Back in the late 70s I worked at an animation studio called Ovation Films, Inc... and THIS was one of the first commercials I worked on. The animation was done by a man named Howard Basis, and I did the "in-betweens" as his assistant. I was floored to discover recently that this commercial was featured on Family Guy! I thought I was having some sort of flashback!...
@@DouggieDinosaur well, I had nothing to do with the live action part, but I believe that's called a "jump cut" - just a cleverly edited way to make it appear as if all the kids disappeared. It's effective... and gets the point across...
@@DouggieDinosaur They tied them all to strings and yanked them really hard at the same time. So fast, in fact, that they were completely out of frame in 1/24th of a second, giving you the illusion that they simply disappeared!
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The playground abruptly becoming empty was actually a very striking and clever way of showing the gravity of the situation. Very well done for an old commercial!
youtube made it so we can't see how many dislikes every video has anymore, so please hit the dislike button on every video, all of them even the ones you enjoy and please encourage every one else to do the same. we as a community can drive the algorithm insane if we the all do this, and prove once and for all we that the users, not google own this platform. so please copy and paste this comment every where, thank you.
Goes to show that quality has always been timeless. Ever compare the animation of original He-Man to more modern American cartoons? We could've had an anime-level all our own by now
@@bpqd2624 Or, just use browser extensions to bring back the dislike count, remove ads and stop supporting RU-vid’s shitty app. 🤷♂️ Or, just stop using RU-vid entirely. I mean, there’s really nothing great about it anymore. I’m slowly trying to escape Google myself, but it’s damn near impossible right now. At least they left us the actual button. Who knows when they’ll remove it entirely. I feel like they did that on purpose.
@@bpqd2624 thats very delusional lmao. this isn't america this is youtube and you have to understand that disliking every video, youtube will consider you as a bot and completely ignore all your dislikes.
@@WitchKing-Of-Angmar heres the story of a murderer who killed almost millions of children a day with torture methods noone will possibly ever think, but here's a cool wallet and I'll tell you all about for the next 2 minutes.
I thought I would be scared by this commercial. Like most disturbing PSA parodies we have now, I thought this would have scary imagery, abrupt ending and strange text on the screen. But I was wrong . Mcgruff perfectly explains it, in a way children can understand. A very good commercial for the 80s
that's what happens when someone kidnaps a kid. they literally just vanish in thin air, leaving their clothes and possessions floating in mid-air before they clatter to the ground.
Yeah, never get in a car with anyone who drives worse than you do. Or Indian cab drivers who just got here, for that matter. Lol. I don't recall most rides in a cab. I recall 2 or the three Uber. Why? Because there was all this harsh braking and maneuvering for 0 reason.
Stuff like this helped my parents give me SUCH a healthy and safe childhood! I was born one year before this, in 1983! I will be FOREVER grateful and all of you should be too!!!
I remember this cheesy PSA. It never saved my life or anything like that, but it did teach me not to talk to strangers- at least until AIM existed (I’m that old).
McGruff retired years ago and now lives off of his pension in Oceanside, CA. He spends most of his days tending to his garden and always smiles politely when he waves at the passing neighborhood cars. Although he seems happy, there is a part of him that wishes for one final crime fighting adventure. An opportunity to put back on his trench-coat and go out guns-a-blazzin'. Semper fi McGruff!
This is misinformation. McGruff knew he was a dog and therefore could not be judged by the laws of men. So he stalks the night in alley ways in the city looking for trouble so he can finish it. Like Charles Bronson.
The children disappearing into nothingness, leaving the playground completely empty was a scary but clever way of showing the severity of the situation. Well done, McGruff! I've learned a lot from you as a kid.
youtube made it so we can't see how many dislikes every video has anymore, so please hit the dislike button on every video, all of them even the ones you enjoy and please encourage every one else to do the same. we as a community can drive the algorithm insane if we the all do this, and prove once and for all we that the users, not google own this platform. so please copy and paste this comment every where, thank you.
