Corny
The debut of Mad Men’s latest season makes one nostalgic for old ads. I had completely forgotten that Sugar Pops embraced an early western theme, but then again, it was the primary sponsor of the radio show, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickock, when the cereal debuted in 1951.
Back in 1972, when this commercial ran on TV, Sugar Pops and every other sugar laced cereal was unceremoniously banned from the Sockol household by my mother in response to my truly frightening dental bill. It seems that our pediatric dentist, Dr. Casper, detected more than a half a dozen cavities, and that meant the end of Sugar Pops, Sugar Smacks, Fruit Loops, and Lucky Charms. She didn’t even let us finish off the boxes left in our house.
After that, the closest we got to sugar cereals was Raisin Bran.
The other day, while shopping at a local supermarket, my son pulled out a box of Corn Pops, the new PC name of this villainous cereal. Imagine my surprise when I glanced at the new packaging and saw that it now touts itself as a good source of fiber (at least 10 percent of your daily requirement.)
The advertising was so audacious that I broke down and bought a box. What the heck. I have dental insurance now.
