Way back in the days of old media it seemed like a good idea to advertise a new video game or game-related product with a special short comic strip instead of a traditional advertisement.  All kinds of games have used this gimmick over the years and Poison Mushroom has taken a look back at a few memorable favorites such as comic ads for Plok, Bonk's Adventure, Mario Bros., and the infamous Mario/Princess shampoo. 

No doubt many of you who read comics (or at least, those who actually go and buy comic books instead of just reading scans online) know that comic books and video game advertising have been intertwined for quite some time. To that end, some advertisers actually took that as a cue to turn their page or two of space into a short comic itself, to entice their targeted audience into giving these things a try.

I remember the Plok ad quite well, and I feel I must cleanse my soul as I once cleansed my hair by admitting that, yes, I had a bottle of the Mario shampoo as a kid.  As I recall, it was so-so on human hair, but my pet guinea pig was happy to be bathed with it.  This ends today's MattG Childhood Flashback.