Everyone keeps saying that but a lot of clever film making was being made around this time and decades before. They just had to actually be clever and not rely on a computer to do most of the work for them. That scene wasn't surprising to me at all. Most of you guys probably just haven't seen enough older movies.
@@Martel4 Indeed, not being used to how things actually go lead to the film technology of decades prior being underestimated. Some of the stuff in the best film could be comfortably confused for 2010 stuff.
This had happened to me when I was around 13 years old. I was hanging out with my dad at his business. He was busy working, so I decided to walk to the gas station down the street to buy some snacks. It was a 2 minute walk. At the gas station, some old man was parked towards the back of the building. He saw me walking and offered me a ride home. He said he knew my mom from work. Even setting aside that my mom was a stay at home mom, it was still obvious what he was doing. I declined and kept on walking. He never got aggressive or physical.
Good, can't trust nobody everybody lies at some point in life. Think smart run towards people if they follow you . Doesn't matter if you a girl or boy can happen to anybody.
@veilnebula2411 you don't want to draw suspicion. Considering he was already parked out back, he knew that it would be smarter to gtfo and not jeprodize his circumstances. It's far scarier he planned ahead and was cautious, than someone who lets their emotion control them and panic.
What’s disturbing is that we do not have enough commercials like this today. Thousands of kids are missing and the big news networks never talk about it. Also people are way too trusting on social media and a lot of parents out there are irresponsible. I see some of the young parents focus more on their cell phones 📱. We need to make sure that the children of this era are healthy and safe.
I would argue that this message isn't actually a good one. This is a case where your empathy works against the ability to rationally judge the situation.
We should probably find some way to make the internet only accessible to adults. It's way to dangerous for kids. I'm being serious when I say this. Kids shouldn't freely have access. There needs to be a way to do it. We just keep acting like it's not a big deal, but it totally is 😡
these commercials arent even directed towards kids. thats why the parents are the ones who the dog is speaking to. they stopped with these nonsense commercials, because it was understood that most kids arent stupid enough to get themselves into a situation where theyd get abducted, and the ones that are clearly dont give a shit what a cartoon commercial dog has to say.
Even before social media, there were cyber chatrooms. Personally, I think the Internet should be treated like smoking, drugs and alcohol; restricted to ages 18 and up. Kids don't need Internet; they have TV, games and toys.
@@JanetStarChild Well I agree, but what about school? I mean we just went theough covid where kids hat to beon their computers. Imagine what it would’ve been like if kids have never seen or worked with a computer. But I agree, kids are on the interebt too early. I mean everytime I see babies already staring at their phones I just, I just become so mad. What kind of parents ket this happen? Who tf knows what they’ll come across.
@@Mineralsss its a shame because kids and teens cant even have fun anymore. Life shouldnt be like this. When i hear my mom talk about her stories i almost get jealous because god knows i cant do what she did nowadays 💀
@@Mineralsss Because they don't care! About the kids, the country, the environment, nothing! Everyone's only out for themselves nowadays, even before this dreadful pandemic. And the sad thing is that people have always hated each other. All that hatred was just bubbling beneath the surface.
@Bender Bending Rodriguez Franklin credit union most of the "pea doughs" were politicians. Governments are involved in this worldwide, not everyone but enough with high levels of influence have been corrupted, not saying that all those at high levels are "pea doughs" themselves(just as bad if not worse in some ways knowing and not doing anything about it) or that every single one knows/is corrupt, but enough of them are.
This commetcial literally saved my life as a kid! I had just seen it during Romper Room before leaving for school in grade one. I ran ahead of my Granny to the bus stop so I'd be first in the line to get on, when a guy approached and put my backpack which I'd laid down to keep my place in his back seat. He told me to get it if I wanted it. I didn't because I had just seen this that morning. Anyway the guy ended up being responsible for three abduction. One he actually killed! You'd never see this type of thing nowadays. That's one of the reasons why kids are so freaking stupid and naive today.
