They come. They go. They bounce back. Tired brands don't always die. Some are rediscovered by imaginative marketers.

Pabst Blue Ribbon

Pabst Blue Ribbon started bottling beer by the same name in 1895. At its peak in 1976 the brand sold 17 million barrels. Later, outspent and outcooled by bigger brands and microbrews, Pabst became a has-been, moving only a million barrels in 2001.

• In pictures: Renaissance brands
• In pictures: The top 10 best small companies

Then something unexpected: Young men started drinking the blue-collar brew, apparently attracted by its lack of in-your-face marketing appeals. Last year Pabst sold 1.3 million barrels, says Beer Marketer's Insights.

Ovaltine

In 1904 Swiss company Wander AG created Ovolmaltine. Associated British Foods bought the brand and shortened the name. Ovaltine was the official sports drink of the 1948 Olympics in London and later became the unofficial brand of aging nostalgics.

• In pictures: The 200 best small companies: newcomers
• In pictures: Everyday tech stars

Nestle [Get Quote] acquired the sleepy brand in the U.S. in April. U.S. sales were $38 million last year; Nestle thinks it can do more.

Hydrox Cookies

Sunshine Biscuit created the cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie in 1908. Hydrox found loyal fans, but sales, which hit a reported $16 million in 1998, never matched that of rival Oreo.

Kellogg acquired Hydrox in 2001. Two years later Kellogg pulled the cookie off shelves. It brought the brand back this year, in honor of its 100th birthday, after 1,300 fans pleaded. It plans to pull the plug again.

Brylcreem

A British company called Chemico created Brylcreem in 1929. The hair-care brand was beloved by men with slicked-back 'dos in the 1950s.

Brylcreem has faded over the years despite valiant efforts by owner Combe Inc. to revive it. Sales last year were $4.6 million, down from $6 million four years earlier.

Volkswagen Beetle

The first VW Beetles, which cost $800, were introduced in the U.S. in 1949. American safety standards helped squash the Bug in 1977.

VW redesigned the car and introduced a sturdier version in flashier colors in 1998. VW last year sold 31,000 New Beetles in the U.S., with sticker prices in the vicinity of $17,000.

• In depth: World's most powerful luxury brands