Detroit Zoo Ad from the 80s

[vgmc7650]

...and later it was featured on a national TV show on NBC (TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes). Can't beat that!

[msnangiej]

I remember this!

[jfuller247]

Awesome.. How often did they show this, cuz I remember almost every word!!!

[MsRonnieG5]

Wow I remember this whole commercial!

[yndotguy]

What the heck does the prarie dog say? Is that spanish?? LOL

[m100p]

50 watts for channel baby cakes!

[Isis905]

Oh wow...does this bring back memories. I still use the "my lines, my lines, I can't remember my lines aw-oh" and the crooning / Dean Martin flamingo line. Of course my 14 year old daughter has no clue about it so when I say it, I only get a laugh from my husband.

[marvchomer]

Awesome memories! I was mouthing a lot of the words--I could still remember them after all those years. Awesome commercial!!!

[Akira625]

This was used in my area for the Baltimore Zoo back in the day. :)

[themartinedaley]

All time favorite commercial

[benho6251]

Absolutely the finest commercial advertising a zoo, ever.

[SEVENMILERYDER]

i remember this !! ahhh , back in the day.....

[MJBoyagian]

love it from years ago!! (I'm about 45)

[jackie4leafclover5]

best commercial ever lol

[subie403]

Love this commercial! It makes me smile! :)

[armofinfant]

thanks for positng

[5stringofFernandoSor]

6 haters? Must be from Ohio.

[camerondiaztwin]

@5stringofFernandoSor - LOL! You get my vote for best commnt on this thread ;)~

[awesomenerdynerd]

for some reason my cursor is drawn to the replay button every time the video ends.

[awesomenerdynerd]

"wrong way guys" "Nice going Melvin" lol my fave part

[thistleccr]

Thanks. I love this ad. wish they made more like it!!!

[KathyRon]

They need to just replay this ad again just for the fun of it!

[joannejoyce]

This ad was on TV during my first visit back to the USA after moving to Australia in 1980. Very few ads are funnier than this one.

[jimbradleymusic]

I used to love this commercial as a kid.

[UPdrafter906]

nice goin melvin!

[platinumplax]

Classic

[DanNussear]

A Michigan Classic! Thanks for bringing us back.

[JeremyKonstenius]

That commercial takes me all the way back. I've seen it hundreds of times and have visited the Zoo hundreds of times. I grew up right next to the place. I had all kinds of weird dreams and paranormal experiences as a result of being in close proximity to the place.

[Isis905]

My lines, my lines...I can't remember my lines...oooh-ho. Man do I remember that one! I still recite this one.

[jvlivs2]

I'm gettin' old for real. Ain't seen this since elementary school!

[joyceannpumpkin]

definately a flashback from my youth....one and two and...

[lemonrind]

Stupid flamingos think they're so great, but they're not.

[RadcliffOfCrymod]

@lemonrind The pink flamingos are the worst! :D

[nrobot22]

Classic

[sarah246awsome]

awwe thats cute! i loved the penguins and the tookan sounded like mario lol i like it! :)

[Tazzman]

Fox2 did a remake of this promo only to have it flop big time! This promo is irreplacable!!!

[mohawk1020]

ahh yes the Detroit Zoo in... Royal Oak?

[nell1977]

lol i defintely remember this from my youth

[Mervielle]

This ad was used by multiple zoos in the US during the 80s - not sure if ad was created originally for Detroit zoo - but it is a classic - thanks for loading for us to enjoy!!!

[jenniferruud]

@Mervielle i think it was initially made for just the detroit zoo...a local ad agency called donor created it and even won awards for it. so...i guess it makes sense that they got more business from it...!

[rpelzer]

@Mervielle I can confirm that.... WB Doner Agency did it for Detroit originally, and it was so wildly popular that other zoos wanted to use it too, so they edited-out the Detroit-specific details and changed the voiceover to "...your public zoo..."

[lleitner1]

@Mervielle

This was created by The WB Doner ad agency in Detroit for the Detroit Zoo. They did recut it for use by other zoos around the country.

[nwarshay]

My friends

[LisaBaby67]

I loved this commercial when I was a kid. 

[rezek71]

WOW! I haven't seen this commercial since I was like 7. Great!!

