Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!

Oh, the crazy places the mind can go.

In my post today, Remembering my why on The Heart of the Matter, I write about how I ran into several challenges recently, and had to think on my feet. As I was writing the post, I thought instantly about the old Trix cereal commercials of my youth.

Trix is a sweet, fruity tasting cereal sold by General Mills in North America and by Nestle across the rest of the world. My mother would never let my brothers and I eat Trix — it had way too much sugar for her tastes, but the cereal still left a lasting impression on me. The company runs ads in the U.S. where a cartoon rabbit gets its hands on a package of the cereal, but is reminded, “Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids.”

Photo by Anete Lusina on Pexels.

The Super Bowl of Commercials

My post on The Heart of the Matter has little to do with Trix or breakfast for that matter, but the line somehow fit the gist of my post to a “T” and I was off to the races. That’s all it took, one little slogan and down the rabbit hole I went.

With that commercial fresh in my mind, I found myself thinking the rest of the day about some of the most popular television commercials in American television history. With the Super Bowl coming up this weekend and all the crazy commercials that it has produced over the years, I had plenty of commercials to consider.

Of course, a million different slogans came to mind:

  • Wendy’s: Where’s the Beef?
  • Nike: Just Do It
  • National Milk Processor Education Program: Got Milk?
  • Snickers: “You’re not you when you’re hungry.”
  • Apple: Think Different
  • DaBeers: Diamonds are forever
  • Capital One: What’s in Your Wallet?
  • Coca-Cola: “It’s the Real Thing”

Oh, yes, it’s commercialism to the nth degree and goodness knows we need less of that, but I love the mini, 60-second stories and humor that the commercials tell. In addition, I have to admit that I love the commercials where I can’t tell who’s doing the advertising. I suspect that has to drive the advertisers crazy.

Anyway, I’m not sure that they’re the best, but here’s three of my all-time favorites.

Coca Cola – Hey Kid, Catch (1980)

Volkswagen – The Force (2011)

Budweiser – Lost Dog 2013

Related Story:

Remembering my why

on The Heart of The Matter

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49 thoughts on “Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!”

  1. When I was a little girl, Lucky Charms cereal seemed like the forbidden fruit in my childhood home. My mom, for reasons only known to her, never allowed it in our pantry. It felt like a peculiar form of culinary injustice, especially since my cousins, and practically every other kid I knew, seemed to start their day with those enchanting marshmallows and crispy oat pieces. I remember gazing longingly at their bowls, filled with colorful charms, and wondering what magical taste I was missing out on.

    Fast forward to adulthood, and the tables have turned. Now that I’m in charge of my own grocery shopping, I occasionally find myself wandering down the cereal aisle and tossing a box of Lucky Charms into my cart, a small act of rebellion against those childhood restrictions. Yet, the first spoonful always brings a twinge of disappointment. The vibrant, sugary taste I coveted in my youth, savored during clandestine breakfasts at friends’ houses, doesn’t live up to the hype I had built up in my mind.

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    1. The funny thing in our house, no Trix, but Lucky Charms was allowed. Explain that one to me. Of course, I found a way around my mom’s “meaness.” Ha, ha, we would get cheerios and load it up with sugar when she wasn’t looking. “Oh, look at you Brian, eating healthy.” Ha, ha.

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      1. Growing up, my parents had an interesting approach to breakfast choices. They were quite relaxed, allowing me to indulge in as much Coca-Cola as I fancied. Count Chocula wasn’t just a treat; it was a breakfast staple, right alongside Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cereal. I have fond memories of being a little girl, eagerly collecting box after box of TMNT cereal. I was so enthusiastic about it that the company even sent me a special turtle-shaped bowl. Those were truly delightful times, though Lucky Charms still remained out of the question. 🙂

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      2. A special turtle-shaped bowl! I bet you were the most popular kid on the street. Ha, ha, I’m kidding, but that must have still been very cool. Count Chocula. You got me there. My wife is going to look at me strangely, but I might have to throw a box of that into the cart the next time I go to the store. Might look a little odd to the check out person . . . Count Chocula right next to the fiber and oatmeal. Ha, ha.

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  2. The commercials are always fun to watch on Super Bowl Sunday, but many of them leave us unaware of the actual product because it’s hidden in the content, unsaid, or invisible to my old eyes. My husband was in the ad business for years, so some of those old jingles ring true. The ones that let you know who they’re talking about have staying power. Budweiser is always my favorite.

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    1. You’re so right! As a communicator, I always like the ad writers who come up with great stories, but memorable product lines too. I think that’s the holy grail. I find too many times they miss and error on the side of remembering the product, that’s fine, but then I’m not wowed and fail to think of the product when I’m shopping. You have to let us know which ads your husband and you like after this year’s Super Bowl!!!

