By Christopher Cicchiello --> The future of brands gets decided here. Join the industry’s top marketers at Brandweek for the ideas, insights, and connections shaping what’s next. Get your ticket.
Dolly Parton, known as the “Queen of Country,” has died at 80 years old, her estate announced on Tuesday (Aug. 25).
Parton wasn’t just the generation-spanning, 11-time Grammy-winning country singer behind hits including “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You,” and “9 to 5”—the latter of which soundtracked the eponymous film she starred in.
She was also a figure firmly embedded in the fabric of American culture, collaborating with Beyoncé, Post Malone, and Pitbull later in her career.
Always one for the spotlight, Parton brought her talents on the set of numerous commercials over the decades, sporting her iconic platinum blonde bouffant wig.
These are some of the most enduring from Parton’s sprawling career:
View this post on Instagram Parton has been the face of brands like Breeze Detergent since commercials were in black and white.
Standing beside Porter Wagoner—who introduced the world to a young Parton on his variety show in 1967—the duo showcase bath towels with intricate bouquets of flowers that came in boxes of Breeze detergent.
“Nope, you can only get them in boxes of Breeze,” Wagoner replied.
The same year that Parton released her ABC variety show Dolly and her album Trio alongside Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, she starred in an ad for Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
Unlike most of her ads, where she plays herself, Parton is an unnamed hotel room attendant in this commercial, alongside real estate developer Stephen Wynn. He tells her that both Frank Sinatra and Kenny Rogers stayed in the room.
“And you know who bit this toast? Dolly Parton!”
Parton squeals in delight: “Dolly Parton is the best!”
It’s a cornball fiesta, but Parton’s commitment to the bit keeps it grounded.
Parton’s pride for her Tennessee roots are on full display in this infomercial.
Donning a reflective vest cinched at the waist by a large gold belt, Parton touts recent improvements TDOT made in downtown Knoxville, letting viewers know construction is nearly finished.
“Construction crews will be working faster than my Tennessee tornado can finish up,” Parton said, pronouncing “tornado” as “tardado” with a thick Southern drawl.
Parton couldn’t resist alerting drivers which road detours to take to get to her Dollywood theme park as well.
Parton’s debut on the Super Bowl ad stage saw her flip one her most famous songs on its head, literally.
Teaming up with Squarespace, Parton retooled her track 9 to 5 as 5 to 9. The ad was meant to highlight and celebrate the growing “side hustle” economy, as people were increasingly working on a passion projects outside of the routine hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
“Working 5 to 9, making something of your own now,” she sings as part of the reworked lyrics.
Parton is once again committing to the bit here, and this time, poking fun at herself.
Shot as a satirical fundraiser video complete with a dreary background, Parton turns to viewers to say America has a major problem.
“So I’m going to get it off my chest,” she said, reaching down her shirt. Parton has always been vocal about her breast implants, but instead of where audience expectations went, she pulled out a phone to declare the issue: 5G phones with limited networks.
Parton’s goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, makes a brief cameo as we…