Detroit is looking like Iraq these days though.

[dirtwbag]

let ME talk to your agent.. hahahaha

[gingermiller531]

TOTALLY remember this from when I was a kid. :)

[torrid426]

Ya visit the Zoo just don't get lost in Detroit.

[MarnieReeves]

@torrid426 The Detroit Zoo isn't actually in Detroit, it's in Huntington Woods at 10 Mile and Woodward.

[nell1977]

@MarnieReeves but its owned by city of detroit, and run by the detroit zoo society

[RadcliffOfCrymod]

Wow, I was only 3 years old when this first aired, but I still remember it. I was quite fond of the little chipmunk/gopher/mole/whatever it was. :D

AMICOSETITOCORONEBADTAD!!

[nicka727]

My lines, my lines, I can't remember my lines uh oh, My make up, My make up. Calssic Detroit

P.S. "This place is a zoo"

[RadcliffOfCrymod]

Wardrobe, I say WARDROBE!

[winter224]

Sorry but this is just one of my favorite commercial. I need their agent!!!

[kenny32lewis]

I used to love this video, they need to remake it in an updated version!

[lilbittyprincess]

lol

[nawtykatt]

OMG!!!!!!! I soooo love this commercial. thank you sooooo much for posting! My fav part, my makeup, my makeup.... i wanna talk to my agent, let me talk to ur agent!... PRICELESS!!!!! U gotta love Detroit! :0)

[stevienick218]

Just wanted to say I'm originally from the Detroit area but now live where it's a bit warmer but this is my all time favorite commercial!!!!!

[yooperlooper]

best zoo commercial ever!

[DealioMax]

These commercials are so memorable! Love em!

[Counseloration]

0:40 is my favorite part.

[nathanbalcom]

Hah love this one.

[dmariomc]

they had this commercial for almost every zoo in the US. we had one for the Oklahoma City Zoo.

[itzhim313]

Thanks for posting this vid this comercial is classic and I was watching Eddie Murphy's Dr. Doolittle and it reminded me of this commerical when all the animals start coming in his house lol. I could still remember the "my makeup my makeup" and the "let me talk to your agent" lines before I watched this video. I love this commercial 4 life, 313 stand up!

[missingkalest]

I still remember this damn commercial by heart :P

[downriverdon]

Love that commercial!

[IamHPilla]

0:30 used 2 be my favorite part when i was little

[she9829]

Classic commerical. Thanks for posting.

[DetroitShadows]

Is that Alton Brown?!?!!?

[uofmrules1]

I remember seeing a cheesy version of this for the Toledo Zoo on one of their affiliates.

[MotownGirl88]

"Nice goin' Melvin" LOL That's my favourite part!

[pakmidland]

a straight up Detroit classic

[hardplayproductions]

Love it!

[nickonoise]

Oh wow. I remember this tv ad.. Thanks for the memories.

[megaman2160]

was it true the detroit zoo use to have snow leopards?

[dimp10]

Thanks for posting! I remember we would recite this commercial word-for-word in elementary school! We all loved this commercial!

[uofmrules1]

Hell I used to be able to recite this commercial virtually verbatim.

[MotorCity1370]

"Nice going, Melvin!"..."Hey, no shoving! Who's shoving?" It's been over 25 years and this commercial still makes me laugh out loud!

[JustinWoodley]

I Love Detroit !!!

[wiredpup]

I remember this from when I was a kid. Great commercial.

[cphershon]

I found this old commercial very amusing! I watched it right to the end!

[DetroitShadows]

Is that Alton Brown from good eats? Cause it really likes/sounds like him

[Berlitz777]

Wow this is a great commerical. I remeber it when I was 10.

[TheFaustianMan]

I know this may sound stupid, but I am not from the area. What was Detroit like at this time? How was it different than it is now?

[455Transam]

I was born in 1960 in Detroit.

It was a good hard working family orientated city....both my parents worked on and off (because of lay-offs in the auto industry. My grandfather worked for FORD his whole life on the line.

Now it's a place I wouldn't want to visit let alone live.........some of the the suburbs arn't bad though.

