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Classic geek PSA’s
Blain
Wednesday
1:23 pm
We all know about G.I. Joe’s Knowing is Half the Battle and NBC’s gag-a-riffic The More You Know PSA’s (I’m sure some of you even remember the Saturday morning version called One to Grow On). But what about the PSA’s featuring kid centric TV and movie characters that ran during the commercials of our favorite cartoons?
Do you remember R2-D2 smoking because it was cool? Or Gizmo being told not to do drugs? Here’s a run down of 8 great geek PSA’s from my childhood. And it shouldn’t be a big surprise that Star Wars was the biggest PSA whore out there back in the day:
Star Wars Drunk Driving PSA
I can’t imagine the horror that would come from a drunk alien trying to drive a land speeder. Tatooine lawyers would have a field day.
Mr. T Stay in School
I owe my education to Mr. T because he told me to simply “stay in school.” Brilliant advice that changed my life ….
Star Wars Immunization
Yes another Star Wars PSA. Why the hell R2 is concerned with future Earth children needing to get vaccinated boggles the mind. You think he and 3PO would have better things to do while waiting around in the Death Star control room.
Pee-Wee Crack PSA
Whoa! As much as I liked Pee-Wee when I was a kid, this always scarred the crap outta me. Pee-Wee in a dark room with a vile of crack and ominous music…I honestly think that this was one of the few PSA’s that really did have an affect on me as a kid. Too bad he didn’t do a PSA on not having happy-fun time in an erotic theater. Besides that major misstep, good to see him starting to make a comeback.
Gremlins PSA
Wait … why would Gizmo want to drink beer? Well, ET drank beer, so doesn’t that make it ok? I guess not. The old Chinese dude talking to Gizmo about things humans shouldn’t do is just a little weird. I love the clip of the melting Spike they used to represent drug use. I guess Joe Dante forgot to film one of the Gremlins shooting up or snorting coke off of Phoebe Cates’ stomach.
TMNT Drugs PSA
I feel so sorry for Michelangelo thinking that they should get a pizza …
ALF Take Pride in America
Good to know that 20 years later, ALF has inspired so many people like Al Gore with his environmental message.
Star Wars Smoking
Boy R2 turned out to be quite the punk droid didn’t he? He’ll be wanting to get a tattoo or a pierced power coupling before you know it.
Thanks Amy! 
Amber
Jason
Nick Burns
Christy
Charlotte
Autumn
Bill
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Reader Comments
Ah, the 80s: when PSAs and “very Special” episodes ran amok. The world was a very different place….
That last one is freaking awesome, Blain — great finds!
Thanks!
“Hey Mikey, wanna smoke some weed?”
“Sure dude, just let me call Domino’s first.”
Michaelangelo is a party dude indeed.
I remember all of these except the Gremlins one. If I had seen that, I imagine I’d remember it now, because I loved that movie as a kid. A number of the others didn’t ring a bell at first, but once I watched them I knew I’d seen them before.
And yes, I remember, “And THAT’S one to grow on.”
I’m that old.
This just made my afternoon enjoyable!
I like how C3PO is so concerned about what children far in the future, across the entire universe, put into their bodies. He must have a lot of spare processing power.
Can a bigger geek than me please identify where R2 and 3PO are working in that last clip?
“I’m not a chicken- you’re a turkey! And that guy there, he’s pork loin!”
My favorite PSA will always be Rachel Leigh Cook’s This is your brain on drugs… so hot- I mean informative. yeah.
I always loved ‘Don’t Copy that Floppy’.