The infamous Plymouth Duster Cocaine Factory Commercial
Here is a gem of a commercial from 1984. It is the long version of the somewhat infamous dust factory commercial for the new Plymouth Duster. This version ran during the first Mtv Video Music Awards and was rarely seen again. It was kindly uploaded recently by Consumer Time Capsule. I have seen really bad versions of this ad before, but never one in this good of condition.
In the commercial, a Plymouth Duster travels through a factory that appears to only make dust or perhaps that is just a by-product of manufacturing the Duster? Whatever the case, people quickly made an association between the white dust and cocaine and this ad quickly gained a reputation. To be honest, I never made the connection to cocaine when this commercial original aired. I was a kid then, but as an adult, now it is all that I see.
Beyond the dust, the commercial is odd. Obviously influenced by Mtv, it takes place in a strange, almost dreamy factory, filled with modern dancers who dance, jump, sing “My Duster,” and I guess do copious amounts of cocaine. The neon lighting, music, clothing and industrial theming making this a great time capsule of the time.
Want one image that says, “this commercial is from the eighties?” Well have I got something for you? What you ask? How about a guy kind of rocking a faux Billy Idol vibe, grasping at a woman’s legs who is sitting atop the Duster, all under a neon blue light.
The whole thing screams, “this is not your parent’s Duster.” Although I am not sure whose Duster it actually is. I am more familiar with the seventies’ version of the Duster with the Thomas Bertsch “twister” logo and font. This Duster looks more like the eighties Dodge Charger or Plymouth Turismo that were becoming ubiquitous toward the middle and end of that decade.
Here is the full ad, you never know how long these commercials will stay online, so make sure to watch it a few times to really drink it all in.
