Jingles we can never forget
David Russell writes: "In the early 50s advertising jingles brightened commercial radio," writes David Russell. "Products like Bushells tea, Halo shampoo, Kolynos and Ipana toothpaste as well as others all had catchy tunes and lyrics. My twin brother and I would go to bed at night and see which of us could sing the most jingles without making a mistake ... It was a lot of fun but unfortunately commercial jingles became very popular and the sheer number of them became impossible to remember so we eventually gave up. I still remember the lyrics to a number of them and I'm 74. Such is the power of advertising."
Keans' cowboy rides out of town
"Keans clothing store in Queen St had the landmark neon sign of the cowboy with the swinging lasso and glowing cigarette," remembers Ross. "They also had a catchy radio jingle: 'For guys and gals in 20s and teens, there's colourful comfort in Boss jeans from Keans'. The cowboy moved to the Armadillo restaurant and bar in Symonds St in the 90s. Then to Ohakune. I wonder where it ended up."
Pranksters' japes as old as the phone
In 1884, the telephone was only 8 years oldwhen one of the first prank calls made the media. An undertaker in Providence, Rhode Island gets a phone call,"Mr Smith is dead," gasps the voice on the end of the line. "Please come quickly." When the undertaker turned up, the "dead" man answered the door. By the early 1900s, pranksters were using "While You Were Out" slips to trick people into becoming prank callers themselves. They'd leave a message saying that a particular person had telephoned, and how that person supposedly could be reached. When the victim returned the call, they'd find themselves asking for, say, a Mr Fish at the New York Aquarium. In 1920, the Milwaukee city morgue was apparently tied up so long fielding calls for Mr Graves and Mr Stiff, they "failed for an hour and 45 minutes to inform the coroner of the death of a patient."
Granddad keeps talking to vegetables
Wendy Newton from Birkenhead writes: "My granddaughter heard me say her grandfather takes ages to do errands because he always finds an old codger to talk to. When he was leaving to play bowls, granddaughter shouted: 'Granddad don't bring any old courgettes home with you!'"
