Milk Processor Education ProgramWe're sorry to have to report this terrible news, but the Got Milk? tagline, the one that ran with photos of pop culture icons from Britney Spears to Batman posing with milk mustaches, is officially dead. Please join us in a moment of silence for our fallen advertisement friend.
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If you need more time to grieve, we understand. But in the meantime, let's get to the facts.
The Milk Processor Education Program announced that they are dropping the Got Milk? tagline and will instead use this gem: "Milk Life." Which, what even is that? What does it mean to live a milk life?! Sorry, we're still bitter about all this. And we guess that they can still use celebs in the Milk Life campaign, but it just won't be the same.
For a lot of us, the Got Milk? ads were a part of our childhood. We couldn't crack open up a YM or Teen magazine without running right into the cast of Dawson's Creek or the Backstreet Boys sporting those thick, milky mustaches. This is a campaign that's been around since 1993, so we're having some trouble letting this all go. But looking at these old Got Milk? posters are helping us a little bit:
Look! It's Amanda Bynes before she became so Amanda Bynes-y. If only that butterfly knew what would happen to its human perch in the future.
This ad with Hayden Panettiere is relevant again because of the Heroes reboot. But we don't suggest breaking a glass of milk in your hand unless you actually do have secret powers.
The Olsen Twins really wanted us to know that they weren't "little girls anymore," so they posed for this photo and then later filmed New York Minute.
The fact that people were so obsessed with Titanic back then that they made director James Cameron into a celebrity still makes us laugh. Look at line about floating ice! Oh, you king of the world, you.
Survivor is still going strong, but in 2000 winning the CBS reality series like Richard Hatch did got you a spot in an iconic ad campaign. Now, not so much.
Did Christian Bale really pose for this ad? We never thought we'd see that happen, and yet, here it is.
Old-school Britney! And a landline telephone! Wow, the '90s were so weird.
Oh, we're sorry. Did you think that Britney Spears would only appear once on this list? Fatal mistake on your part. This one is especially precious, and not because Brit is standing next to an adorable childhood picture of herself, but mostly because of that outfit. Look at the studs on those pants!
Mourners even took to Twitter to talk about their grief and post some of their favorite Got Milk? ads:
?Got Milk? ads like these are going away. http://t.co/poJBEf3LWJ pic.twitter.com/EqeHleqzCx
? New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 25, 2014Look at baby Taylor Swift back when she was just teardroppin' on guitars.
The Got Milk campaign is ending and so is my childhood. RIP pic.twitter.com/yzLPTv62CY
? erika (@_erikalewy) February 25, 2014Never forget: Malcom in the Middle gave us Bryan Cranston, who can now be found winning every TV award ever and fighting Godzilla.
OVER; Iconic 'Got Milk?' tagline dropped http://t.co/BQl6FkHYTt - @vplus pic.twitter.com/4qFJwuASWP
? NewsBreaker (@NewsBreaker) February 24, 2014Aw, remember when Brandon Routh was Superman for a hot minute? No?
The dairy industry is ending the #GotMilk campaign and will use the tagline #MilkLife
Why: http://t.co/94QsW8tlFg pic.twitter.com/ZvFOMKx7oM
? ActionNewsJax (@ActionNewsJax) February 25, 2014We see those red tips in your hair, Carson! R.I.P., TRL. But long live The Voice!
The 31 best 'Got Milk?' ads, definitively ranked http://t.co/ocT2QDmZ1A pic.twitter.com/YIpY171UlE
? HuffPostBiz (@HuffPostBiz) February 24, 2014We're just going to leave this picture here.
We loved you, Got Milk? And we will miss you. You can check out lots more vintage Got Milk? ads. Our personal favorite is the one with Jonathan Taylor Thomas, because of course it is!