Ah. Funky, wacky and loud. These three words sum up what Japanese advertisements of the 80s and 90s were like. I’m not sure about you - but when I first chanced upon one of these ads, I was enraptured by the psychedelic colours, nonsensical placement of objects and dramatic facial expressions. How, why and what in the world!

A couple of hours scrolling through the depths of Google and even chancing upon this book by Ory Bartal about Postmodern Advertising in Japan, I think I kinda know why these vintage Japanese ads are this unique!

A very short history lesson…

Way back in the 1980s, Japan was seeing rapid globalisation, internationalisation and a booming pop culture industry. The introduction of postwar technologies meant that digital technologies could be used to explore visual language. Artists, and pop artists in particular, tapped into these burgeoning technologies to push the boundaries of design and media.

This created a whole new Japanese culture that was very much different from the “formal” Japanese culture. It was psychedelic, dramatic and daring. A complete visual revolution!

And thus, the age of post-modern advertising was ushered in!

The 1980s was the peak of Japanese consumer culture. The booming economy meant that the ordinary citizen could afford lavish goods and many Japanese thrived in the opulence. The introduction of affordable, foreign goods meant that they had access to a whole other market of goods that was sizeably larger than theirs.

Companies jumped at the opportunity to beef up their advertising and attract as many customers as they could. With technology making many of these products similar in quality, they decided to shift the focus away from the product itself, and put the focus on the graphics and designs - features completely unrelated to the products!

The purpose? To differentiate the product by the emotional response you feel when you look at the ads & by viewing it as being stylish and trendy!

Slap on eclectic facial expressions, strategic placement of the product front-and-centre, attention-grabbing graphics and a seemingly nonsensical arrangement of elements onto a brightly coloured or patterned background and you get a template wacky Japanese Advertisement of the 80s - wacky, emotive, and guaranteed to have you make a double take when you look at it!

Check out some of these wacky ads that we found!

1. A glue stick! And strong enough to be stuck on… your… nose…?

2. Poker Cards, a glass of wine, and a broken leg. We have no clue what’s going on here!

3. Selling treadmills! But check out this lady and her canary!

4. Interesting fashion choices here for a motorcycle…

5. What clowns, dolls and a family have to do with a half-drunk beverage is anyone’s guess!

6. We’re digging that bold red lip and striking red coat!

7. Ah, nothing like a chipmunk-esque haircut to advertise for the latest beer

And here you have it. Some of the wackiest Japanese ads we’ve seen! I really love how much character and charm these ads are - they really do leave an impression because they are so out-of-the-ordinary. More, please!