What was this commercial?!

[solidcorp]

I remember a TV commercial from the early 80's where I think a drill seargent barges in on some kids and asks them what they're playing, they say "Space Munchies" and he gives them the new game saying something like "This aint no namby pamby video game!" . Does anyone remember this?!

 

I've looked at every 2600 commercial on youtube and probably the rest of the web (including many copies of the Jack Black and Phil Heartman commercials) and can't find it. I have a feeling it may have been an alternalte Chopper Command commercial or maybe it was even for another game system.

 

It prompted me to write one of my first BASIC games on the Atari 400 - a joke version of Space Munchies, long lost on a tape in a landfill somewhere. I sure would like to see that commercial again.

[Blacklight]

I remember that one too but I can't remember the game. It might have been a Sega or Nintendo commercial.

Edited October 5, 2012 by Blacklight

[Schizophretard]

Stargate has Space Munchies in it.

[solidcorp]

Stargate has Space Munchies in it.

 

Hah, I didn't know that, but the Space Munchies in the commercial resembled PacMan *I think*.

 

I hope someone someday can come up with a link to this lost treasure.

[solidcorp]

I remember that one too but I can't remember the game. It might have been a Sega or Nintendo commercial.

 

No, it was earlier, I'm guessing 1979-1981-ish maybe Colecovision or Intellivision, but way before NES.

[The Future Soon]

I was born a few years after the NES came out, but I remember seeing a very similar commercial on TV when I was young. Maybe there was more than one commercial done in this style.

Edited October 6, 2012 by The Future Soon

[solidcorp]

Well, the NES came out in the US in 86, I graduated high school in 85 and I was a freshman or sophomore I think when this commercial was airing. I remember using my friend Burt's Atari 400 to program the Space Munchies joke game at his house before I had my computer.

[johnnyz]

I remember a TV commercial from the early 80's where I think a drill seargent barges in on some kids and asks them what they're playing, they say "Space Munchies" and he gives them the new game saying something like "This aint no namby pamby video game!" . Does anyone remember this?!

 

I've looked at every 2600 commercial on youtube and probably the rest of the web (including many copies of the Jack Black and Phil Heartman commercials) and can't find it. I have a feeling it may have been an alternalte Chopper Command commercial or maybe it was even for another game system.

 

It prompted me to write one of my first BASIC games on the Atari 400 - a joke version of Space Munchies, long lost on a tape in a landfill somewhere. I sure would like to see that commercial again.

 

OK, I know this this message thread is over 5 years old, but I found this doing an internet search and had to respond :-)

 

I'm pretty certain that the game you're referring to it is indeed Chopper Command - and I do remember the commercial the way you described it, however, I remember that it was a radio ad and not a TV commercial. When the drill sergeant barges in on the kids he says something like " I'm the chopper commander and these are my chopper commandos <marching sound FX>. Put away that namby pamby space cartridge and plug THIS into your Atari home video computer system: CHOPPER COMMAND by ACTIVISION!! "

 

I've been looking for years to find this commercial but without success. I'm guessing that it probably aired around the time that Activision released the game which was in June of 1982. At that time I was living in Southern California and listened mostly to a local radio station called KROQ (which played alternative/new wave music) so that is probably where I heard the commercial, I've been trying to find old archived KROQ broadcasts from that particular time to see if by chance the commercial is in there. Haven't found it yet but I recently heard an archived KROQ broadcast from July of 1982 and it did have an Atari commercial in it advertising Berzerk for the 2600, so maybe I'm getting close.

[solidcorp]

Keep searching!

I swear it was on TV (too?)

If anyone finds anything please post it here.

[+atari2600land]

I think this is what you're looking for:

[solidcorp]

My HERO!

Thank you so much!

[Spriggy]

 

Edited February 11, 2018 by spriggamortis

[+H454]

Wait a minute, Is that Meatloaf as the Drill Sergeant?

[Spriggy]

Wait a minute, Is that Meatloaf as the Drill Sergeant?

 

That was my first thought as well. Did the doubletake.