Mrs. Olsen and Her Magic Crystals
As a kid, I imagined Mrs. Olsen’s life was a glamorous mélange of coffee outings with suburban housewives and taste-testing Folger’s mountain-grown crystals in exotic, far-away locales. But watching the commercial now, I think she was probably just a busybody neighbor trying to scheme on the housewife’s husband. Somewhere, Mrs. Olsen is probably sitting alone in an out-of-date family room, sipping bitterly on a shot of Wild Turkey, and smoking an unfiltered Marlboro.
One thing’s for sure: they don't make ‘em like they used to. With the ever-increasing blurring of the lines between advertising and content, the opportunity to surprise us, make us laugh, and of course, convince us to buy something, is getting harder and harder. It almost makes me a little nostalgic for nosy manicurists, meddling neighbors, and even pervy toilet-paper-squeezing shopkeepers. Those were the days.
Image Source: jillslivingroom on flickr (cc)
