Which 1987 public-service campaign used the slogan “This Is Your Brain on Drugs” with a frying egg?

The 1987 public-service campaign used the slogan “This Is Your Brain on Drugs” with a frying egg.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America created the television advertisement to dramatize the alleged effects of illegal drugs. An actor held up an egg, called it a brain, cracked it into a pan and described the sizzling result as what drugs do to the brain.

The commercial became one of the most recognizable American anti-drug messages of the late twentieth century. Its simple visual metaphor made it easy to remember and easy to parody, which further increased its cultural reach.

The ad is often confused with Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign. Both promoted drug prevention, but “This Is Your Brain on Drugs” is specifically identified by the egg-in-a-frying-pan demonstration and the 1987 commercial.