Return of old adverts

So a few weeks after the old Toys R Us advert returned (albeit re-animated), and the 'Holidays Are Coming' Coca-Cola ad, I've just seen two even older adverts back on TV.

One was for Lego which dated from about the 1970s/early 80s, with either Tommy Cooper or an impersonator doing a voiceover over a stop-motion animation of Lego toys becoming various animals. Looked untouched except for a new logo at the end, was shown on 4Music today.

And on Sky One a few hours ago, a Fawlty Towers-era John Cleese was seen advertising Accurist watches with an advert that literally looked like it had come from cleaned-up VHS tape. At the end a modern Cleese voiceover said something like "And they're still here today" over the current logo.

Anyone else seen any adverts from years ago back on TV recently? Has the success of Toys R Us just got everyone digging out their old ads, are they too skinflint to make new ones because of the recession, or is it just end-of-decade nostalgia? I seem to remember something similar happening in 1999, with old Turkish Delight and Smash adverts back...

Been showing on ITV1 Central West for 2/3 weeks.

And it's Russ Abbot doing the impersonation, one he's pretty reknown for.

The "red car and the blue car had a race" Milky Way adverts have been on for a few months.

And a few months back Aquafresh started using those kids in the bathroom as a cartoon again didn't they.

Albeit not in its original form as it's had 10 seconds chopped out since it was originally aired.

I notice Coca Cola have dragged out their "Father Christmas through the years" advert again, though it doesn't really explain why she's waited over 50 years just to give him a drink of what must be totally flat pop.

Speaking of old adverts, I was really pleased to spot the Maynards "set the juice loose" adverts back again a short while back as it was a pretty good advertising campaign at the time.

This was mentioned over the road the other day.
http://www.metropol247.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=99970#p99970

One thing that was brought up there and not here was the "recession proof" aspect of them. The idea being that by showing how they advertised 30 years ago and are still here (despite the various financial issues over the years) they are going to survive the credit crunch and therefore be around in the future.

I thought the idea was that Santa has given the girl a bottle of Coke every Christmas for the last 50 years so she decides to repay his kindness by offering him a bottle in return (even though he's clearly got an infinite number of the stuff in his sack).

Can't put me finger on it but it just doesn't work for me.

I just can't believe that all this time they've been using the "Holidays Are Coming" advert, and they've not bothered making a 16:9 version of it. For a company making the money they're doing, and for an advert that's now meant to symbolise the start of Christmas... it's fairly lazy.

I believe that the advert has the 'marks and scratches' to hide the junctions where the old footage and the new footage merges since all the watches in the advert are replaced with their current range, including on the 'Accu-Woman'.

Also when were those John Cleese adverts last played since I remember Accurist using them from not that many years ago.

Or, as it's a nostalgia thing, leaving it in 4:3 adds to the "just like Christmas used to be" feel?

Bring back the Secret Lemonade Drinker that's what I say! I think maybe it's all part of a wider nostalgia, comfort thing in the recession...