The Tetley Tea Folk come back as Chavs!
16/08/2010

Am I a Great Prophet, or what?  In my blog of June 4th I suggested that in these recession hit days, more could be done to reduce unemployment by bringing advertising’s best loved cartoon characters out of retirement.

Well, someone at Tetley must have been looking over my shoulder – or else my industry antenna is unusually sensitive – because, lo and behold, the Tetley Tea Folk are rumoured to be making a TV comeback after 29 years on the dole.

Remember shop steward Gaffer with his flat cap and white coat, and workers Tina and Sidney – all Yorkshire brogues and loveable whimsy?  Well, forget ‘em, because according to the sneak previews aired on the web, they’ve been reinvented as chavs – all bling and BlackBerry’s!

Is nothing sacred? I know things have moved on since Worker’s Playtime was on the radio, and you’ve got to make some concession to the march of time, but why revive a great brand property to kill it stone dead?  It’s like the recent remakes of Minder and Alfie. The originals starring Dennis Waterman and Michael Caine had a wit and authenticity they seem to have lost the knack for these days.

Ditto the Tetley Tea Folk. Check and compare with the originals on YouTube, and you’ll see what I mean. Still, maybe I’m being a bit premature. I reserve my spleen until the actual screening of the new campaign.

In a similar vein – I didn’t realise how influential a few words of mine could be! – Popeye the Sailor Man, he with the unaccountable passion for spinach and Olive Oil, is also making a comeback to continue his original campaign of persuading kids to eat up their greens.
I can’t say he ever persuaded me to eat my greens.  In my day they mixed them in with your mashed potatoes at school dinners and had done with it. But a recent report in the journal Nutrition & Dietetics reveals that four and five year olds who were regularly shown Popeye cartoons doubled their vegetable intake.

Anyway, the good news is that advertising cartoon characters, like old soldiers, never die. There are even a few brand new ones on release. Can I immodestly invite you to check out Gordon the Gecko, the extreme sports enthusiast who serves as a mascot to our clients The Adrenaline Consultancy (www.theadrenalineconsultancy.com).