hint


Question 16 of 25
16. Use of this product claimed to be as good as "sending your sinuses to Arizona".

Which of the following remedies made such a bold claim in the 1960s?
Hint


Question 17 of 25
17. The question was: "Does she or doesn't she?"
The answer came shortly afterwards during the commercial ad: "Only her hairdresser knows for sure".

What hair product was presented in this way?
Hint


Question 18 of 25
18. "Wow! What's that aftershave you're wearing?"

What WAS that aftershave that was so irresistible to women that men had to learn a martial art to protect themselves from their advances?
(The product included a self-defense instruction booklet.)
Hint


Question 19 of 25
19. "From the valley of the Jolly (ho ho ho) Green Giant" we later viewed a younger green creature who also sold us on vegetables. What was the name of Jolly Green Giant's partner in miniature? Hint


Question 20 of 25
20. What soft drink was touted in 1978 as the drink for "beautiful people"? Hint


Question 21 of 25
21. "Get that just-brushed freshness with..."
What chewing gum insinuated that it was good as a breath freshener in the 1970s?
Hint


Question 22 of 25
22. This advertisement invited men to "come to where the flavor is".
Where did the ad executives want you to go to see a rare breed; a wild stallion?
Hint


Question 23 of 25
23. This product was introduced with the following partial jingle:
"--- --- pancakes without her syrup is like the spring without the fall. There's only one thing worse in this universe; that's no --- ---'s at all."
Hint


Question 24 of 25
24. In what year did Tony the Tiger become the mascot for Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes, also known as "Frosties"? Hint


Question 25 of 25
25. Two little boys foisted off a "questionable" healthy cereal on another, smaller boy. They proclaimed, "He won't like it. He hates EVERYTHING!" To their surprise, he began shoveling the cereal into his mouth rapidly with apparent great satisfaction.

What breakfast cereal introduced us to the finicky eater, Mikey?
Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Most Recent Scores
Mar 20 2024 : Guest 216: 23/25
Mar 20 2024 : Guest 72: 18/25
Mar 11 2024 : Guest 193: 23/25
Mar 11 2024 : Guest 208: 16/25
Mar 11 2024 : Guest 98: 25/25
Mar 08 2024 : PurpleComet: 22/25
Mar 07 2024 : Guest 68: 15/25
Mar 07 2024 : Retired2006: 23/25
Mar 06 2024 : Guest 68: 21/25

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. "You can trust your car to the man who wears the star", was a television jingle from the 1960s that touted products that had something to do with autos, (obviously). What was the product that this commercial wanted you to purchase?

Answer: Oil products sold by Texaco

Texas Oil Company (Texaco) was an American oil company. Back in those days, believe it or not, service station attendants actually came out to your car when you pulled up to the pump, checked your fluid levels, offered to clean your windshield, and sometimes offered you a free drinking glass if you filled up your vehicle. All this for around 39 to 55 cents per gallon!
(Depending on the year that you pulled in; as the years went by, the services gradually went away, as did the cheaper oil prices.)
2. "Take it off. Take it ALL off!" This urging was directed at men in an effort to sell a particular product. Swedish actress Gunilla Knutsson famously and breathlessly encouraged football quarterback Joe Namath to follow her advice during one of these advertisements. What was she helping to market?

Answer: Noxzema

Gunilla Knutsson made a series of these commercials for Noxzema shaving cream from the mid 60s to the mid 70s.
3. This simple little marketing slogan sold a lot of this company's products in the 1950s. What personal care product was being advertised when they implored you to take it easy on usage with the phrase "A little dab'll do ya"?

Answer: Brylcreem

The men's hair dressing, Brylcreem, was made of water, mineral oil and beeswax. It was first manufactured in 1928.
4. Bardahl was supposed to get rid of "Dirty Sludge". Where would this sludge have been found in the mid-1950s?

Answer: In your car's engine

Not only did Bardahl deal with "Dirty Sludge", it also addressed other problems with engine performance, like "Blackie Carbon", "Sticky Valves," and "Gummy Rings".
5. The Perfect Sleeper. "Now, instead of counting sheep, you can count on a perfect night's sleep..." went the jingle. What brand of mattress was dancer/singer Joey Heatherton touting in those '70s TV commercials?

Answer: Serta

Davenie Johanna (Joey) Heatherton got her start in show business as a child in 1959, appearing as an understudy in Broadway's production of "The Sound Of Music". Later that same year she appeared at times on "The Perry Como Show".

During the 1970s she often appeared in ads for both RC Cola; "the one with the mad, mad taste - RC!" and for Serta mattresses. Serta mattress company was founded in 1931.
6. A very memorable television and radio advertisement used a simple theme of music coupled with several singers to convey their musical slogan. These folks offered to transport you anywhere; for a price, of course. What company in the transportation industry told us that we should merely "Go ---, and leave the driving to us"?

