Thursday, May 20, 2010

Tutti Frutti what a cutie!


We were recalling possible the most annoying advert of the early Nineties and all agreed it had to be the one for Gino Ginelli ice cream.

Do you remember it? It says on YouTube it's 1994 but I remember it earlier than that. It was a ghastly, colourful romp including women with dalmatians, children and balloons and dozens of other cliches that make things fun and exciting. The worst part was the song, though this version is slower than I remember - I'm sure it was far, far more cruiseship than this. The words Italian verve got me every time. I still cringe.

Of course as sunny and hip as this is meant to be the truth is it was full of E numbers and more than likely made on a light industrial estate just outside Warrington.

I think the irritation is twofold: the singer and the fact that it was on ALL the time. But I did spend an awful lot of time slumped in front of the telly back then.

Is the brand still going? If you look down the side there's all sort of European versions too, for Germans with their paprika ice cream, etc.

12 comments:

Chris Hughes said...

Heh, I love the reference to the woman with dalmatians. If only she'd been pulled along on roller skates.

I remember another early 1990s advert for Gino Ginelli, featuring a young Alistair McGowan as a comedy Italian. All I can recall is him saying "mint choccy cheep!" with a big moustache.

I know this is veering uncomfortably into Peter Kay "les Cadbury fingres" territory, but I love going abroad and seeing things like the Walls logo but with a different name. Same with Walkers Crisps turning into Lays.

Jon Peake said...

Walls is Ola in Holland I think. Twix used to be Raider. It was all so exciting.

Bright Ambassador said...

They did pizzas too. No, the brand isn't still going. We're more sophisticated now, thanks to Messers Ben and Jerry, and not forgetting the good Dr Oetker.

I suppose the natural progression from Ginelli is the Dolmio puppet wankers. Why is it always 'Italian' food? You never see sausages being advertised in a comedy German accent, do you?

Jon Peake said...

Too true, BA, it's never occured to me. Think of all the comedy Italian stuff: Cornettos, Rene and Renata, Goodfellas pizza. The list goes on.

Clair said...

I love Dr Oetker - German pizza. Brilliant, and slightly sinister-sounding.

Kolley Kibber said...

Bloody hell, look at the packaging! A sort of visual equivalent of the song - garish, brash, cheesy and fake. The whole concept gives me a headache. I suppose that would be an 'ice-cream headache'. Horrible.

Mondo said...

Forgotten all about that - how annoying (the ad' , not the forgetting). And what was the deal Cornish ice cream in the seventies- everyone seemed to be banging on about it.

Have you seen Bowie's Ice Cream ad.

Or this unfortunately named brand

Jon Peake said...

Cornish ice cream was just bright yellow vanilla.

Ice cream was dull then. Raspberry Ripple, Coffee, Chocolate or Strawberry as well as the usual vanilla. Very boring. I wonder what it would taste like today. We always tubs of horrid coffee ice cream in the deep freeze.

Chris Hughes said...

At the risk of sounding like I'm reminiscing about the Depression or something, I used to like it on a summer's day when you'd be despatched to the newsagents for a brick of vanilla ice cream, and they'd wrap it up in newspaper. That was the sweetest.

Jon Peake said...

Newspaper. Isn't it marvellous. Keeps things both hot and cold. We'll miss it when it's gone.

Simon said...

Newspaper and thermos flasks. How do they know whether they are mean't to be keeping something hot or cold?

Jon Peake said...

That makes my brain want to explode, Simon.

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