Studies have shown child abduction has been decreasing in the US since the 90s (like most other crimes). But hey, it's not the RU-vid comments without someone saying [x thing] is worse nowadays. (I'm happy this PSA helped you though)
Should have talked about being wary of family instead of strangers. A divorced mom or dad, an uncle or aunt, grandmother or grandfather, they are more common to steal children than strangers. We don't like to talk about this as it sounds insulting. But, your children are more likely to be hurt and abused by your family than strangers on the internet.
True that, the other day i was with my family on a local theme park and we went into a old toys museum (very cool) and i hear a phone notification and when i turn around i see a mother and 2 young kids (probably 7 to 10 years, i dunno i don't care) and i was expecting the mom to pull out her phone, but no. It was one of the little kids, parents these days, i had my first at the age of 13 when i started high school
The thing he leaves out is he says “[…] even people they know” but in fact it’s almost Always people they know. It’s fair to be wary of strangers but the real problem has always been perpetrated by family members and friends and the portrayal of kidnapping and child sex abuse in media has always done a really poor job showing that
They always fear monger about strangers picking kids up off the streets, but the truth is that most missing child reports and AMBER alerts are related to parents not sharing custody like they should. It's not even incidents where a parent kidnaps their own child, though that does happen too often as well.
I remember reading something about the creators of the "don't talk to strangers" movement regretting creating it because in reality the real danger is the people kids know. Statistically it's closer family members who pose the big threat. I know first hand unfortunately
I must say; I was taught by my dad never ever go near a car that stops to "ask for directions", let them flag down an ADULT, you are a child and a normal adult does NOT ask a child for directions, or handle out puppies or candys! He always reminded me to run if a car stopped beside me or was infront of me with an open door, run, don't look back, just run. I was very aware of my surroundings always, and it didn't scare me, it made me feel safe.
The bad thing with the "Don't talk to strangers" advice is that many adults take it to an extreme level and treat every adult man that is alone with his kids as a pedophile or something. Also there have been many cases of adult men that helped lost kids with the parents of these kids instead of thanking these men they treat them like kidnapers.
@@ThePicasoBlack Or a relative. Statistically it's more likely that a child is going to be abused by a family member, friend of the family, or other familiar authority figure (e.g. teacher or priest) than by a stranger on the street. "Don't let creepy uncle Jerry near your kids" doesn't play as well on TV though.
I like how Mgruff also mentioned you could be kidnapped by someone you know as well. Its always stranger danger making kids unaware of creepy relatives.
This PSA may well have saved my life! When I was a kid (about Jenny's age), I was walking home from school one day and a stranger pulled up in a car along side me, asking if I needed a ride. I was the kind of kid who was very trusting of adults, but I immediately remembered seeing this PSA between Saturday morning cartoons, so I just stood there shaking my head no. The guy eventually drove off. Who knows what would have happened to me if I got in that car. Thank you McGruff!
Really? It was only this commercial? Because I was a kid in vaguely this period of time and it wasn't just one commercial, I was constantly being told not to talk to strangers and definitely not to get into a car with one by teachers, and a few times they had a police officer visit the school and lecture everyone in the auditorium to say this. It was a message that was kind of hard to miss. Then again, so was "Just Say No", yet it seems like I was about the only one to take that seriously or else there wouldn't be much drug use today.
I remember a car did that to me when I was 15. I looked a lot younger at the time. Some creepy guy drove along side me with the passenger door open. I will never forget how terrifying this was for me. I was also very angry. I feel as though ( now) he was trying to steal my childhood. I didn’t get in that car but I reported it to my parents.
We need to tell everyone to note the make and and model of cars and the license plate. You can always go the opposite way if someone's bothering you. Or a way cars can't go. Yell FIRE! Yell, I DON'T KNOW YOU! STAY AWAY FROM ME! That will get their attention.
I was around 8 years old when these commercials were around. Back then I was like “oh cool, look at the cartoon dog” not paying any mind to what he was actually saying. Today, this just hits different. 🥺😢😭
My babysitter attempted to kidnap me from my pre-school. Thankfully the staff knew it was suspicious and my parents got a restraining order against her. Ironic because I remember these McGruff commercials but always focused on the stranger danger part.
