“Earth people peeled their own potatoes with their metal knives...
June 23, 2022 11:32 AM Subscribe
...boiled them for twenty of their minutes, then smashed them all to bits” snarked the aliens in one of the most successful UK TV ad campaigns, for Cadbury's Smash (1973-92), an instant mashed potato food with the slogan 'For mash get Smash'. The jingle writer did not spend a lot of time composing the tune. Models of the alients/robots were made from stolen car parts. With aliens voiced by Peter Hawkins (who also voiced the daleks and cybermen from Doctor Who, and Zippy from Rainbow), the product could also be used to make bread, and joined a range of iconic British convenience foods. Other instant mashed potatoes are available.
Ooooh yay! I lived in England from '76-'79, and although I was too young to really appreciate the entire experience (sadly), I have never forgotten the "For Mash, Get Smash" adverts. Explained/described it to my wife a few years ago, and she thought I was crazy - fortunately, a quick Youtube search proved that I had not dreamed it up.
Also: Potatoes are awesome. In just about every form.
posted by davidmsc at 11:39 AM on June 23, 2022
Also: Potatoes are awesome. In just about every form.
posted by davidmsc at 11:39 AM on June 23, 2022
Also: Potatoes are awesome. In just about every form.
Totes agree! Someone on MetaFilter should do a post about them.
posted by Wordshore at 11:41 AM on June 23, 2022 [8 favorites]
Totes agree! Someone on MetaFilter should do a post about them.
posted by Wordshore at 11:41 AM on June 23, 2022 [8 favorites]
we're on a potato roll chums
You mean this type of potato rolls? Or this type of potato rolls?
posted by inflatablekiwi at 11:45 AM on June 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
You mean this type of potato rolls? Or this type of potato rolls?
posted by inflatablekiwi at 11:45 AM on June 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
Apologies if this is off topic but you mentioned Doctor Who and potatoes and I just have to saw I've always thought Strax is a potato which made me love him the moment he appeared.
Also I love mashed potatoes and don't get to eat them nearly often enough.
(Also I'm not sure I've ever actually had a potato roll which is surely wrong.)
(Also, Wordshore, I tend to associate you, fondly, with cakes, and now I'm thinking about potato cakes, which are very unlike, say, walnut cake, and yet are also delicious. If I had more time maybe I'd do a post about potato cakes. ... I wonder if latkes is around?)
And NOW I'm thinking about putting mashed potatoes in a pastry bag and piping out interesting decorative shapes.
This is the most delightful stream of conciousness I've had all week.
Thanks for the mash, Wordshore!
posted by kristi at 12:01 PM on June 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
Also I love mashed potatoes and don't get to eat them nearly often enough.
(Also I'm not sure I've ever actually had a potato roll which is surely wrong.)
(Also, Wordshore, I tend to associate you, fondly, with cakes, and now I'm thinking about potato cakes, which are very unlike, say, walnut cake, and yet are also delicious. If I had more time maybe I'd do a post about potato cakes. ... I wonder if latkes is around?)
And NOW I'm thinking about putting mashed potatoes in a pastry bag and piping out interesting decorative shapes.
This is the most delightful stream of conciousness I've had all week.
Thanks for the mash, Wordshore!
posted by kristi at 12:01 PM on June 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
Smash was one of the worst things I've ever eaten, but we were Poors so that was all we could afford. Also a box of Smash was a lot easier for mum to carry home on the bus than a 10 lb bag of potatoes.
I loved the commercials, though!
posted by monotreme at 12:17 PM on June 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
I loved the commercials, though!
posted by monotreme at 12:17 PM on June 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
“Earth people peeled their own potatoes with their metal knives...
...but they just can't kill the beast."
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:23 PM on June 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
...but they just can't kill the beast."
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:23 PM on June 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
Cadbury's Smash
I generally associate Cadbury with chocolate, so I was thinking that this was going to be some combination of potatoes and chocolate.
Upon viewing, no, it wasn't. I'm not sure whether to be disappointed or relieved.
But the Peter Hawkins voiceover is great.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:25 PM on June 23, 2022
I generally associate Cadbury with chocolate, so I was thinking that this was going to be some combination of potatoes and chocolate.
Upon viewing, no, it wasn't. I'm not sure whether to be disappointed or relieved.
But the Peter Hawkins voiceover is great.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:25 PM on June 23, 2022
I was this many days old when I first googled "Potato Futures market" and started reading about the European Processing Potato Futures Market. And it's grim news my friends - EU processing potato price on the rise amid soaring production costs and tight supplies
Somewhere there is a comment to be made on whether an investment in Crypto or Potato Futures options would have been a better bet this year. But really I'm just in it for the potatoes.
posted by inflatablekiwi at 12:33 PM on June 23, 2022
Somewhere there is a comment to be made on whether an investment in Crypto or Potato Futures options would have been a better bet this year. But really I'm just in it for the potatoes.
posted by inflatablekiwi at 12:33 PM on June 23, 2022
Despite the link text the OP does not have a instant mash bread recipe. This link does though - for bread makers only, haven't found a hand recipe yet!
posted by Faintdreams at 12:42 PM on June 23, 2022
posted by Faintdreams at 12:42 PM on June 23, 2022
Thanks for posting this. When I was growing up in the late 80s and 90s, my dad would often sing the jingle when we had mashed potatoes. But somehow he never mentioned what happened in the rest of the ads!
Evidently these ads were still running in that period but I have absolutely no memory of seeing them. They would have been hard to forget!
posted by wjt at 12:49 PM on June 23, 2022
Evidently these ads were still running in that period but I have absolutely no memory of seeing them. They would have been hard to forget!
posted by wjt at 12:49 PM on June 23, 2022
All I know is, this morning as I wondered what to have for lunch, I thought - potatoes. White potato and sweet potato with spicy lentils and cheese on top. Also, beets and carrots. None of this potato only stuff.
posted by Bee'sWing at 1:04 PM on June 23, 2022
posted by Bee'sWing at 1:04 PM on June 23, 2022
Smash is absolutely dreadful, like eating a byproduct of the fertiliser industry.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 1:30 PM on June 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by GallonOfAlan at 1:30 PM on June 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
Smash and lukewarm baked beans, the taste of childhood power cuts. The accompanying smell is that of the Primus stove.
Smash is not palatable enough to eat other than in the case of dire emergency. I can still feel the way the flavour used to catch at the back of my throat. It took me precisely one mouthful of my first school dinner mashed potato dollop to realise that it had come out of a packet; school dinners did not constitute a dire emergency, and so my first mouthful was also my last.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 3:47 AM on June 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
Smash is not palatable enough to eat other than in the case of dire emergency. I can still feel the way the flavour used to catch at the back of my throat. It took me precisely one mouthful of my first school dinner mashed potato dollop to realise that it had come out of a packet; school dinners did not constitute a dire emergency, and so my first mouthful was also my last.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 3:47 AM on June 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
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11 / 13 today SO FAR
we're on a potato roll chums
let's keep it up!
POTATOCLIP MAXIMIZER ALGORITHM IS WORKING
posted by lalochezia at 11:35 AM on June 23, 2022 [2 favorites]