
Its Saturday again and time for Stream of Consciousness Saturday! This week LindaGhill, our lovely host has said. “Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “mash.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!“
Smash is a brand of Instant mashed potatoes in the United Kingdom. It was launched in the United Kingdom in the 1960s by Cadbury, which was primarily a manufacturer of confectionery at the time. Smash was reasonably successful.
However, it was not until 1974 that Smash became popular in the convenience food market after Cadbury launched an advertising campaign by agency Boase Massimi Pollitt featuring the Smash Martians, who would watch humans preparing mashed potato the traditional way on television instead of using potato granules, and laugh at them.
The adverts of 1970s and their catchphrase, ‘For Mash get Smash’, were voted television advert of the century by Campaign Magazine, and second-best television advert of all time in a poll of April 2000 conducted by The Sunday Times and Channel 4, beaten by Guinness‘ Surfer advertisement from 1999.
The brand has since been sold by Cadbury and is now owned by Premier Foods who, using their Batchelors brand, launched a ‘healthier recipe’ version in 2006. More information here.
You can buy it still and lots of people love it! Personally I can’t stand it ….it has to be real potato for me especially Mash!
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Then there is the song and dance from Dee Dee Sharp.
“Mashed Potato Time” is a single written and composed by Kal Mann and Bernie Lowe, and performed by Dee Dee Sharp on her debut album It’s Mashed Potato Time. The song refers to the Mashed Potato dance move which was a fad at the time. It was one of several that came out at that time, for example, “(Do the) Mashed Potatoes” in 1960. The Marvelettes song “Please Mr. Postman” is mentioned in the lyrics and is copied in the arrangement. Also mentioned in the lyrics, are the songs “Lion Sleeps Tonight” by the Tokens, and “Dear Lady Twist”, by Gary US Bonds. Dee Dee Sharp did a follow up sequel to “Mashed Potato Time”, with “Gravy” (On the Mashed Potato). In 1996 the Campbell Soup Company used the song in a $30 million advertising campaign, and commissioned a new, more upbeat recording from Dee Dee Sharp.
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Well now we need to bring in a video clip to bring together, the Smash / Mash the food, and the Smash hit and dance Mash potato time.. a MASH UP shall we say?
Happy Saturday Everyone.