Memorable Characters From Commercials

Mr. Whipple – Charmin

The owner of Whipple's Market was George Whipple warned people not to squeeze the Charmin toilet paper from 1964 to 1985. The character was played by American actor Dick Wilson. Through the years Mr. Whipple spied on his customers to see if they were tempted to squeeze the Charmin his popular phrase became “Please don't squeeze the Charmin!” which I can imagine would be rather amusing for a real supermarket worker to say to customers but also would have made them laugh thinking about this commercial.

American actor Dick Wilson was born in England, his family moved to Canada when he was an infant and after serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force he moved to the US to pursue acting. If you remember this commercial you might have seen his familiar face in TV sitcoms of the 1950s and 1960s like Bewitched, Hogan's Heroes, and McHale's Navy. In 1979 Wilson was voted the most recognized face in America. In the 1990s it was Mr, Whipple himself who could not help squeezing the Charmin. Eventually he was replaced by the cuddly Charmin bears but upon his death in 2007 Charmin aired a TV commercial as a tribute to Wilson.

Energizer Bunny – Energizer

In my younger years, I was always hoping that they would come out with an Energizer Bunny that you could buy for your very own. Now that I have reached my sunset years I often say about myself “I am like the Energizer Bunny I take a liking but I keep on ticking”.

The Energizer Bunny first appeared on TV in 1989. The popular rabbit appeared on screen with sunglasses, a bass drum, and the ability to keep on moving. He was seen walking onto the set of other imaginary commercials and disturbing the action. The tagline was “Nothing outlasts the Energizer”. The Energizer Bunny is still in action but has gone through a series of changes.

Morris the Cat - 9 Lives

Since I'm a big fan of orange tabbies Morris the Cats was a big favorite when he came on screen in 1968. He was known to be “the world's most finicky cat”. It is good to know that every cat who has played Morris through the years was rescued from a shelter. The present Morris lives in Los Angeles, California. The voice of Morris the cat was provided by John Erwin.

Erwin has appeared in several books with themes based on rescuing pets from shelters and streets, the importance of pet nutrition, and the principles of responsible pet ownership.

Poppin' Fresh – Pillsbury

How I loved that Pillsbury doughboy who came on screen in 1965 with the popular Pillsbury cylinders that “pop” to open. The idea behind this was that a living boy lived in the tubes and jumped out when they were opened. Known as “Poppin' Fresh” he was a claymation figure.

In 1992 the doughboy underwent a redesign becoming a fully CGI animated character giving him more freedom of movement. His popularity brought out a set of dolls including the doughboy and eight family members with names relating to various Pillsbury products.

Josephine the Plumber Comet Cleanser

In the 1960s former child actress Jan Wither began appearing on TV as Josephine the Plumber. She was known to tell people how to get stubborn stains out of their sinks and promote Comet Cleanser.

Madge the Manicurist Palmolive

For 27 years on TV radio actress Jan Miner portrayed Madge the Manicurist. She surprised her customers at the beauty parlor that she was soaking their hands in Palmolive dishwashing liquid. She informed them that if they used Palmolive to wash their dishes their hands would always be soft and young-looking.

Mother Nature Chiffon Margarine

Did you know it was not nice to fool Mother Nature? Well if you didn't during the 1970 American actress Dena Dietrich portraying Mother Nature informed you of this. She told everyone that Chiffon Margarine was a tasty, sweet, creamy spread and was better to be enjoyed than butter or regular margarine.

Tidy Bowl Man – Ty-D-Bowl

Did you know there was a man in a rowboat in your toilet tank? Since 1958 there was the Ty-D-Bowl man who was portrayed by many different actors. He appeared when toilet tank covers were lifted in a boat and dressed in a ship captain's uniform. Of course, as much as this commercial was very creative I would doubt my sanity if I looked in my toilet tank and saw this little man but it was a fun commercial.