1. The Smoking Baby Ad
One of the strangest things to look back on from the ’60s is just how normal cigarette ads seemed. One commercial actually featured a baby, smiling and happy, while the parents were encouraged to relax with a smoke. Today, that feels completely unthinkable, but at the time, it was just part of the culture. Parents didn’t question it, and the companies leaned into the idea of cigarettes being sophisticated and calming.
It’s hard to believe that what now seems like an obvious health hazard was promoted with family-friendly imagery. You can almost picture someone lighting up while cradling their newborn without realizing the risks. It’s a perfect example of how advertising reflected the social norms of the time. What was once seen as harmless relaxation now looks wildly out of place and uncomfortable.
2. Kool-Aid Man Before the Kool-Aid Man
Before the giant pitcher came crashing through walls in the ’70s, Kool-Aid’s commercials were surprisingly subdued and a bit odd. One ad from the ’60s featured a group of kids gathering around a bowl of Kool-Aid like it was a sacred ritual. The tone felt more cult-like than fun, with everyone chanting about how delicious it was.
Compared to the bright, goofy character that came later, these earlier ads feel almost eerie. The kids were just way too enthusiastic, and the camera lingered on them drinking as though it were some magical potion. Watching it now, it’s more unsettling than cheerful. The transition to the animated pitcher suddenly makes a lot of sense.
3. Ajax White Knight
Cleaning products had some wild mascots in the ’60s, but the Ajax White Knight might be the strangest. In the commercial, a man in a full suit of armor would ride in on a horse to “defeat” dirt. He’d then spray or sprinkle cleaning powder, and the mess would magically disappear.
What makes it so odd is how serious the knight seemed about his job. It looked more like a medieval drama than a household cleaning ad. Kids were probably more entertained than the moms who were the target audience. Today, it feels like a fever dream—mixing Camelot with kitchen scrubbing.
4. Marlboro Man Meets Suburbia
Everyone remembers the Marlboro Man as the rugged cowboy, but there was a brief run of commercials where he was oddly plopped into suburban settings. He’d be shown grilling in the backyard or relaxing by the pool with neighbors. Instead of roaming wide-open plains, he was handing someone a lighter at a block party.
It was such a strange mismatch of imagery. The whole appeal of the Marlboro Man was his independence and toughness, but these ads tried to bring that energy into a very ordinary setting. It almost made him seem less cool and more like your chain-smoking neighbor. Looking back, it doesn’t quite work and definitely feels out of context.
5. Soothing Soda for Tummy Troubles
There were commercials in the ’60s that promoted certain sodas as remedies for indigestion or even mild sickness. The ads would show a family member drinking a fizzy pop after a big meal to “settle the stomach.” Instead of being positioned as a sugary treat, the soda was practically marketed like medicine.
It’s strange because now we associate soda with the exact opposite of health. Watching a family doctor recommend it on TV just doesn’t line up with modern thinking. But back then, it was totally normal to believe carbonation and sugar could fix digestive problems. Seeing those ads today makes you want to double-check if they were even real.
6. Rice Krispies with a Jingle That Never Ends
Snap, Crackle, and Pop were already iconic by the ’60s, but one particular ad took their jingle way too far. Instead of a quick, catchy song, the characters sang a drawn-out, nearly two-minute-long tune about cereal. They repeated the name over and over, almost to the point of hypnosis.
By the end of the commercial, it felt more like a musical performance than an ad. Parents must have been driven crazy by kids singing it nonstop afterward. What was supposed to be fun comes across as overwhelming and strange when you watch it today. It’s a good reminder that sometimes, less really is more.
7. The Dancing Cigarettes
Another odd cigarette ad from the ’60s featured animated cigarettes that actually sang and danced. They lined up like chorus girls, tapping across the screen and forming shapes with smoke. The whole thing was presented as lighthearted and fun, making smoking look like a glamorous hobby.
