In September of 1989, NBC aired a message from Tom Brokaw. «The more you know about an impending disaster, the more likely you are to do something about it,» the news anchor told his audience. «That’s why we’re embarking on a campaign of public service messages. The campaign is called, appropriately, ‘The More You Know.'»

In the 25 years since, the campaign Brokaw introduced back then has expanded its purview to include definitions of «disaster» that are both broadened and narrowed from the original: unhealthful eating habits, low self-esteem, environmental crises, cyber-bullying. The More You Know has won Emmys. It has counted presidents and First Ladies, as well as TV stars, as participants. It has also won what might be the best demonstration of cultural ascendance: widespread parody. (Doo-doo-doo-DOOOO…)

The campaign has also varied, enormously—not just in its messaging, but in its tone. Many of the ads have been earnest-and-serious: