The mid-to-late 1980s were a golden era of beer advertising, from the moody cool of Michelob to the goofy fun of Bud Light and its spokesdog, Spuds Mackenzie. Debuting in 1987 during Super Bowl XXI, Spuds was the “original party animal” and a babe magnet, always joined by a trio of “Spudettes,” but was, in reality, portrayed by a female bull terrier named Honey Tree Evil Eye. Spuds was an instant hit and starred in several more commercials, as well as featured on merchandise such as posters, lamps, and plushes. Similar to Joe Camel, Spuds was also accused of promoting alcohol consumption to children and became the target of groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving. While the FTC conducted a study and found no correlation between the Spuds ads and underage drinking, Anheuser-Busch retired Spuds in 1989. However, the character made a comeback as a ghost during a 2017 Super Bowl ad. One piece of merchandising was a compilation CD, Original Party Songs From Bud Light’s Original Party Animal, which featured songs like “Shout”, “Hang on Sloopy”, and “Good Lovin” but also the original song “Go Spuds Go” by Spuds MacKenzie and The Party Animals. Advertising agency Needham, Harper, and Steers created a full-length music video for the song, but it’s unclear how and if it was aired. You can check out the music video below.
