Insidious.
That is the best word to describe the Ipana Toothpaste jingle. Sung by Bucky Beaver in television ads of the 1950s, the chronic earworm would have likely fallen into obscurity in the pre-YouTube era if it were not featured briefly during Grease‘s sleepover sequence.
Sung in the film by that most underrated of Pink Ladies, Jan (Jamie Donnelly), the jingle was given a second life upon fans of the film who were probably none-too-thrilled to discover that now it was lodged forever in their heads, alongside of “I’m a Pepper” and the Oscar Meyer bologna song.
Because Grease Week would not be complete without mentioning it, here are several Bucky Beaver Ipana ads (although, weirdly, the exact spot featured in Grease isn’t online):
Despite the catchiness of the jingle, eventually Ipana Toothpaste fell out of favor with the public and was discontinued in the United States in 1979. However, thanks it part to his Grease cameo, Bucky Beaver and Ipana will never be forgotten.