Your statisticly more likely to be kidnapped by someone you know but back in the 80s there was a lot of fear mongering to do with strangers so technically even though it can happen mc gruff and milk carton children did essentially "give birth" to the helicopter parent.
Children are more likely to be kidnapped by somebody they know. Still, don't talk to strangers. Human beings can't be trusted. Teach your children how to defend themselves too. If they are chaotic, they will be less likely to be taken. Don't call for help either. Scream 'fire' & don't stop fighting until the kidnapper leaves them alone. Be smart, be safe, be pure chaos in the face of danger. Don't let yourself be taken away from those that care about you.
Not all strangers are bad. I feel bad not really talking to the neighborhood kids when they want to pet my dog (and the dog LOVES kids) for this reason. Yell YOU'RE NOT MY DAD! THAT'LL get their attention! Women have been known to pair up with sick men for kidnapping/murder. Read The Gift of Fear. Gavin DeBecker. It's about a bad feeling people ignore thars the issue. Not all strangers.
Back in the 80's when I was in day camp, they had us watch an educational video that was hosted by McGruff. Made in the early 80's. It did show this with Jenny being approached by a stranger but she just keeps walking away knowing not to accept rides from strangers. It also showed how easily property can be stolen. A boy rides his bike to school and leaves in the bike rack. When school's over, he comes back for it and sees that it's gone! He yelled, "My bike!" He then rides a new bike to school, puts it in a bike rack but this time chains it up. McGruff is heard explaining that a bike should always be locked up when you leave it, even if you're only gonna be gone a few minutes(It takes less than a minute for an unchained bike to be stolen). Another boy is seen riding his skateboard. He comes home and leaves it out in front of the house while he goes in but when he comes back, it's gone and he yells, "My skateboard!" When he's riding a new skateboard, he brings it in with him when he gets home. McGruff is heard saying that items shouldn't be left out in the open carelessly and they should also have your name and address written on it. He also mentioned how it's important not to forget to lock doors when leaving home. We then see a man, his wife and their daughter leave their house and get into the car but McGruff is heard mentioning that the husband forgot to lock the door. As the family drives off, we then see 2 guys hiding behind the bushes watching the family leave and as soon as the family's gone, the 2 guys just open the door and go into the house and start stealing stuff. McGruff is heard saying that people forget to lock their doors, criminals can break in easily. One other thing I remember is that he mentions that if you find an item laying around somewhere but know that it belongs to somebody, give to an adult to take care of. We see 2 boys on a baseball field and see a baseball glove laying on the field and they think they'd better give to the coach. McGruff says that those boys did the right thing. That's mostly what I remember from it but all things that should be remembered.
Ah, the glory days... Back when television advertisements and educators actually CARED about educating people, especially kids. Now, its just "Screw the people! It's every man for himself now!"
@@DamontheDemon7 back in my day everything was great, everything today sucks and tomorrow will be worse. Signed millions of predictable youtube commentors when talking about music , tv, movies or anything pretty much in the past.
Watching these with my kids in 2022 since they’ll never be played on TV, sadly. I can honestly say McGruff kept me safe and aware as a little kid. Growing up in the 80’s/90’s hit different.
This was perhaps the most super-serious kid message of the era. And powerful. A 2021 survey showed that 9 out of 10 people still recognize McGruff, who premiered in 1980. McGruff was created as a bloodhound, specifically, because true to their name, "This breed is famed for its ability to discern human scent over great distances, even days later. Its extraordinarily keen sense of smell is combined with a strong and tenacious tracking instinct, producing the ideal scent hound, and it is used by police and law enforcement all over the world to track escaped prisoners, missing people, and lost pets" (Wikipedia).
I feel like a lot of kids in the 80s just went out and played without adult supervision or oversight. They had a whole lot more freedom than kids today.
This "stranger danger" thing that Mcgruff propagates is what took children's freedom. It started the paranoia. Many ppl ban their children from playing outside on their own and then they have the audacity to complain that children spent too much time indoors, playing on their phone.
