A plastic toy Fireman with a National battery in it, as a voice declares in Japanese that scaling a skyscraper is this year’s National Neo High Top challenge. The toy plays happy music as it ascends a neon yellow ladder connected to a red fire truck. The length of the ladder is revealed as the camera moves up it, also revealing that it goes up the face of a very tall structure. The camera continues to follow the toy on its unending trek. The firemen’s ascent to the top of the skyscraper is intercut with shots of the city below and above. He then turns to the camera and asks, “Did you see me?” after using his water hose to extinguish a smoking cigarette. I have durability and power. National Neo High Top, voice-over repeat long-lasting battery,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This commercial’s adorable method of showcasing long-lasting performance endears it to viewers. Six years later, in 1992, Eveready Energiser’s Bunny started drumming his way into American popular culture, and the little toy Fireman’s\u00a0unflagging enthusiasm in the face of an\u00a0impossible mission appears to have been a forerunner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n