[trustedfaith]

Detroit is nice. The neighborhoods aren't, but downtown is still really nice. And the suburbs are just like anywhere else. So whoever wrote this has an obvious irritance with Detroit for whatever reason.

- Born and raised here in Detroit, and still am.

-J

[455Transam]

You must be living in a fantasy world trustedfaith.....or you don't get out much!

You say "Detroit is nice but the neighborhoods arn't that's a problem neighborhoods are what make a city. I was born and raised in Detroit and lived there for 25 years I'll admit it's a shithole!! Most of Downtown is a ghost town, with only a few areas worth visiting. The economy and jobs have ALWAYS been a problem there since the 1980's....that's why I left in 1986

"Detroit is nice" you say...compared to what??

[auntbecky]

How about Tampa, now this is a real rat hole.

[twatpopper72]

oh my damn....! I was 10 at the time. O the memories. Cant stop laughing here! Thanks for posting. This really does conjure up some good memories. again... thanks!

[stillrob420]

BA ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba boo

[stillrob420]

"the detroit zoo will open in 5 mins!"

[AmethystCherokee]

I remember this...I was 9 in 1982!

[dahoss65]

I remember this commercial. lol

[vonnie1213]

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this commercial! I STILL quote it to people and it's amazing how many remember it! I say we start a petition to have it put back on air here in MI! It's a classic and something THIS generation should hear!

[eurogirl]

Awesome, I'm not the only one who goes through life quoting this commercial. I agree, we should get this one back into circulation!!

[leshager]

ok guys this way!

wrong way guys

keep goin' milton!

they used to play different shorter versions of it

[elise8122]

Wow, my sis and I used to LOVE this commerical...

[06alwilliams]

I remember seeing this video when I was a kid. We used to have cable and could get channel 4 and this commercial used to come on on Sunday mornings. I used to love this thanks for posting this!!!

[blueeagle48180]

I still quote this at work. It withstands time.

[weirdo46939]

I remember this commercial, I haven't heard it in years and could still quote it. One of those things burned into your memory as a kid like someone else said LOL

[derryk1]

Great commercial but it was also shown nationally for local zoos. They just tagged it a little differently at the end. In my case the National Zoo Wash D.C., and the Baltimore Zoo. This is a timeless spot that aired from the early 80's to the early 90's (in the mid-atlantic market). It's not that dated, so maybe they can still air it from time to time, I hope.

[askaree9]

No it was not a national ad it was done in the early 80's around 81 or 82. Yes it is that dated. It did win a lot of awards both locally and nationally. there was an attempt to redo it late 90's early 2000. Wasn't as good, maybe that's the one your talking about.

[derryk1]

This was the exact same commercial that they show here in the Wash DC/Balt region back in the early eighties and ran it for about ten years on TV here. I was in jr. high school when this ad came out and when in college, in my advertising class it was part of our most memorable TV commercials studies. Yes I'm in the ad business now doing commercials much like this for television. ;-)

[todd1aj]

To this day, I still quote this commercial. Burned into my memory from childhood.

[SirFone]

I occasionally do the same; what a great commercial this is!

[po0tie]

Man, I remember this so well!!!

[FedExPIAR]

Wow, I remember this. Many, many years ago.

[rave2phat]

This was my favorite commercial growing up!

[lindsayerika]

I'm an actress and, for years now, every time I get that five minute call before a show my brain starts going through all these lines. And having left Michigan 8 years ago I'm always surrounded by folks who have NO idea what the hell I'm quoting. This is so awesome that now I can finally just show them!

[Colorscheme]

Too funny! I'm an artist by profession who does community theatre from time to time, and I go through the same thing before the curtain. For me, it's more the age gap between me and my younger cast mates rather than geography.

My oft most quoted line is the "Hey, this place is a zoo!" in that Jimmy Durante voice that's applicable just about anywhere.

BUT! Does anyone remember a very cool line drawing animal metamorphosis commercial? Maybe also for the Detroit zoo? Can't seem to find it...

[askaree9]

yep I do

[MyHeadRadioFan]

HELL YEAH, Kid BITZ!!!! What about the "here dog, come on dog" commercial??

My Head Radio RULES!!!

