15 Great Jingles Written for Fake Brands
Creating an addictive jingle has long been one of the most prized skills in advertising. It's especially impressive when you have a memorable jingle that doesn't even promote a real product. Below, we've collected our 15 favorite songs written for fictional products and brands. First, you should prepare yourself by enjoying the relative silence in your mind. Because this is about to become your brain's internal playlist, set on repeat. Forever. —Photo above by greggoconnell on Flickr.

"Cheesy Poofs"
Click to view. I'd guess 90 percent of South Park fans don't listen to NPR's "All Things Considered." But the other 10 percent probably sing this song every afternoon.

"Silver Shamrock"
Click to view. The third Halloween film is notorious for leaving out slasher Michael Myers altogether, but also for its heavy use of this unnerving jingle. The song was meant to "activate" on Halloween night, killing anyone who was watching the commercial and wearing a Silver Shamrock mask. But watching it without a mask is plenty dangerous, too.

"Fruity Oaty Bar"
Click to view. Lots of jingles get in your head. This one can get so deep in your head, it sends you into a steely-eyed, ass-kicking rampage across the neighborhood bar. Or at least, that's what it did to River Tam in the sci-fi flick Serenity. Results may vary.

"Lots-o-Huggin' Bear"
Click to view. Lots-o-Huggin' Bear may have become a duplicitous tyrant in his twilight years, but he sure had a cute commercial back in the early '80s. Actually, "Lots-o" never really existed, but the marketing team behind Toy Story 3 did a good job of mocking up this fake retro spot for the new character.

"Wild Rebels Cereal"
Click to view. I would try any cereal whose jingle promised that it tasted like shooting off a gun or being hit in the head with a surfboard of flavor. Throw in prizes like "a chunk of hose filled with lead shot," and I'd be willing to buy the family pack at Sam's.

"Nannerpus"
Click to view. There's always one danger to creating a fake ad within a real ad: What if people like the fake one better? Denny's got the best of both worlds with its 2009 Super Bowl spot, which brought in 2 million customers in one day, and more important, introduced the lovable, low-budget Nannerpus. The jaunty banana's jingle soon took off as a YouTube sensation.

"Friday Night Football"
Click to view. Tony Scott's gritty 1991 action movie begins with a football player committing murder-suicide during a sprint to the end zone. That was memorable. But even more so was the song that kicked in for the opening credits. "Friday Night's a Great Night for Football" is an NFL anthem that actually surpasses most real NFL anthems. The singer is Bill Medley, best known as the male half of the Dirty Dancing duet "(I've Had) The Time of My Life." Oh, and being one of the Righteous Brothers.

"Powdermilk Biscuits"
Click to view. Personally, I'd rather listen to alley cats fight-humping than sit through "A Prairie Home Companion" on NPR. But there's no denying the longevity of Garrison Keillor's ditty for the folksy-yet-fictional Powdermilk Biscuits. The video above is actually a live version of the jingle mixed with a medley of campfire songs, which is the best YouTube has to offer.
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AdFreak is your daily blog of the best and worst of creativity in advertising, media, marketing and design. Follow us as we celebrate (and skewer) the latest, greatest, quirkiest and freakiest commercials, promos, trailers, posters, billboards, logos and package designs around. Edited by Adweek's Tim Nudd. Updated every weekday, with a weekly recap on Saturdays.


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