40 Years Bold

Back When Computer Mouses Were New, This Cat Took Care of the Demonstration

In 1986, Commodore found a unique (and very cute) way to market its newfangled product

40-yrs-bold-commodore-64-content-2019 — The ad was a highlight of the holiday season, but Commodore was already losing the home-computer wars and would be gone by the early 1990s. Getty Images

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Casting animals in TV spots is nothing new, but 32 years ago, computer giant Commodore showed just how effective it could be.

In 1986, the computer mouse was still a newfangled device. Tasked with explaining how one worked, agency Ted Bates decided to hire the most logical demonstrator: a cat. As Adweek reported at the time, after auditioning 30 kittens (and firing a Siamese that “got skittish on the set”) producer Elaine Gold went with a white domestic short hair called Kitty One.

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