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Why these innocent, soothing '80s and '90s TV commercials hit people like nostalgic comfort food

Are ads more stressful these days?

'90s, '80s, retro commercials, nostalgia, '90s commercials, '80s commercials

These '80s and '90s TV commercials are blasts of nostalgia.

Photo credit: YouTube screenshots via spenrenn (Doublemint) / Olivia (Blockbuster) / 90s Commercials (Bagel Bites)
Ryan Reed
By Ryan ReedJan 16, 2026
Ryan Reed
Ryan Reed is a contributing writer for GOOD residing in Knoxville, Tennessee who specializes in stories on music and pop culture. He has contributed to Rolling Stone, Relix, Revolver, SPIN and The New York Times.
See Full Bio

If you were to play a TV commercial from the 1950s next to one from the 1980s and another from the 2020s, the differences in vibe would be startling. There are countless contributing factors, ranging from the evolution of filmmaking to the influence of social media and streaming platforms.

But if you were to say, "They don’t make them like they used to," about ads from the '80s and 1990s, you'd be right in the most literal sense. Advertisements are, at their best, works of art, and it only makes sense that they would evolve.

It also makes sense that people would feel a certain warm and fuzzy nostalgia for the commercials of their youth. And if you look around online, you'll find numerous threads and even YouTube channels highlighting those retro clips. For a certain demographic, these ads feel more innocent and soothing, perhaps because they evoke childhood memories, but also because of how they look and sound.

Here are some '80s and '90s TV spots that hit like comfort food:

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Doublemint Gum

This '90s Doublemint Gum commercial feels like it comes from another planet, from its cartoonish theme song to its almost surreal level of smiling. It's no surprise people feel nostalgic for something that happy.

"I miss the 90's so much—they were the good old days, for me," one person wrote in the YouTube comments. "The nostalgia with these old commercials is so overwhelmingly powerful, it kind of makes me sad. Why does it make me sad?"

"This nostalgic piece of art has always stuck with me," another person added. "They did an excellent job with this commercial where I still think about the tune to this day."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Blockbuster Video

In some cases, older commercials feel so charming because the products they're selling, or even the business models themselves, are now outdated. There's something beautiful about the actor in this Blockbuster commercial marveling, "I've never seen 10,000 tapes in one store!"

"It felt like yesterday," someone wrote in the YouTube comments. "Rest in peace!" another person added. "Wow, what a difference time makes."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Bagel Bites

"Pizzaaaaaaaaa in the morning, pizza in the evening, pizza at supper time," a Redditor wrote, recreating the Bagel Bites theme. "When pizza's on a bagel, you can eat pizza anytime. Best commercial."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Game Boy

"I originally asked for a game boy for Christmas," someone wrote in the YouTube comments, flashing back to their youth, "but I [got] a NES instead. Then I got the [Game Boy] for my birthday."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Toys "R" Us

This one makes a lot of sense—what's more nostalgic than childhood toys?

"They've got a million toys at Toys R US that I can play with!" someone wrote in the YouTube comments, quoting the company's theme song.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Chips Ahoy!

This ad for Chips Ahoy! cookies is nerdy, colorful, silly, and, according to one Redditor, "extremely relatable!"

Is it possible there's more than nostalgia at play? Could it be that modern commercials are more stressful? Research suggests that increased exposure to political ads heightens anxiety, that more energetic commercials are used to hold viewers' attention, and that negative emotional responses to ads may be on the rise.

commercialsnostalgiatv adsadvertisementspop culturepop culture nostalgiatv nostalgia1980s1990stelevision

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