[MyHeadRadioFan]

Kid BITZ, HELL YEAH!! How about the "here dog, come on dog" commercial?

My Head Radio RULES!!!

[cowtippingrocks]

Do you have any Kidbits episodes?

[pennman82]

I wish SOMEBODY would put those up..I miss waking up at 6 a.m. to hear the show's theme song blaring from the tv.

[cowtippingrocks]

ba da ba ba ba ba dop. lol.

[pennman82]

EXACTLY!!!!

[MotorCity1370]

I actually watched those when I was 9 or 10. Every Saturday morning, complete with Bugs Bunny cartoons mixed with those experiments done by Gary Ed Mach (I can't believe I remember that!).

[itzhim313]

Dam I had almost forgot about the Saturday morning science experiments lol.

[crlaw75]

The show was called KidBits. I remember this very well.

[ClaviusBase]

So funny how this commercial has stuck with me all these years.

Whenever myself or someone does something dumb or goofy I sometimes say "nice going melvin" just like the monkey. It's just become that ingrained in my subconcious.

One of the more memorable commercials ever.

And by the way, I recently voted YES on the milllage to support the Zoo. There's so little good left in Detroit to get behind. I'm going to make damn sure it sticks around for my kids and their kids.

[rpelzer]

Truly charming. Yes, This commercial was commissioned for the Detroit Zoo, and was so popular that other zoos around the country started requesting to use it with their own graphics overlaid, and eventually as a generic PSA for "Your Local Zoo". That's why the specific zoo is only shown in overlay graphics and heard in voiceovers, never spoken on-camera by the guy with the megaphone. W.B. Doner planned for generic use, and man, did they get awards for this one

[RedM00ch]

i went there today

[kgoundan]

Wow, I remember this commercial well. It brings me back to my Metro Detroit childhood.

[sweetdaddycoconut]

Wow really?

[karimcheese]

um, wow!

[looski520]

I love the Detroit Zoo... I miss the elephants and I am sad because they had to put one into an eternal sleep...

[sarahsmellsbad123]

in love with the det zoo

[knowlife]

classic

[xxtaylerxx]

Wow...I SO remember this commercial...I think?

:D

I grew up in Sarnia, Ont. and had a chance to visit the old Detriot Zoo once...it was great!

*luv*

[mlb167]

I am so glad to have found this commercial. It's one of the best commercials ever made. Thanks for posting!

[Spanglemaker42]

Old Detroit love

[hardavmot]

What a great commerical

[eritripp]

Hello mmb5...I have just watched this commercial about 5 x...It never gets old. Thnx so much 4 posting it...I will probably watch this everyday 4 awhile...

"I wanna talk 2 my agent...Let meeee talk 2 ur agent...ha ha ha." Hilarious!!!

[lisad1213]

ohhhhhhhh I LOOOOOOOOOVED This commercial as a kid!!!!!!!! Thank you, Thank you, THANK you for uploading. I know here in Detroit, they recently had contest for people to do voices for a new similar commercial. Havent seen it air yet.

[Tazzman]

Fox2 did redo this and it did not go over big. It was very boring. You just cannot replace orginality and whoever did this one, did it great!

[Cranberry333]

OMG . . . this is when the Detroit Zoo was the DETROIT ZOO!!!  It's just not the same as I remember when I was little.

[jimelek]

Thanks for bringing back the memories!

"Let ME talk to your agent!"

[xNightshadex]

I love this commercial! My daughter is 18, and I have been saying, "five minutes please" forever. Tonight I finally was able to show her why. Thanks so much, you made my day!!

[jschumann3]

I was so excited to see this commercial again. My family has quoted it for years -- thank you so much for posting it!

[shaunfalco]

Thank you SO MUCH for posting this! I may have been a kid, but I remember ALL of this!

[danyell2008]

That just gave me chills,,I loved that commercial,,"my makeup,,my makeup" LOL

[mzroulette]

This is my favorite commercial of all time. I have driven my teens crazy by quoting it all thier lives. They won a Clio award for this commercial...

So glad it's on youtube

[GasHouseGangScout]

That was a great commercial!

[abx9]

OMG!!! My best friend and I are from the D and we sooooo remember this commercial. I played it for her through the phone and she was in tears...thanks for taking us back!!

