#FlashbackFriday Puzzle

Take any of your photos, send it in the mail, and we’ll return your photo with today’s product!

And here’s another one for “Stuff I Saw on Nickelodeon,” filed among commercials where it just never really felt like it fit in. Because when there’s glow-in-the-dark wearable Lego-type blocks and that toy that travels on a string and picks up those cage-like balls, the non-toy commercials always just seemed so out of place.

Take today’s commercial, for instance.

The year is 1988, and some unnamed company wanted your photo with which to make an exciting family project/product…

I’m just as excited as you are.

Isn’t that font just totally 1970s?

The idea of having a photo made as a puzzle isn’t new or novel these days, but apparently, in 1988, you could send your photo off to a specified address, and get back a Kodak quality photo puzzle for a low price in just a few days. And as amazing as this sounds, the blue screen address doesn’t indicate the company name, but instead says to send your photo and $14.95 (plus $3 shipping and handling) to “Puzzle.”

Yes, “Puzzle.” Because necessary quotations.

And was every “As Seen On Basic Cable” product easily obtainable by calling 1-800-642-4000? This number must have gone to a warehouse where all the Blue Screen Commercial products were made. This was where you could also order Popeet from! What was going on behind the scenes at this 800 number? There isn’t even any information on the number’s use these days, so to me, it must be shady and underground.

Which is why it is perfect for basic cable advertising!

But hey, $17.95 total gets you a 100-piece puzzle for the whole family. Isn’t that…picture perfect?

Yeah, I know. Cheesy!

Have a fantastic Flashback Friday, and a great weekend!

2 comments

  1. My favorite of these ridiculous products was the “Laserbeam wristwatch”. I begged my parents for one of those, I thought it was the coolest watch ever made. Then someone at school got one and I saw it and realized they did me a favor by saying no. I don’t think it lasted an entire week.

    Liked by 1 person

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