Thanks to all of y'all for your help with finding commercials. I think I thought too hard about it: the most popular part of the lesson has turned out to be the fan remake of the Budweiser "Whassup" spot, featuring Mario and Pikachu.

The commercial which gives me the greatest pleasure, though, is this musical routine about a McDonalds hamburger, starring "a younger Jason Alexander who seems to love the HELL out of the McDLT", as RetroJunk says.

It's impossible to explain to the kids why I love it so much, though. An almost mystical awe fills me when I consider that someone from a major ad agency must have pitched this full-blown, non-ironic musical number about a hamburger, with a cast of dozens, to be filmed on location -- and then actually gotten the contract. And then the execution is even better. Notice the "hot" people dressed in hot colours and the "cool" people dressed in cool colours. That's 80s fashion for you. You couldn't do that today. You'd have to use ironic trucker caps instead, with obscene slogans about celebrities on them.

But really, the key point is Jason Alexander. Who would have believed, upon seeing the way he whips his head from side to side on the claps between "And the hot" and "Stays hot" -- let alone the way he does that sideways groove thing in between "It's a good time" and "For the great taste" towards the end! -- that this guy would later become the very face of televised pettiness and cowardice in the 90s?

Advertising doesn't even dream like this any more.