I’m a little strapped for time this week, but I did want to share this amazing new site with you. Amid Amidi at Cartoon Brew recently posted a link to Duke University’s recently digitized collection of vintage television ads. Animation has long been a key tool in the advertising game, helping a commercial to stand out from the crowd with a unique style and visual that live-action can’t match. The AdViews archive has plenty of nostalgic goodies for animation fans. While it doesn’t have everything, the archive does collect and impressive number and rage of ads dating from the 1950s all the way to the 1980s. Simply click on the company or product you’re interested in and you’ll be taken to the iTunes store page where you can download any or all of the ads for that product or company, all for free. If you want to learn more, the website also includes interviews with experts in television advertising about the archive and a quiz to test your TV ad knowledge.

If you don’t know where to start, here’s a search I did for the term “animated. You can explore the evolution of Sugar Bear and other spokescharacters for Post Sugar Crisp cereal, or check out the Flintstones hawking Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles, back before all the ads with transparent references to popular movies. Meet the Johnson’s Wax angels, listen the tales of Elsie the creepy looking Borden dairy cow, or rock out with the Beech-Nut Hot Shots, seen above. (Yes, I know it’s the same video Cartoon Brew posted, but it’s such a great ad.)

My one complaint is that there aren’t any descriptions of the individual ads, so you can’t tell exactly what ad you’re getting until you download it. But with so much content and a price that can’t be beat, the AdViews archive is a great way to explore the history of TV advertising. Check it out and post your favorites here.