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Shrimp on the barbie
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"Shrimp on the barbie" is an often-quoted phrase that originated in a series of television advertisements by the Australian Tourism Commission starring Paul Hogan from 1984 through to 1990. The actual quote spoken by Hogan is "I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you", and the actual slogan of the ad was "Come and say G'day". It has since been popularly used along with some variations since to make reference to Australia in popular culture.
The advertisement pre-dated Hogan's popularity in the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee and thus were not seen initially as celebrity advertisements as he was unknown in the United States.
The advertisements were developed by the Australian agency Mojo in conjunction with American agency N.W. Ayer.
The campaign was launched during the National Football Conference Championship Game in January 1984. Before the campaign, Australia was approximately number 78 on the “most desired” vacation destination list for Americans but became number 7 three months after the launch, and soon became number 1 or 2 on American’s “dream vacation” list, and remaining in that position for most of the next two decades.
Barbie is Australian slang for barbecue, and the phrase "slip a shrimp on the barbie" often evokes images of a fun social gathering under the sun. Australians, however, invariably use the word prawn rather than shrimp. Since the commercial was commissioned for broadcast in the United States, the change was made to limit audience confusion.
Australian prawns are prepared in several ways (including, less commonly, on a barbecue such as in the advertisement), but more usually being purchased cooked and served cold during warm weather (known as "shrimp cocktail" in the US).
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