Answer: Greyhound Lines

"Go Greyhound - And leave the driving to us."
This very simple yet very effective and easily recognizable ad campaign began in 1956 for Greyhound, and it spanned four decades. I suppose the success of the ad campaign could be summed up into seven little words - "If it ain't broke; don't fix it!"
7. "You've got a lot to live, and ----'s got a lot to give." What soft drink billed itself as the "giver" that promised to "help you come alive" in the late 60s and early 70s?

Answer: Pepsi

Pepsi was originally called "Brad's Drink" upon its inception in 1893. In 1898, it underwent its first name change, becoming "Pepsi Cola". Finally, in 1961, it began to be marketed simply as "Pepsi".
8. "See the USA in your..." - what type of vehicle? (This jingle, originally sung by Dinah Shore appeared in many 50s and 60s television ads.)

Answer: Chevrolet

Chevrolet, a division of General Motors, got its name from one of its founders, Louis Joseph Chevrolet, a Swiss national. His French ancestry is reflected in the name Chevrolet. He and his co-founder William Durant began production of their automobiles in late autumn 1911.
9. "I can't believe I ate the whole thing." "You ate it, Ralph." From what advertising jewel did this little ditty originate?

Answer: Alka-Seltzer

Alka-Seltzer, an antacid and pain reliever, was first marketed in 1931. It consists of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), aspirin and waterless citric acid.

The line, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing," was chosen by Newsweek magazine as one of the ten best quotes of the 1970s.
10. "You're soaking in it." As she delivered this line during the advertisement, with what product did Madge shock her customers?

Answer: Palmolive

Jan Miner, who appeared as a manicurist named "Madge", produced over 30 years worth of commercial ads for Palmolive dishwashing liquid for manufacturer Colgate-Palmolive.

Jan died in 2004, but who will ever be able to think of Palmolive without fondly remembering this lady who tirelessly advertised for them?
11. In the days before cigarette smoking had been declared a health hazard, Fred and Wilma Flintstone and their neighbors, Barney and Betty Rubble, hawked cigarettes in advertisements. What brand did they all smoke?

Answer: Winston

Hard as it is to believe nowadays, our friends from Bedrock puffed away on cigarettes shamelessly and "sold" Winston's to the adults who watched the program. No children were ever targeted as potential new customers.
(What? You don't believe me?)
12. In 1965 United Airlines encouraged folks to take off into the wild blue yonder with this catchy phrase. Do you recall what it was?

Answer: Fly The Friendly Skies

United Airlines traces its beginnings all the way back to 1926 in Boise, Idaho. As of 2014, it was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. By the early 2000s, it had become a conglomerate of various other airlines. During the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, two of the planes that the Al-Qaeda terrorists had commandeered were United Airlines planes.

United and Continental airlines merged operations in 2010, coming full circle from their roots. Both Continental and United had evolved from Varney Air Lines, a mail carrier service.
13. This advertisement wasn't your traditional commercial ad. It featured a Native American rowing down a waterway. No words were spoken during the majority of the ad, but eventually a lone tear could be seen falling from one of his eyes. Do you remember what the ad was concerned with?

Answer: Cleaning up pollution

As a public service announcement type of advertisement, this commercial attempted to bring awareness to pollution's unsightly and unhealthy effect on the environment.

The ending tagline of the "Keep America Beautiful" campaign ad had a narrator presenting a statement; "People start pollution - people can stop it".
14. This former country singer who sang the ballad of "Big Bad John" in 1961 later began his own food product line in 1969. What was the name of the man and that of his company?

Answer: Jimmy Dean Sausage

Jimmy Dean and his brother Don began selling "pure pork sausage" in 1969. In 1984, the company was sold to Sara Lee Corporation, a division of Hillshire Brands for a whopping $80 million dollars!
15. The bottles - that's right; the GLASS BOTTLES for this soft drink featured numbers on the face of a clock. What three numbers appeared on the bottles that contained Dr. Pepper?

Answer: 10, 2 and 4

On the radio during the mid 1940s, Dr. Pepper had a music program called the "10-2-4 Ranch". These numbered bottles continued to be marketed throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

The following blurb could be heard at various intervals during the radio show -

"Energy sags in the long hours between meals. So drink a bite to eat, the icy cold Dr. Pepper. Keep time in mind and drink Dr. Pepper daily at 10, 2, 4 o'clock, or anytime you are hungry or tired."
16. Use of this product claimed to be as good as "sending your sinuses to Arizona". Which of the following remedies made such a bold claim in the 1960s?

Answer: Dristan

The ad featured a man suffering from sinus congestion, who was magically whisked away (inside a suitcase) and "flown" in said luggage to what appeared to be a locale in the desert southwest.

