Messy Marvin and Hershey’s Syrup

As a kid, I was addicted to chocolate milk. I’d drink it with breakfast, with lunch and dinner as well. I’d even drink it after breakfast, in the afternoon, and before bed. Unfortunately my mother wouldn’t allow that. I was lucky to get it once a day. So when I watched commercials for Hershey’s Syrup, I’d pay attention, drooling at the chocolate goodness on the screen and be envious of whoever was lucky enough to be drinking the chocolate milk. In the early 80s, Hershey used Peter Billingsley, Ralphie from A Christmas Story, as Messy Marvin, a boy who made a mess out of everything, to sell it’s Hershey’s Syrup to the kids.

So, what is the premise of this commercial? You have:

1. A child who makes a mess out of everything.
2. A Chocolate Syrup that is easy to pour without making a mess.
3. Child proving that he can pour the chocolate, into a nice cold glass of milk, to prove it is easy and mess free.
4. The child, after proving the syrup is easy to pour without making a mess, proceeds to make a mess out of everything else.

As a kid, I loved the Hershey Syrup commercials with Peter Billingsley. He reminded me a lot of myself. I was short and had very blond hair. I wasn’t the neatest kid in the world and I made a lot of messes. Oh, and I loved chocolate milk. Looking at it today, it definitely is lame, but that 80s lame. You know, the lame that is lame, but really cool at the same time. It’s the kind of lame that you have had to live through, love, and now think lame. Does that make any sense to anyone but me? Oh well, I’m off to get some chocolate milk because I’m an adult now and can have it anytime I want. And right now, I really want some. Damn commercial, makes it looks so good and chocolaty and refreshing.