Over the course of the next ten days we’ll be bringing you a short history of a uniquely South African advertising phenomenon: Liqui-Fruit television ads. Perched high up in the fondly-curated South African Television Advertising Hall of Fame, the Liqui-Fruit ads are up there with greatest hits like the scottish Lunch Bar, and the “Ja Boet” Castrol ads of yore. You’ll remember the ads from your childhood, your adolescence, and your adulthood. More likely, you’ll remember the lovely ladies that starred in them.

Without further ado, we present Liqui-Fruits televisual face of the 1980s, Lushano Kuhn.

The 80s Liqui-Fruit girl was Lushano Kuhn, a young girl with a fresh look. Which was helpful, given that the 80s ad concept was all about fantasy, focussing on extreme thirst and refreshment. There’s a desert scene followed by a fruit fantasy. You read that correctly.

And please, do enjoy the spandex.

After the shoot of the advert, Lushano rose to modelling stardom. Lushana has the most incredibly engaging eyes – the look she gave to the camera at the end of the advert has never been matched by any model in a Liqui-Fruit ad.

And the basic formula has remained the same, ever since.

Lushano’s fresh-faced, unusual beauty set the standard for all the Liqui-Fruit girls to follow.

Two years later the decision was made to add some manly spice to the brand’s advertising vibe, with the production of the ‘aviator stranded in the desert’ commercial. After the initial public reaction, it became obvious that the appeal of the commercial didn’t lie in the guy, but rather in the beautiful female pilot who came to his rescue.

And so it became law that Liqui-Fruit would always feature a leading lady, and the concept of the ‘Face of Liqui-Fruit’ was born.

Throughout the next two decades a select few girls would have the honour of being chosen as the public face of the brand.

From young Lushano Kuhn in the original fantasy commercial and Tanya Eloff on the isolated Namibian beach in her famous golden bikini, to Tracy McGregor on the fruit island and Rue Essop in the desert fantasy – the tradition continues. And you’ll get to see them in the coming days.

But it’s a new decade, and a new face needs to be found.

On the 29th of October the 2012 Liqui-Fruit Girl will be revealed with the first airing of the new TV advert.

To keep abreast of the developments, follow the #LiquiFruitgirl hashtag on Twitter, and visit the Facebook page!