1984: Don't talk to strangers, or you'll end up kidnapped, dead, or who knows what else. 2010s onward: Chat with strangers on Omegle and treat people like crap while doing so! Let's normalize it! I hate this world sometimes.
this is such a bad comparison. you do realize that 99.99% of people on the internet are total strangers right? difference here is that it’s almost totally anonymous. you, me, and everyone in this entire comment section all probably live in totally different cities, states, countries, and sometimes even continents. the internet isn’t “normalizing” risky behavior like talking with strangers, it’s just the way it is.
@@ryanraich1299 you said the words! That is what I tried to say. Maybe this is one od those "things you only notice as adult" he is talking about missing children and we know how crude that can be he is sending a message to kids and adults alike and he is doing it in a way both parties can catch up with the importance.. the people behind this PSA stayed respectful but with no breaks when it came to the truth, heck he even says you may be looking at jenny for the last time that is a big implication right there, most PSA nowdays are focused on saying what things should not happen instead of what things can happen and how to avoid them. I remember I once twitted a post of "things to do in case of kidnapping attempt" and you would be surprised by how many people ignored it except for those who started to call out on me saying that things like that should not happen at all and that I was part of the problem by encouraging people to be prepared for such things
Lol well. That's the animation of the 80s. Not that CGI animation from today. I prefer this style over CGI. I'm sure Mcgruff has heard a lot of horror stories that's happened to children.
Man these PSA’s were so straightforward and cutthroat with their messages, the ones made today are hardly ever as hard-hitting as one like this. Wonder why that is…
i remember this as a kid in the 80S... and with my dad always telling me and keeping a eye out and using the body system i watch this now and cant believe how this world is such a bad place and worse than it was then
@@nervousnorvus1944 don't know. Never heard of him. I'm just saying that it was at least better than today. Mcgruff had ads about stopping bullies and such back in the good old days. Now nobody gives a shit about helping kids or stopping bullies anymore. They're all like "Oh kids get bullied and abused all the time. There's no stopping it" Even if it's in public, educators don't even bother getting involved! Even before this pandemic.
@@DamontheDemon7 Bla bla bla, another stupid nostalgia blinded boomer comment. No, kids get a lot of this education through shows they are watching. Also the "Stranger Danger" thing isn't even the worst problem, as 80% of all child abuse, rape or murder happens in the family, sadly.
They get taught this stuff on tv nowadays, kids channels sometimes have little things teaching kids what to do in certain situations,atleast here in Australia
I've seen so many parents give their kids the freedom to walk outside on their own. Home from school, to the store, etc... Not nearly enough of them warn those same kids about stranger danger. It's so easy for a child to be deceived by an adult. Make sure your kids know which ones they shouldn't trust; because by the time you realize, it could be too late.
I remember a bloke pulled up to me when I was about 8 years old He opens the passenger door and had a map on his front seat (this was the late 90s) and said he was lost. He asked me if I lived around here, and I said yes cause I wasn't allowed to tell lies. He said he was looking for a certain road, and could I point to it on the map for him. I said to him that I'd go ask my Mum cause she would know and said I'd go home and get her - he slammed the door and drove off. Still gives me chills to think what could have happened...
True man 👍. Technology can really good thing for advertising kids in their phones as an add to prevent dangerous situations in the world. Take care man.
You could clearly tell that this pup is the type of boy to have seen truly awful things just by looking at him. This was one of the better PSAs of the 1980s.
It’s crazy how much has changed being released from school. I was born in the 90s and remember when I was in elementary our teachers walked us to the front of the school. Some kids had parents come pick them up and a lot of us would walk home and nobody batted an eye. Now I have my kids in elementary and the schools won’t allow it. They either have to be picked up via car lane or at the door but a parent/guardian has to be seen physically getting their kids.
I was approached by molesters a few times as a boy and remember it like it was yesterday even though I'm nearly 70 now. You never forget. (I'd suggest teens watch the disturbing movie Megan is Missing. It says on the DVD only for 18 and over which would defeat the purpose. It's enough to terrify kids into commonsense behaviour online).
I don't know that Terrify is a good thing. Read the Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker. It's that bad people have a bad vibe and you call the police right away when you feel that.
