Original Raid commercial, from 1948

The original Raid insecticide commercial, from 1948.
Source material from the Internet Archive. Public domain material.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• raid
• commercial

[6motion6]

The statement "kills them dead" is redundant. Perhaps the writer of this ad was accidentally sprayed w/Raid and consequently suffered brain. damage.

[fromthesidelines]

These ads were first seen around 1960; the announcer is Bob LeMond. Animated commercials were more sophisticated (and better produced) in the late '50s than a decade before [see Sid Glenar's 1949-'50 "Pabst Blue Ribbon" ads for an example].

[koolinturn]

lol I'm surprised the bugs weren't portrayed by nazis.

[6motion6]

@CerebralEntrophy Good point.!

[clintonearlwalker]

@CerebralEntrophy All I know is that the bug sprays used to work when I was a kid. The spray companies used to compete to make their product more deadly than their competitors because that's what people would buy. When we were kids everyone in the neighborhood had a can of bug spray usually a different brand. We would spray bugs to see which was most effective. A spider never lived more than 2 seconds around here after it was sprayed. Now they don't even die after spraying.

[clintonearlwalker]

@CerebralEntrophy Yeah, bub, I miss products that worked. We are current infested with Chinese stink bugs, lady bugs, gypsy moths, mosquitos, ticks and several others. None of these bugs were around when I was a kid and you could by insecticides that worked. The diseases carried by these pests are probably far worse then any danger from effective pest control measures. You can't buy those things any more, only watered down versions. Idiot.

[clintonearlwalker]

Back when I was a kid in the late 1960's the bug spray people competed to see who could make the most deadly spray, I remember Raid and Black Flag, but there were several others also. They ALL worked better that the bug stuff now, I sprayed a stinkbug with bug spray the other day and it didn't even die. I miss Chlorodane, DDT and others you could buy :(

[pierre72ify]

@NanaNarcotic Yes Raid's been tormenting my poor bugs both in real life and the cartoons for 63 years! I'd give anything to go back to when they only had the sprays 'til about 1980. Since then they've had roach traps, foggers and fumigators, sterilizing baits, etc! The sprays and baits get worse by the year. Many of my bugs real or cartoon who were tough/well hidden enough to laugh at the sprays are finding themselves and their unborn dead at the hands of these new deadlier products.

[pierre72ify]

@6motion6 Yes I E-mailed S.C. Johnson 5 times asking them to check out my site about their ads (Raid Bug Drama in flickr/groups), but I guess they're too busy making money to pay attention to sentimental stuff. In my 20's I put my touching stuff into reality protecting roaches in tanks during a fumigation. But the exterminator found them and destroyed them all on me. So I experienced a real-life version of a devastating Raid commercial. Check out my site if you like anybody.

[6motion6]

@pierre72ify That's a touching story-you should tell it to the company that makes Raid. What a fine product!

[NanaNarcotic]

I NEVER KNEW RAID WAS SO OLD! XD