It feels bizarre now because we know the risks, but at the time it was considered cutting-edge advertising. Pairing health hazards with cartoon entertainment is something you just wouldn’t see today. Watching it now feels more like satire than a real ad. The disconnect makes it one of the strangest commercials of its era.
8. Chef Boy-Ar-Dee Space Food
When space exploration was all the rage, Chef Boy-Ar-Dee tried to ride the wave with ads showing astronauts eating canned pasta. The message was that it was futuristic, convenient, and fit for space travel. The imagery included rockets, flashing lights, and kids pretending they were blasting off while slurping spaghetti.
What makes it funny now is how far from “space food” canned ravioli really is. NASA was actually working with dehydrated meals and scientific nutrition, while Chef Boy-Ar-Dee leaned on sci-fi fantasy. The disconnect makes the commercial charmingly odd. It’s a slice of history that shows how advertisers tried to cash in on the space race.
9. Alka-Seltzer’s Stop Motion Adventure
Alka-Seltzer became famous for its “Plop Plop, Fizz Fizz” jingle, but one ’60s ad really took it to another level. Using stop motion, the tablets were animated to bounce and dance before plopping into water. They acted like characters in their own little story before fizzing away.
It was visually creative but also pretty weird to watch. The tablets seemed almost alive, which was both entertaining and unsettling. The animation style makes it feel more like a quirky short film than a commercial. Looking back, it’s more surreal than convincing.
10. Cigarettes for Christmas
Yes, people really gave cigarettes as holiday gifts, and the ads proudly encouraged it. One ’60s commercial showed festive boxes of smokes wrapped in bows, with smiling families exchanging them under the tree. The tone was cheerful, as if cigarettes were the ultimate thoughtful present.
Today, the idea is shocking. It feels jarring to see such a casual connection between family celebrations and smoking. What was once a normal gift idea is now one of the strangest cultural snapshots of the time. It perfectly captures how different social norms were back then.
11. Jell-O with Vegetables
Jell-O ads in the ’60s often featured recipes that make us scratch our heads today. One commercial proudly promoted mixing peas, carrots, and even tuna into a lime-flavored gelatin mold. Families were shown smiling as they cut into this bizarre concoction at dinner.
The ad made it seem like the height of culinary creativity. But now, it looks like the kind of recipe you’d find in a “worst retro food” list. Watching the commercial today, it’s hard not to laugh at how seriously it was presented. Strange doesn’t even begin to cover it.
12. Shampoo with Egg Yolk
There was a popular shampoo ad that bragged about being made with real egg yolk. The commercial showed women cracking eggs into their hair like it was the ultimate beauty secret. It was marketed as luxurious and natural, the kind of thing movie stars supposedly did.
Now it just sounds messy and unpleasant. The glossy ad tone doesn’t match the reality of raw egg dripping down your face. It’s one of those commercials that makes you grateful for modern haircare. Looking back, it’s both strange and oddly fascinating.
13. Instant Coffee’s “Happy Homemaker”
Instant coffee was booming in the ’60s, and one commercial leaned into the stereotype of the “perfect wife.” It showed a woman instantly making coffee whenever her husband wanted it, with a big smile. The entire ad revolved around pleasing him, as if the coffee was a magic trick for keeping a household happy.
The messaging feels incredibly outdated now. It’s hard to imagine such a one-sided portrayal running on TV today. The tone makes it seem almost satirical, but it was completely earnest at the time. That’s what makes it such a strange watch in hindsight.
14. Hamm’s Beer Cartoon Bear
Beer ads in the ’60s weren’t immune to odd mascots either. Hamm’s Beer became known for a cartoon bear who danced around to a catchy jingle about “the land of sky blue waters.” The bear would frolic through forests, paddle canoes, and generally have a great time, all while beer cans appeared on screen.
It’s strange to think of an animated animal promoting alcohol. The style felt more like a Saturday morning cartoon than an ad for adults. Watching it today, it comes across as goofy and completely out of place. But it was surprisingly effective at the time, making it one of the most memorable yet strangest commercials of the ’60s.
