Sitcom ditty gives aspirin new blood

The song that helped Potsie get an A+ in his college anatomy course on the TV show “Happy Days” has come to the aid of another hopeful entity. This time it’s St. Joseph aspirin, which looked to the past to freshen its brand.

When McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals needed a song to pump the importance of aspirin and a healthy heart, it turned to Anson Williams as Potsie singing “Pump Your Blood” from “Happy Days” episode No. 142, “Potsie Quits School.”

Unexpectedly, the campaign has turned into a hit.

“In the history of the brand and McNeil we’ve never received a response like this,” says Ami Schmitz-Levine, spokesperson for the company, which manufactures St. Joseph. “People are really over the moon about this song. The brand manager said we’re getting 150 to 200 calls a week from consumers. What’s great about this is ‘Happy Days’ is vintage cool and our brand has a rich vintage history.”

Do people actually get nostalgic about aspirin? People do, Schmitz-Levine says, particularly baby aspirin. “This was the little orange pill we took as a kid. It resonates with consumers the same way this music and the times resonated with viewers.”

Words to the song and some dialogue from the “Happy Days” episode can be found at www.sitcomsonline.com/themesonglyrics .html. The catchy chorus:

“Pump, pump, pumps your blood.”