1979 Hamlet Cigars commercial from the UK and Ireland

Hamlet is a well known brand of cigar produced by Japan Tobacco. They are available in several varieties, miniatures and also a regular length. They are regularly referred to as the ‘mild cigar’ in their advertising.

Hamlet cigars were first launched in the UK in 1964. More recently, Hamlet cigars have been launched in a number of western European markets.

They are most famous in the UK for their comical advertisements, which present scenes in which a man, having failed dismally at something, is consoled by lighting a Hamlet cigar. Much of the humour came from the fact that the product being advertised was deliberately unclear until the tell-tale cigar appeared, accompanied by the tune of Bach’s Air on a G String, played by French musician Jacques Loussier, and the line ‘Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet’. For example, one advertisement created a diversion by appearing to be advertising beer: a man, dying of thirst in a desert, finds a can of Heineken but accidentally spills it all into the sand; so instead he lights up a Hamlet cigar.

Since the ban on tobacco advertising in the UK and much of Europe was implemented, the adverts are no longer aired.

The closure in September 2009 of the Cardiff-based factory producing Hamlet was announced on 16 October 2007.

Info gleaned from Wikipedia

Henri Wintermans Cigars are made by a Scandinavian Tobacco Group called Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni or Scandinavian Tobacco – is a global company with a Danish head office. We are dedicated to the manufacture and sale of quality cigars and smoking tobacco to smokers around the globe.

Scandinavian Tobacco Group has around 3,400 employees in sales companies and production companies in a number of countries all over the world.

The Group is the world’s third largest player in the field of cigars and the world’s largest in pipe tobacco.

Castella Crowns advert from 1977

1979 UK commercial for Hamlet cigars

Hamlet are a well known brand of cigar produced by Japan Tobacco. They are available in several varieties, miniatures and also a regular length. They are regularly referred to as the ‘mild cigar’ in their advertising.

Hamlet cigars were first launched in the UK in 1964. More recently, Hamlet cigars have been launched in a number of western European markets.

They are most famous in the UK for their comical advertisements, which present various frustrating circumstances, where a man finds himself in an awkward or embarrassing situation and lights a Hamlet cigar. Lighting and smoking this cigar makes him smile and forget his woes. These include one cast by Paul de Freitas, which feature Gregor Fisher as Baldy Man whereby he is unable to get a satisfactory passport photo from a photobooth and eventually lights up a cigar to calm himself down – to the tune of Bach’s Air on a G String, played by French musician Jacques Loussier.

Since the ban on tobacco advertising in the UK and much of Europe was implemented, the adverts are no longer aired.

The closure in September 2009 of the Cardiff-based factory producing Hamlet was announced on 16 October 2007.

Info gleaned from Wikipedia

1960′s UK commercial for Churchmans Cigarettes.

W.A. & A.C. Churchman was a British cigarette manufacturer based in Ipswich.

U.K anti cigarettes commercial from the 80′s featuring Superman

Falstaff Cigars commercial from 1981

A commercial from 1988 for Hamlet Cigars

1979 advert for Panama Cigars.

1978 advert for Hamlet cigars.

Hamlet are a well known brand of cigar produced by Japan Tobacco. They are available in several varieties, miniatures and also a regular length. They are regularly referred to as the ‘mild cigar’ in their advertising.

Hamlet cigars were first launched in the UK in 1964. More recently, Hamlet cigars have been launched in a number of western European markets.

They are most famous in the UK for their comical advertisements, cast by Paul de Freitas, which feature Gregor Fisher as Baldy Man whereby he is unable to get a satisfactory passport photo from a photobooth and eventually lights up a cigar to calm himself down – to the tune of Bach’s Air on a G String, played by French musician Jacques Loussier.

Since the ban on tobacco advertising in the UK and much of Europe was implemented, the adverts are no longer aired.

The closure in September 2009 of the Cardiff-based factory producing Hamlet was announced on 16 October 2007.

Info taken from Wikipedia