Here are two of the earliest TV commercials for Lucky Charms cereal, which were broadcast in 1964. Although these ads were made before General Mills had made the breakfast cereal practically synonymous with their "magically delicious" theme song, the theme of the ad itself – kids chasing Lucky the Leprechaun until they finally nab his box of cereal – lasted for decades.
The actor in these vintage commercials, Arthur Anderson, was the voice for Lucky until 1992. Anderson, who wasn't actually Irish, later told ABC, "I have reason to celebrate – I had the luck of the Irish to get that part… I never got free cereal, but they gave me lots of green money. And it was a fun character to play. Hardly a day goes by when somebody doesn't ask me to sing the Lucky Charms jingle, and I'm proud of that." Anderson died in 2016 at age 93.
More recent Lucky Charms commercials, such as the 2021 version below, give Lucky some better luck, allowing him to sneak away from the wily children with his box of cereal unscathed.
