Every classic REN & STIMPY fan is aware there are defining elements of the show such as the exaggerated Wild Takes,
The Gross Humor,
"This place is too stinky even for me!!!!"
"HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY!!!
WE'RE TRYING TO EAT HERE!!!!"
And of course, the Closeup Cards as drawn my BILL WRAY.
"Ohhhh Man!!!!!"
But one of those elements that's a little easier on the stomach are of course the fake commercials that appear before the actual episode starts, in-between the segments, or after the episode ends before the credits role.
One of the most famous are the LOG Commercials.
Everybody should know about the LOG MARCH.
Those images above are examples of what to expect.
Here's an embedded video below:
So.....
Why advertised products that don't even exist or aren't sold at stores like TOYS R US circa 1991-1995?
Former BOWMAC TOYS R US in Broadway Street, Vancouver, BC.
(BOWMAC was originally a Car Dealership.)
Well...... it's a very messy history that does involve JOHN K. but not for those reasons you'd be thinking.
Despite the fact that JOHN hated that 80s cartoons were nothing but big-ass advertisements for the toys that accompany the show like G.I JOE for example,
JOHN K thought it would be fun to advertise for existing toys because he felt that NICKELODEON, who at the time didn't have their own I.P shows yet, would want to advertise the toys in the same way CARE BEARS, G.I JOE, TRANSFORMERS, etc. would do.
With the gist being that it would help fund SPUMCO in the event NICKELODEON or VIACOM would refuse more funding until they approve what they liked.
However,
The CHILDRENS TELEVISION ACT of 1990 was enacted by
THE FELLAS AT THE FREAKIN FCC under the HW. BUSH ADMINISTRATION which required shows to have some form of educational or informational value.
This meant that MERCHANDISE-DRIVEN SHOWS were doomed since those shows can't actively advertise the toys or the show that's part of that lineup without incurring the FCC's wrath.
While MERCHANDISING still is possible, it can't be all that obvious or overtly blatant.
So....
To keep the concept of the bumpers without actually advertising the real-life toys, cereal, video games, or even the actual merchandise that Nickelodeon was churning out,
SPUMCO decided to jokingly advertise FAKE products like LOG
"I want......."
"LOG!!!!!!!!"
Just like with real-life commercials, the fake commercials often had to come up with variations....
'Like this one below:
"WE''RE SICK OF DOLLS AND EASY-BAKE OVENS!!!!"
"WE WANT A...."
"NEW......"
"TOY!!!!!!"
So.... You want a new toy, don't ya GIRLS?
well....
BLAMMO has answered your prayers.
It's LOG "FOR GIRLS"
Again, here's the commercial in Video Form:
I did mention Cereal but because of the FCC and because I'm pretty sure KELLOGGS'S or GENERAL MILLS are unwilling to advertise for REN & STIMPY in favor of more safer fare like RUGRATS,
REN & STIMPY decided to do fake cereal commercials for themselves
And no. STIMPY did not advertise CEREAL unlike what this screenshot below tells us
And as usual....
Well I thought I'd find videos on YOUTUBE but I guess SKYDANCE made copyright claims to a point that I can't find the corresponding video to show.
"Oh No!!!
Not another Copyright claim from SKYDANCE!!"
I hear ya kid.....
Dammit DAVID ELLISON! You're making the kid cry up there!
Here is another example for you POWDERED TOAST MAN fans out there:
I'd share the scene of STIMPY advertising GRITTY KITTY LITTER but I fear that ELLISON's goons are gonna fly from CALIFORNIA to VANCOUVER just to knock on my door and make me remove the embedded video while breathing down my neck so I'm not gonna risk it.
So these screenshots are gonna have to do
What's interesting is that even though STIMPY'S LOG is meant to be a fake toy,
it did become an actual toy product...
These kinds of commercials were however downplayed during the GAMES ERA of REN & STIMPY so...... that sort of killed the concept in the later years.
What I do find interesting is that the fake commercials often had animation that weren't in the art style of JOHN K., JIM SMITH, CHRIS RECARDDI, etc.
That's because the FAKE COMMERCIALS were meant to parody certain commercials of the 1950s and 1960s such as these below:
And the art style was meant to be a throwback to the UPA cartoons of old, hence the flatter designs of the time period.
Though for now, I can show you what's closest:
THE ALVIN SHOW from 1961
No other cartoon dared to advertise fake products like REN AND STIMPY does.....
And no, those like you've seen in THE SIMPSONS don't count as those fake commercials are tied to a specific part of the plot.
STIMPY's fake commercials have no ties to any plot whatsoever and that's what makes it unique in it's own right.
Yes, I'm celebrating the show's 35th Anniversary a little earlier than intended but that's ok.
The other celebration for RUGRATS and DOUG will happen as scheduled on AUGUST 11th
