Yep, I remember! Feel nostalgic and name these classic Charlotte commercials
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Long before DVR existed (thank you fast-forward button), an evening of television meant commercial after commercial as local and national advertisers peddled products over the airwaves. Some commercials were as entertaining as the shows themselves, while others … well, not so much.
Charlotte TV viewers have endured plenty of doozies over the years (Furniture Man, anyone?), along with some pretty epic commercials that will forever live in our hearts and heads.
Go ahead and grab some popcorn to take a walk down memory lane with these eight nostalgic local commercials that are just so classically Charlotte.
Classic Charlotte TV ads
Bojangles: ‘Show Me the Chicken’
Back when he wasn’t throwing 85-yard passes in the Super Bowl, former Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme starred in a series of Bojangles commercials. This one, a spoof off the famous “Show me the Money!” line from Jerry Maguire, takes the cake. That cameo from Steve Smith helps cement this as one of the top Charlotte commercials of all time.
Morris Jenkins: ‘Late last night, I woke up sweating in my bed ...’
You probably lived under a rock if you grew up in Charlotte and never heard this commercial. (Or maybe you’re just not that old.) Long before Bobby and Mr. Jenkins became household names, this little Morris Jenkins jingle caught on like wildfire. Come on, sing with us, “Late last night, I woke up sweating in my bed, that old air conditioner, it was completely dead …”
P.S. If you’re feeling nostalgic, check out the Morris Jenkins jingle remix, released last month.
Classic Carowinds: ‘Nothing’s more fun’
Here’s another jingle we won’t forget. “Nothing’s more fun than the thrills and the spills and the ups and downs …” This classic Carowinds commercial from 1987 is chocked full of nostalgia from days gone by. Remember Yogi Bear and Hanna Barbera Land? And who remembers back when the Southern Star was Frenzoid? Ah, good times.
Ty-D-bol: Featuring Larry Sprinkle
There was also a time when beloved Charlotte weatherman Larry Sprinkle donned a sailor suit and spoke from a toy boat inside a toilet. Seriously. Ty-D-bol Man sure made an impression.
Griffin Motor Company’s Horis & Doris
Move over Muppets. Slide over salesmen. Puppets Horis & Doris charmed their way onto the screen in a series of Griffin Motor Company commercials, even coming out of retirement years later proclaiming, “We may be oldies but we’re goodies.”
Jack in the Box: ‘I like Charlotte!’
Who else was a little creeped out by the big head Jack in the Box commercials? This one finds Jack trying to “blend in” in Charlotte, bowling with a ball that looks eerily like his head. Sure, we’d love to forget this commercial but we just can’t.
Apple Auto Sales: ‘We’re healin’’
The wig. The organ music. The slap sound effect. This now infamous Reverend Rob Apple Auto commercial has been living rent free in many Charlotteans’ heads since 1997. The “slap” was actually a M-1 carbon shotgun sound, which led to dozens of irate phone calls to local TV stations that eventually pulled the commercial.
Furniture Factory Outlet Mall: Furniture Man
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Furniture Man. In this series of commercials for Waxhaw-based Furniture Factory Outlet Mall, the owner dresses as a superhero. It’s a classic.
This story was originally published May 16, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
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