Johnny Smoke psa 1960's anti smoking

More storyboard than animation, this creepy little toon from the late 1960's was the Heart Association's spaghetti-western rebuttal to the Marlboro Man. There wasn't enough "proof" back then for the Lung Association to sponsor this.

A friend sent me a dvd (made from vhs which was made from 16mm film, hence the poor quality) of some 1967-68 TV episodes with original commercials. If you're wondering, some people collect videos that way. Anyway, I watched it thru and was shocked to find Johnny Smoke at the very end. I was probably 5 years old when it aired, and have a slim memory of it being both disturbing and entertaining. I'm glad to find others who remember him, though given how he traumatized my generation, perhaps he did his job too well.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• psa
• TV
• anti
• smoking
• cigarettes

[SubmarinerAndroid]

This glamourises 'Johnny Smoke' more than it demonizes him.

The unsettling look is like a no-budget Fantastic Planet.

[Spiritgumm]

@SubmarinerAndroid

Johnny would be perfectly at home with the talking junk food of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" on Adult Swim. I'd think he would have made a guest appearance by now.

[000266617]

We are all breaking You Tube rules by having an intelligent discussion without racial slurs or childish insults. We could get banned for this type of talk.

But this cartoon was great and should have returned because the tobacco company used "Joe Camel" and other things to sell cigerettes to kids (see the Flintstones ciggerette ad?) Good bye. Just had to add that.

[natedash11]

@MrNickolas924 times have changed, cigarette ads are banned, and the only smoking psa campaign up at the moment is truth, but it's are rare occurance to see it on tv, though there is a quit smoking ad circulating Indiana right now, it's quit smoking Indiana if you're interested.

[Artraccoon]

I'm glad to see that I wasn't the only one creeped out by Johnny Smoke. It got a point when I was a kid, I'd hide or flee the room. Funny thing is, my childhood memory of JS , he has red glowing eyes...and stares @ you!!

[coolsomeXD]

Johnny Smoke is awesome

[MrNickolas924]

Im 12 and that is creepy but thats a good thing i think why dont they have commercials like that anymore?

[casestudyification]

@TVFREAKMAN Wow, nightmares, huh? I didn't have nightmares, but it scared the crap out of me. Frankly, even at 46 I can still see the guy marching toward me with that face, and it still gives me chills!

[TVFREAKMAN]

@casestudyification

OMG! I remember that one well. It gave me nightmares as a kid. I think it was from the Jewish anti-defamation league.

[casestudyification]

Does anybody remember the anti-hate animated PSA where the guy gets more and more mad and then he blows up? Really creepy. Is that one anywhere on Youtube?

[kevc21]

Creepy. Scary. Highly effective. Did it's job. I was a little kid then. And between Johnny Smoke, and John Paul John (drived a snow plow around his house, Where There's Smoke), and anti-LSD messages, and weirdo Peter Max posters, and Flower Hippies, etc. I was scared spit-less to smoke, dope, get stoned or drunk. I'm now 50, and glad it worked. Sadly, didn't work on my stupid 20 something kids.

[jimbritttn]

Ain't it the truth!!!! Smokers are as much drug addicts as heroin users; the only difference? Tobacco kills more people and is legal!

When you addicts are dying at 40 don't cry to taxpayers to pay your expenses!