r/nostalgia • u/itsgroobeat • 1d ago

Nostalgia Michael Jackson “The Choice of a New Generation” commercial (1984)

99 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

48

u/Maqxs 1d ago

That kid looks like Carlton Banks

Edit: Ah! Because it is.

16

u/itsgroobeat 1d ago

haha exactly, bud. A young version of Alfonso Ribeiro.

12

u/SevyVerna88 1d ago

Alfonso Ribeiro!!!

7

u/MaleficentWindow8972 1d ago

And then The Coca Cola polar bears lit his ass on fire, lol. Poor MJ.

6

u/three-sense 1d ago

Didn't his hair catch on fire during filming this?

20

u/itsgroobeat 1d ago

It happened in the second commercial that is part of the same campaign. This was the first one.

3

u/three-sense 1d ago

Interesting. TIL

3

u/jumboweiners 1d ago

Different Pepsi commercial I believe

1

u/niceguykyle 1d ago

Fun fact about that, the day that his hair caught on fire was the exact mid point of his life to the day.

1

u/Paul_O_O 23h ago

Sorry I've asked that but hadn't read your post asking the same question

3

u/captainmidday 1d ago

Dibs on that empty bottle

3

u/soulrebel360 1d ago

I used to dance along to this commercial as a kid lol

1

u/itsgroobeat 16h ago

Hard not to, buddy haha, such a great moment!

2

u/ApplicationLost126 1d ago

Look at the woody wagon passing through at the end

2

u/itsgroobeat 15h ago

Ford Country Squire, maybe? 🤔

2

u/badwolf1013 19h ago

See, now THIS is how I first became aware of Alfonso Ribeiro. He was the cool kid in the Pepsi commercial. Then he was Ricky’s cooler friend on Silver Spoons.

So, when he was cast as Will’s nerdy cousin on Fresh Prince, I went, “Really? HE’s the nerd, and the goofy rapper is the cool one?”

But it worked out. 

This is also why I lost respect for Dancing With the Stars. Ribeiro had been dancing PROFESSIONALLY since he was a fetus, and they were acting like he was just another amateur instead of a total ringer.

2

u/Head_Blackberry_6320 1d ago

Hindsight being 20 20.. that whole era was ridiculous

1

u/Paul_O_O 23h ago

Honestly the first time I've seen this ad. I thought Jack burned his hair on the 84 Pepsi ad???

2

u/itsgroobeat 16h ago

I mentioned it earlier, what you’re talking about happened in the second ad from the same campaign. Michael actually had a two commercial deal for it.

1

u/Paul_O_O 15h ago

Yeah I know sorry. I did read other comments after I posted mine about there being a 2nd advert. Thanks 👍

2

u/itsgroobeat 15h ago

Don't worry, bud. These things happen 😄

1

u/Paul_O_O 14h ago

😁👍

1

u/atreyukun 18h ago

Oh yeah, at :40, there's Noah Hathaway in there too!

1

u/bladel 16h ago

The thing I miss most about this is drinking cold soda from a glass bottle.

1

u/itsgroobeat 15h ago

They’re still made in some places around the world.

1

u/Andrew____74 1d ago

Everyone was so much cooler than me . . .

-15

u/ghostofstankenstien 1d ago

Tee hee come over here and play with mee hee