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1972

Little Mikey Tries Life Cereal, America Agrees When ‘He Likes It!’

Who doesn’t remember using their younger siblings as guinea pigs? In this classic ad from art director Bob Gage and copywriter Edie Stevenson of Doyle Dane Bernbach, it’s Little Mikey’s turn to take one for the team. The commercial was for Life Cereal, starring three adolescent boys cautiously contemplating trying the healthy, whole-grain breakfast.

Before taking the plunge, the older boys rope their youngest sibling (and pickiest eater) Mikey to try it. Mikey approves, cuing one of advertising’s single most iconic lines: “He likes it! Hey, Mikey!”

The popular ad remained in regular rotation for over a decade, becoming one of the longest running commercial campaigns ever aired. John Gilchrist, the actor who played Little Mikey, grew up to star in hundreds of commercials before becoming director of media sales for MSG Networks.