Repeatedly throughout the commercial, the narrator made references to "sending your sinuses to Arizona", as Dristan was presented to insinuate relief from the effects of sinus allergies.
17. The question was: "Does she or doesn't she?" The answer came shortly afterwards during the commercial ad: "Only her hairdresser knows for sure". What hair product was presented in this way?

Answer: Clairol

Clairol, a division of Proctor and Gamble, wished to portray their home hair coloring kit as so being so professionally accomplished that only a hair stylist would be aware of any difference between home coloring vs. salon coloring.
18. "Wow! What's that aftershave you're wearing?" What WAS that aftershave that was so irresistible to women that men had to learn a martial art to protect themselves from their advances? (The product included a self-defense instruction booklet.)

Answer: Hai-Karate

"Be careful how you use it", was one of the taglines in each of the commercials for this budget-conscious aftershave product. Always some nerdy little guy was suddenly assaulted by great looking women after he had applied Hai-Karate aftershave.
19. "From the valley of the Jolly (ho ho ho) Green Giant" we later viewed a younger green creature who also sold us on vegetables. What was the name of Jolly Green Giant's partner in miniature?

Answer: Sprout

Little Green Sprout, an asparagus tip, was a Jolly Green Giant-in-training and/or a consumer. He was first introduced to the Green Giant marketing campaign in 1973, where he was ostensibly in training to grow up to be a Green Giant himself, but more often than not, he represented the consuming public.

"The Valley of the Jolly Green Giant" is a reference to the area of the Minnesota River Valley.
20. What soft drink was touted in 1978 as the drink for "beautiful people"?

Answer: Tab

"Tab. What a beautiful drink.
Tab. For beautiful people."

Tab Cola was introduced into the soft drink market by Coca-Cola in 1963.
21. "Get that just-brushed freshness with..." What chewing gum insinuated that it was good as a breath freshener in the 1970s?

Answer: Dentyne

"That tingle tells you your breath is fresh - your mouth is clean, all day long; get that just-brushed freshness with Dentyne."

Dentyne chewing gum originally was billed as a product that could be used "To prevent decay, To sweeten the breath, To keep teeth white", as the package read, way back in 1899, even though this cinnamon flavored gum contained sugar.
22. This advertisement invited men to "come to where the flavor is". Where did the ad executives want you to go to see a rare breed; a wild stallion?

Answer: Marlboro Country

In ads that ran from the 1950s through the 1970s, Marlboro cigarettes were marketed with a music score by Elmer Bernstein for the 1960 film, "The Magnificent Seven"; a western based on a 1954 Japanese film, "The Seven Samurai".

The ads were deliberately designed to attract the attention of male smokers, since filter-tipped cigarettes were largely perceived to be for women. In nearly all the ads, a cowboy, (or two, or ten) would be seen smoking a cigarette out on the range, either while getting breakfast with coffee, while working rounding up wild horses, or even around an evening campfire.
23. This product was introduced with the following partial jingle: "--- --- pancakes without her syrup is like the spring without the fall. There's only one thing worse in this universe; that's no --- ---'s at all."

Answer: Aunt Jemima

Various ads with a similar tune graced the Aunt Jemima line of pancake and waffle products. Aunt Jemima began as a division of Quaker Oats, while the Aunt Jemima trademark dates all the way back to 1893.
24. In what year did Tony the Tiger become the mascot for Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes, also known as "Frosties"?

Answer: 1951

Way back in 1951, three years after dinosaurs became extinct, well... not really, Tony the Tiger became the spokespers... er, spokes-TIGER for Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes.

The idea was conceived by Eugene Kolkey, an artist who was more or less commissioned to create an image for a new breakfast cereal. Tony has become more sleek over the years and more tiger-like as well. In the original ads, he appeared as a bubble-headed caricature with an almost casual persona as he meekly announced, "They're great", with very little voice inflection.
As Tony evolved, he became more and more visually and verbally sophisticated, to the point that his almost human appearance and his deeper bass voice became totally recognizable by nearly everyone as he shouted out with enthusiasm, "They're GR-R-R-REAT!"
25. Two little boys foisted off a "questionable" healthy cereal on another, smaller boy. They proclaimed, "He won't like it. He hates EVERYTHING!" To their surprise, he began shoveling the cereal into his mouth rapidly with apparent great satisfaction. What breakfast cereal introduced us to the finicky eater, Mikey?

Answer: Life

This commercial began airing in 1972 and ran for over 12 years, making it one of the longest running ads on television. Life cereal, manufactured by Quaker Oats, enjoyed years of raging success with the ad.

Perhaps because of this success, an urban legend grew out of the commercial. Supposedly, little Mikey later died as a result of eating Pop Rocks, a carbonated candy, while drinking a carbonated beverage, causing his stomach to explode. The actor who played Mikey lived into adulthood, and Pop Rocks candy had less carbonation than 1/2 of a can of carbonated beverage. In spite of this, the legend is still often repeated.
Source: Author logcrawler

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
3/28/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us