#ThrowbackThursday Is A Hauntingly Wholesome Treat!

How often can you say that about anything you put in a trick-or-treat bag?

Two more days till Halloween, and we’ve gone from haunting songs, to board games about monsters. Now we’re up to the nostalgic commercial portion of our celebration…featuring more things that go bump in the night, only because they’re placed in the trick-or-treat bag, bumping around among other treats, and covered in chocolate deliciousness.

Today’s commercial comes to us from the magical year of 1985, and is for Quaker Oats Chewy Granola bars dipped in chocolate!

What gets these little monsters so excited for Halloween, aside from granola bars dipped in chocolate and catchy classic tunes re-written to fit the product’s narrative?

Well, the aforementioned product, of course!

Granola Dipps, a version of Quaker Oats Granola bars, are chewy granola bars dipped in milk chocolate. Quaker Oats introduced the granola bar into their growing line of breakfast and snack foods in 1981, and Dipps were introduced in 1984, in chocolate chip and peanut butter versions.

Dipps, along with the Chewy variety, are still available today. There is even a Dipps versions called Sloth-Tastic (vanilla cream-drizzled) and Llama Rama (chocolate drizzle with candy) versions.

Quaker Oats Company was founded in 1901 in New Jersey with the merger of four mills – Quaker Mill in Ravenna, Ohio, a cereal mill in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, American Oatmeal Company in Akron, Ohio, and The Rob Lewis & Co. American Oats and Barley Oatmeal Corporation. Quaker Mill held the trademark on the name, and that name is has stuck around ever since.

The jingle for this commercial takes the Beach Boys’ song “Barbara Ann,” with other commercials taking on “Get A Job,” and other classic rock songs. This was a trend in the 1980s with other brands and products – taking classic rock and changing the lyrics to fit the advertised product.

There was even a cardboard record (five versions in all) called Great Moments in Rock ‘n Roll – a giveaway in Chewy Dipps boxes – where you had to stick around to the end of the narrative on the record to see if you were a winner. This must have been from 1986, as it mentions Pretty in Pink.

Upload via Robert Bass

Losing never sounded so good, with applause and an adoring crowd under “We’re sorry you’re not a winner in the Quaker Oates Granola Dipps Great Moments in Rock ‘n Roll Sweepstakes.”

I actually like Chewy Granola Bars (especially with chocolate chips). I’ve had the Dipps version, and they’re basically a candy bar that masquerades as healthy, which makes them a reasonable alternative to traditional candy bars on Halloween.

Though I’d personally rather have a candy bar.

I’m not picky.

Have a great Throwback Thursday!

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