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| McGruff the Crime Dog celebrated 25 years in 2005. |
Don't ask me why, but growing, up PSAs and TV commercials were a huge part of my world. Perhaps that's how I ended up in the advertising/public relations industry. In prior posts, we've talked about NBC's One To Grow On campaign, Reading is Fundamental or RIF, and the famous, "I learned it by watching you, Dad" anti-drug PSAs ... Somehow, I've managed to overlook McGruff, the Crime Dog.
McGruff was a cartoon dog version of a "plain clothes" police man, cop or private investigator. Born in 1980, McGruff, the Crime Dog was developed as a way to reach children and provide tips to keep kids safe. Developed by the Ad Council for National Crime Prevention Council, raspy-voiced McGruff (originally voiced by the "Take A Bite Out of Crime" moto creator, Jack Keil) warned us kids about everything from the threat of kidnapping, to drugs ("Users are Losers"), to peer pressure.
McGruff was awesome. In 2005, a new ad campaign was created to celebrate his 25th birthday. His messages have slightly changed to suit today's issues ... These days, he advises kids about the dangers of cyber bullying and offers suggestions on how to handle mean girls. McGruff.org.
Who remembers McGruff, the Crime Dog? Watch these old TV commercials. Hopefully it will spark a memory or two.
7 comments:
I remember McGruff. I missed him, and I'm glad to hear he's returning.
Love,
Janie
I have fond memories of all of the PSA's from back in the late-70s and into the 80s. McGruff is definitely one of them.
My favorite might be with Timer and "I hanker for a hunk o' cheese".
They weren't really PSA's, but loved School House Rock as well.
I never thought about it before, but I think the quality PSAs as a kid influenced my career in public relations and public affairs, too.
Umm, did my last comment not post? Not logged in. Anyway, as I was saying, PSAs from childhood TV influenced my decision to go into public affairs, too. Thanks for pointing it out. Never thought about it before now!
Sorry Jennifer, I had to approve and forgot to approve comments yesterday. I have the approval set because of the crazy spam I was getting. Love it. So true. I found PSA messages fascinating growing up. For some reason they stayed with me for many years - the same way commercials have.
Oh my I still have my McGruff id from when they did what today is I-dent-a-kid. Such a long time ago
Oh my I still have my McGruff id from when they did what today is I-dent-a-kid. Such a long time ago
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