When he wasn’t managing the British Bulldogs or introducing Zelda cartoons, Cap’n Lou Albano hosted his own wrestling hotline. It literally squeaked when you chewed it! God, I miss Bradlees. Life was good, and so was that stale popcorn. If I had a buck leftover, I’d grab a bag of Bradlees’ famously stale popcorn on the way out.īy the time we got back to the party, half of the guests would be in food comas, and the other half would be talking at a volume only achievable after too much sambuca. I’d scrounge up just enough to buy some dumb toy, and then consider it my first Christmas present of the season. Still, I gotta be honest, it was such a thrill to go shopping on Thanksgiving back then. The advent of the internet gave workers a voice, so we can no longer pretend that everyone working on major holidays just randomly volunteered to do it. Many chains still stay open on Thanksgiving, but it’s (rightly) fallen out of fashion. I tagged along, because nothing settled the stomach after a big dinner like a cherry ICEE and a new action figure. I should know! In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, a few of my relatives always jetted to Bradlees right after dinner, hoping to score holiday bargains. While this commercial pushed Bradlees’ post-Thanksgiving sale, the stores were open on Thanksgiving Day, too. If you’ve never heard of Bradlees, it was similar to Kmart in scope and vibe, but quieter and less irritating. I love Stove Top! It’s right up there with ramen and Pepperidge Farm Goldfish on the list of foods I’d be happy to eat exclusively for the rest of my life.)īradlees’ After Thanksgiving Sale! (1989) (And that’s not a knock against Stove Top. I’m a stickler for homemade stuffing, especially because Thanksgiving often ends up being the ONLY day of the year that I get to make and eat it. I’m more likely to eat that stuff straight out of the fridge, but the idea of playing a home version of Chopped is just so endearing.Ĭourse, you’d never find Stove Top in my kitchen on Thanksgiving. The idea that you wouldn’t just reheat your Thanksgiving leftovers, but somehow reconstruct them. I’ve always loved food advertisements with that premise. Here’s a pair of commercials pitching Stove Top Stuffing as the best way to make Thanksgiving leftovers seem… uh, less like leftovers. An article that begins with a four-paragraph missive about Stove Top Stuffing has zero chance of going viral.

I’m already laughing at myself over this. So, for the first time ever, here’s a Dino Drac article exclusively about old TG spots! I’ve been searching through VHS tapes for old Christmas commercials, and in the process noticed that I’d amassed a nice little collection of Thanksgiving commercials.

Vintage scene thanksgiving