'Louie the Fly' Mortein Jingle (1962)

‘Louie the Fly’ first appeared on Australian television in 1957, going on to become one of the most recognisable characters in Australian advertising.

The iconic ‘Louie the Fly’ jingle debuted in 1962. The campaign was devised by McCann Erickson advertising agency and the jingle featured lyrics and music by James 'Jimmy' Joseph White. It was originally voiced by Sydney singer Neil Williams and later actor and comedian Ross Higgins (Kingswood Country).

The jingle, sung in a distinctive gravelly voice, was an instantly recognisable part of Mortein TV and radio advertisements for 55 years, becoming one of the world's longest running television advertising campaigns. In 2006 the Advertising Federation of Australia awarded ‘Louie the Fly’ fifth place in its ‘50 best advertisements of all time’.