Here's a little history lesson, kids. Memes existed before the cyberwebs. What's that, you say? But how did people pass memes around and create viral marketing campaigns before instant publishing on the webonets? They did it with jokes and parodies and cartoons -- sometimes in print, sometimes on TV, sometimes whispered in the back of a high school class. I know it sounds crude and primitive, but there you have it.
Such is the case with the 1970s-80s meme "Cal Worthington and His Dog Spot." The phrase comes from car salesman Cal Worthington's homemade commercials, featuring himself in a goofy western getup with a random animal (sometimes a dog, but he also used a gorilla, an elephant, and a tiger). He'd always say, "Hi I'm Cal Worthington and this is my dog spot," and proceed to tell you to buy cars from his dealerships. The ads got so popular that they were parodied in the Weird Al vehicle UHF, as well as in movies like Desperately Seeking Susan (where the "whirlpool" ads are clearly takeoffs on Cal) and more recently in an episode of Big Love, where the main character does a cheap commercial in a cowboy hat and invites TV audiences to come to his big ole hardware store. Even Ellen DeGeneres is in on the meme -- she recently did a parody of the old ads, looking ridiculously hot in her Worthington-wear.
Why did Cal catch fire? Partly because his commercials, like so much content online, felt so amateurish. People felt like anybody could do them, and thus many imitations were born. There is a huge archive of the "his dog spot" commercials, some of which date back to the 1960s (sadly in Real Player format). Now you too can enjoy a paleolithic meme.
My Dog Spot [via Cal Worthington Archives]
