13 Pop-Culture Staples That Were Really Just Sponcon

If your TV or movie production is getting a tad pricey, just tap one of your more “salesy” producers to hit up some major corporations. If they think a decent amount of eyes will be on it, they’ll throw in some cash, provide the products, or heck, they might even fund the whole thing!

Product placement and corporate sponsorship isn’t a new thing. Some cite the “Red Crown Gasoline” logo in the 1920 buster Keaton film The Garage as the first ever product placement, but historians say it’s been around since the dawn of cinema in the late 1800s. It probably just seems new, since some recent flicks don’t even try to hide the commercial within the movie anymore. 

Any fellow ‘80s kids giving this list a once-over might be shocked to realize that a ton of our favorite shows were made solely to hawk toys. Well, it worked. They got us. Does the fact that we were hustled somewhat sully our fandom? Maybe. But it’s comforting to know that other generations were/are gettin’ it too. Here are 13 pop culture staples that were really just sponcon.

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