Disney (Roy)[Eisenhower Campaign Spots, 1952 Presidential Campaign] (1952)

The "I Like Ike" animated television commercial, produced by Roy Disney and Citizens for Eisenhower-Nixon.

This item is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Disney (Roy)
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Keywords: Political campaigns and elections; Eisenhower, Dwight David; Presidents

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: Robin_1990 - - February 16, 2008
Subject: I've got to admit something...

...I'm a Bisexual Agnostic who likes Ike! Yep, This is a great commercial, Complete with catchy jingle and fairly good animation. No wonder he won the election!

Reviewer: ERD. - - September 18, 2007
Subject: Excellent!

Well done. Catchy tune and effective animation.
Probably did some good for Eisenhower.

Reviewer: Christian_With_NES - - June 5, 2007
Subject: One Of The Greatest Commercials Of All Time!

This commercial is great. The song is catchy, the animation quite good. It's a Must-See!

Reviewer: Spuzz - - December 17, 2005
Subject: We dont want John, or Dean, or Harry!

Everybody likes Ike For President! The thoroughly unpeppy-like nominee gets an impossibly cute ad with cute cartoon characters, and an even more impossibly cute jingle to pass his message across. This totally works.

A MUST SEE on this site!

Reviewer: Ja30fitz - - July 30, 2005
Subject: A great little commercial

Before there was name calling, mud slinging, and military record dredging, there were campaign commercials like this. A nice commerical, and it gets its point across very well. Wait a second, does this commercial have a point?

Reviewer: ridetheory - - April 19, 2004
Subject: Who's the leader of the club?

Very similar to the animation and opening march music of the "Mickey Mouse Club" -- but with the Swingle Singers or the Hi-Lows singing a much more repetitive theme song. Very much the opposite of a modern political attack ad -- it mentions the other candidates but cheerfully dismisses them rather than flinging mud. In that sense it it refreshing, but at least the Mickey Mouse Club had Donald Duck chiming in as the loyal opposition. Take it as an example of "bandwagon" advertising ("Everyone else is doing it!"), and you'll find itdepressingly transparent.

Reviewer: moderator - - March 18, 2004
Subject: Alright, I like Ike, shut up already!

Ike for president, Ike for president... I wouldn't read too much into this one. Catchy tune, innocent whitebread appeal, typical'50s persuasive repition. The only problem I have with this add is the message at the end: "Now is the time for all good Americans to come and serve their country." So if you vote Democratic, you are not a good American? Oh well, still more entertining than Morning Again in America. Blegh!

Reviewer: Marysz - - February 19, 2004
Subject: Get in Step With the Guy Who's Hep

Compared to todayÃÂs ÃÂattack ads,ÃÂ this spot for Eisenhower looks remarkably innocent. A chorus opens with ÃÂI like Ike, you like Ike, everybody likes Ike!ÃÂ as crew of white Americans marches behind the Eisenhower ÃÂbandwagon.ÃÂ These figures evoke a long-gone America that supplied abundant jobs in manufacturing, farming and tradeÃÂa policeman, a fireman, a nurse, a cowboy, a locomotive engineer, a housepainter, and a businessman. We also see a farmer on a tractor and a young couple pushing a baby carriage ÃÂÃÂLetÃÂs get in step with the guy whoÃÂs hep, who can do the big job right!ÃÂ The backgrounds imply a cityÃÂbut the buildings are tilted in a way that suggests the look of a fleet of battleships; weÃÂre being reminded of EisenhowerÃÂs wartime experience. EisenhowerÃÂs face is pictured on the Republican elephant, but the Democrats are caricatured as asses. TheyÃÂre also pictured moving to the left on the screen, as the Republicans march to the right. The message of this ad is to ÃÂjoin the crowdÃÂ and vote RepublicanÃÂthe fifties ideal of conformity for its own sake. ÃÂLet Adlai go the other way!ÃÂ the track sings as we see a shadowy cartoonish figure on a donkey in the background bouncing across the screen (to the left, of course). This 1952 ad foreshadows the Republican partyÃÂs appeal to rural, white Americans. On one hand, we see the grim conformity of the fifties; but, in the working people portrayed, we also see an America that promised its white citizens at least, a ÃÂbig jobÃÂ that paid a living wage.

Reviewer: rsmith02 - - July 10, 2003
Subject: crude

The utter crudeness of this spot makes it endearing. It combines the obsolete advertising strategy of mating a catchy tune with a heavily repeated slogan, and the inoffensive imagery of cute cartoons. Who could disklike a curvy elephant or an Elmer Fudd-lookalike Ike? Sure the spot insults the intelligence of anyone out of gradeschool, but so do modern attack ads. At least this ad is civil and upbeat.

Reviewer: zorach - - May 5, 2003
Subject: Politics LITE.

Another chilling example of the dreadful superficiality and blandness of the 50s. The catchy I LIKE IKE slogan appealed to me at that time. Then again, I was only eight years old, so what does that tell you about the mentality of the average voter of the day?
Yet, behind all of this blandness, peoples' lives were being ruined by the HUAC and the soon-to-be Vice President of the United States, not to mention a demonic Senator from Wisconsin. Taking all this into account, the blandness of this "Paid Political Announcement" becomes all the more frightening. Harry should have run for another term.

Reviewer: EWKEANE - - February 27, 2003
Subject: Gosh, even the sun likes ike

This advert is classic name repetition of product that is typical hard sell of those years. And of course, everyone likes ike, Uncle Sam, jet planes, elephants, milkmaids, firemen, ect. Good stuff

Reviewer: Lewis Payne - - February 12, 2003
Subject: Ike, Ike, Ike, Ike.....

Classic piece of political advertising; catchy theme tune, great artwork. But is just me, or does the cartoony face of Ike himself look kinda shifty?

Reviewer: Asparagirl - - November 24, 2002
Subject: Cute short animated campaign ad

Cute lil' pro-Ike bit of political advertising, with a catchy theme song. Everybody likes Ike!

Shotlist

Contents: "I Like Ike" animated commercial, produced by Roy Disney and Citizens for Eisenhower-Nixon during the 1952 presidential campaign; Man walking dog; veterans speak; woman speaks; part-animated spot; others.