Alfonso Ribeiro Teaches Dorky White Boys How to Break Dance

Remember the 80s? I’m in heaven after I found this video for an old 80s TV commercial.

Apparently, the child actor Alfonso Ribeiro of Silver Spoons (and later Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) lent his name to an instructional book called “Breakin’ and Poppin’” teaching kids how to break dance and pop. The greatest thing about this endeavor was the TV commercial they made for it:

Sometimes you just have to feel sorry for your fellow human beings.

According to one online source, this aired on MTV in 1985, which would explain why I don’t remember seeing it because my family didn’t get cable until 1990.

I love how a big piece of cardboard with Alfonso Ribeiro’s face on it is supposed to be some kind of a selling point.

What could the “rap sheet” mentioned possibly have had written on it that could help someone to rap? In any case, I’m sure it gave “street cred” to the dorky, white suburban 11-year-olds who bought this thing to be able to tell their friends that they had a “rap sheet.”

Although any street cred this package might have had went out the window as soon as Alfonso said, “And tell Mom and Dad it’s the safe way to break and pop, not the things you shouldn’t try.” I’m sure every true hip hopper most of all wants his parents to know what he is doing is safe.

The most humiliating part of this commercial, however, is the part that features a bunch of boys doing some sort of synchronized popping to “Genius of Love” by The Tom Tom Club (“I’m in heaven…”). Stripped of their manhood before they even reached puberty!