When the Beany & Cecil cartoons debuted on TV in 1962, they brought with them a flood of Beany & Cecil toys from Mattel. I had quite a few of them including the one advertised in this commercial…the Official Beany Copter! Some of them — like the Beany & Cecil game that came with a talking Cecil puppet — were pretty good. But the one advertised in today's video offering, the Official Beany Copter, was good for about five minutes of fun.
It was a cap which, since it was formed out of hard plastic, didn't stay on your head at all unless it was an exact fit, which it usually wasn't. You put one of the propellers on the top, then spun it around to "wind" it. Then when you pulled the string, the copter blade was released and it sailed a good eight feet, whereupon the fun was over. I think I fired mine about three times for myself and once for each of maybe four friends…and that was it. Time to go pull out a different toy.
But take a look at this commercial. Those kids are enjoying themselves a lot more than any real kids ever enjoyed their Beany Copters. It wouldn't surprise me if every child actor in this spot became a successful, honored professional in the craft of acting. They sure showed talent to pretend they liked the thing.