[mtgflyboy]

Spent yesterday at the San Diego Zoo. Found myself quoting lines from this commercial several times ... no big surprise there! Seeing this again brought back lots of great hometown memories as well. This commercial will never get old!

[msmo71]

"Nice goin', Melvin"! To be a kid again. Thanks 4 posting.

[gjs78]

Detroit Zoo should use this commercial again

[Tazzman]

TV stations have a problem with old things. This is actually a PSA (Public Service Announcement), not a commerical, therefore, theer is no charge for airing this. Someone ought to make a DVD with local commericals, PSAs, etc on it! We had some good ones here in the 60s, 70s and 80s!

[beachgal890]

this is so funny

[maeganec]

I love this commercial! Takes me back to my childhood! I'm so happy it's out on You Tube!

[4feline]

I'm gonna go grab my elephant key out of my jewelry box! Loved this commercial!

[Keylime312]

I love this commercial!Seriously, Youtube is fantastic. I woke up today, thought of this ad and found it immediately. Wow! Technology!!

[brumbaug]

I loved this ad! I was just talking about it with my Fiancee and am so happy someone posted it. My makeup! My makeup!

[extremejm]

Hey ftmjake, I loved those elephant keys! Unfortunately I was unable to rescue my key before my grandparents both passed away. Great commercial!

[pfunkyfize]

Oh i so remember this ad in the 4th grade....what a great blast from the past - the Spanish speaking rodents my fave...

[kdizzle79]

AAAAHHHH! I remember this ad!

[NoSeaChusma]

Makes me think of cartoons after school on WKBD! Can it really be 25 years old?!

[terrijane61]

LOL!! How cute! We still say our workplace is a Zoo!!!

[algonacchick]

I remember this ad. I loved it. The Detroit Zoo has a new one now. If anyone could get a clip of that, it would be great! Thanks for posting this.

[ftmjake]

This clip is great. I just rescued our old elephant key from a drawer at my grammas place while I visited Michigan this past week! I LOVED this commercial.

[WingNut13]

Thanks a million for this; always loved it!

[StoogeAtHeart]

Great clip! I remember other Detroit Zoo commercials too. Anyone have the one(s) where kids sing "Talk to the Animals"?

[yager1rc]

What a great memory! I still remember "nice goin Melvin" Thanks!

[coralprincess25]

Thank you for posting. I think about this commercial often. So clever and entertaining.

[pinkparfait]

Oh wow! I had forgotten completely about this commercial until now! I remember the "My lines, my lines, I can't remember my lines" and "My makeup, my makeup" parts like it was yesterday! I think this commercial must have ran in the mid to late 80's as well. Thank you mmb5 for posting this!

[mdumas43073]

Great nugget from the past.

The background music, incidentally, is from the movie "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World".

[GSU87]

25 years later and I still quote this commercial at work..'This place is a zoo!"

[bluelily17]

aww the Detorit Zoo!

[k8cpa]

I loved this commerical as a kid. It's still funny. I personally like the bear..."Take it from me, you just gotta keep cool"... I can do that voice so well too. thanks for the memories from the crazy 1980's!

Chuck "Hey! No Shoving" Adkins :~)

[ProductionX]

I still favored The Toledo Zoo over Detroit's personally (having lived here all my life is the reason).

[DourifGirl]

yes!!! toledo zoo kicks ass

[ProductionX]

At least someone remembers, of course the Toledo Zoo used to be a lot different the way I remember it back in the 80's when they just got sold off from the city to a zoological society.

[WhateverMcPants]

Holy moley flashback.

THANK YOU!!!!

[mememechrissy]

OMGOODNESS I still quote this commercial when I take my kiddos to our local Zoo. This makes me homesick and I agree with djravery someone should suggest running it again. THANKS FOR POSTING IT, you made my day!!!

[djravery]

OMG this commercial is etched into my psyche from watching too much TV as an 8 year old. I agree, they should run it again, as it would bring in folks on the nostalgia factor....great vid

[nandurisin]

I have been quoting this commercial since I was a litte kid. It's a great commercial that never gets old. The Zoo should use this as advertisement today!

[IvoryTower]

I remember that.