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      1. I’ll try to catch them. It’s my husband’s 82 birthday so will also be celebrating Super Paul Sunday❤️🏈🏈🏈

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  4. For me, there were many past Super Bowls where I can recall the commercials more so than the games themselves. I think in recent years the overall quality of SB commercials has declined just a bit, but I am sure some of that feeling results from having such high expectations for them. This year I have no rooting interest, so I am hoping at least a few of the ads reach the lofty status of those you mentioned.

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  6. These are great! My favorite commercials were the Budweiser clydesdales and the Bud-wis-er frogs. My parents didn’t allow us to watch much TV, but we did watch the Superbowl for the commercials.

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  7. My mother wouldn’t let my sisters and me eat sweet cereals, either. No, not true. Every now and again, we could get some Frosted Flakes!
    All three commercials are classics. Thanks for reminding me of them! I, for one, appreciate a commercial that tells a story.

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      1. I can’t even try to eat those now. Good gawd they are sweet!!! My mother was not buying it. Funny thing is she would buy Rice Crispies and we would ADD sugar to it! You know when you have eaten all the Snap, Crackle and Pop and you scrape your spoon on the bottom and get a mound of milky sugar…. Mmmmm (then)

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  8. You’ve got me going down a rabbit hole of commercial memories. I learned recently that a friend of mine in college was the voice in the Sunmaid Raisins commerical “My Girl.” Here’s a link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hnLVmgfAZA He was a University of Washington football player who passed away in the fall and there were all sorts of stories and tributes about him online in the WA papers. I lost track of him after college and never knew he was the voice! One of my fellow PR and Advertising friends from Palm Springs created the “Energizer Bunny” when she worked for a big agency in LA. I agree with Erin on the clydesdales and frogs for Budweiser.

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    1. Oh that’s amazing EA, both the raisins and the energizer bunny. I’m sure you have a unique perspective on the ads from some of your advertising experiences. I don’t really have any rooting interests this year, so I’m interested to see how this year’s commercials are. I’m hoping they’re good.

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      1. I’m a big Sam Darnold fan from his USC days. He had a tough go of it at the Jets and Panthers. I hope he gets to play as back up QB. I also like the fact that Mr. Irrelevant is the starting QB for the 49ers. So that’s who I’m rooting for. But don’t let my SIL know. She lives in KC and is probably going to the game!

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  10. You tagged a few memories with this post Brian. I remember longing for the popular breakfast cereals as Nancy and I were slugging down eggs and toast. I just wanted to hear that snap, crackle, and pop. Is that too much to ask? I can’t wait for the Super Bowl! Hugs, C

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    1. Oh, I had to trick my mom! No Trix. But my snap, crackle and pop were loaded with sugar. Ha, ha. It was all good until she figured out we were loading the cereal up with sugar. My mother would’ve gone the eggs and toast route if she didn’t have to leave before me. Ha, ha.

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  11. Oh I remember those Trix commercials! What a blast from the past.

    And while I don’t really get Super Bowl crazy, other than for the halftime show, I am looking forward to the big marketing videos and commercials that also come with the weekend?

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    1. I have no rooting interests this year. Oh, I’ll be paying attention to the various stories, how many times do they pan to the crowd and to Taylor Swift? Does Jason Kelce take his shirt off at the Super Bowl? How many times do they mention that Purdy was the last pick of the draft? How many times do they mention that that Super Bowl is being played in the Gambling Capital of the World in Las Vegas? Ha, ha. But, yes, I’ll be paying close attention to the commercials. We’ll have to compare notes after the Super Bowl. Ha, ha.

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  14. We were allowed to have sugary cereal, it’s a wonder I have strong teeth and am in perfect health. We had all of them, but my all-time favorite was Kaboom. There was also Count Chocoula, Fruity and Coco Pebbles, and many others.

    As for commercials, that Budweiser Clydesdale horse one with “Landslide” always gets me. And the old shaving commercial with Farrah Fawcett and Joe Namath is great — two of the most beautiful people who ever lived on this planet, together in a commercial being all cute and flirty, you gotta love it!

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  15. Oh my gosh Brian, you went in the closet and dusted off some oldies but goodies. Honey, who could forget that Trix commercial, silly rabbit? 😂🐰😝🐇🤣 But I loved the Snickers: “You’re not you when you’re hungry,” starring Betty White. Those were some memorable ads, but Mean Joe Greene was incredible. When that little boy grew up, he and Joe Greene were reunited after all of those years! 🤗💖🥰🏈😍

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