Shortly after school was out for the summer (probably in 1997) I received a package in the mail. It turned out to be from one of my cohorts at the (undergraduate) station who had sent along a videocassette. Most noticeable was how light the tape was – turned out to be one of those short five-minute-maximum jobs that the college television station used to get with public service announcements or the like. A brief note indicated that what was on the tape was something I would probably find right up my alley.
Turns out the videotape contained only a 30-second commercial for something called Jooky that, I have to admit, I found pretty darn funny. Jooky was apparently some sort of festive carbonated beverage (possibly purple in color) that was being consumed in mass quantities on a beach. Its music was set to a pseudo-Caribbean/calypso beat with lyrics sung in an annoying wannabe Jamaican accent. In short, the advertisement set off to do what most beverage commercials do and that is prove that consumers would have better lives with a beverage (e.g. Jooky) than without. The ad featured the sort of riff-raff you'd expect to find inhabiting a beach: body builders, volleyball players, hula dancers at a luau, and people on surfboards – all showing off just how damned great their life was since being prescribed Jooky.
Ah, but wait – something is amiss. A slight distortion of the screen reveals the commercial is actually being watched by two gangly youths who look like stunt doubles for Wayne’s World III. It turns out they want in on that Jooky action, too, but alas not everything is as it seems and whatever hope they have fizzles away like the carbonation in a…well…open can of soda. Also, this commercial is a mildly ingenuous hoax by the Coca-Cola Company and Sprite, who is reminding whatever consumer base there is that looks are truly unimportant, it’s what is inside the product that really makes it special - just by being its own self. Sort of sounds like a homily from Fred Rogers, doesn’t it?
The original Jooky commercial garnered enough recognition to justify a sequel of sorts, this one selling “Jooky Junk” –meaningless trinkets you can order by sending in Jooky cans. You know, crucial items like a Jooky caulking gun, a Jooky hernia belt, and a Jooky Sea Captain.
Jooky went on to be on a number of people’s radar back at the radio station but disappeared as the years went by. I’m somewhat surprised Jooky didn’t make another appearance, officially or otherwise.
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Jooky Theme
(unknown)
Produced for the Coca-Cola Co./Sprite Brand by Lowe & Partners/SMS
1997
Just open up a Jooky
It's a party in a cahn
Jooky is so fun and fruity
You'll be dancing in the sand
Jooky make you really kooky
Jooky make you manly, mahn!
Jooky! Jooky!
It's a party in a cahn
Jooky! Jooky!
Ah, the fun's right in the your hand....
