Robitussin Honey “Window Bear” Commercial…
“Hi Susan!,” greets the anthropomorphic CGI bear cheerily as he rolls back a woman’s kitchen sink window in this Robitussin commercial. The woman has been coughing, and her cough is visible as a blue spray; drat, mine never is! In her hand, the woman holds a honey container, appropriately enough one of those molded in the shape of a bear. She has been self-medicating her cough, you see, with honey, a popular home remedy for the ailment.
“Honey? I respect that,” comments this genial bear. “But that cough looks pretty bad!” He extends a helpful paw to offer a box of Robitussin. “Try this new Robitussin Honey!” This is a better bruin; articulate, affable, and helpful. We cut then to the announcer commentary…“the real honey you love, plus the powerful cough relief you need.”
Then it’s back to the woman and bear again. “Mind if I root through your trash?,” he asks the woman. It only seems a fair exchange, after all, and the bear’s been so helpful. But sadly in this brief 15 second spot, we are not told if she grants permission to this rare bear…
…in my crazed mind, I would like to see a television series that unites a number of commercial animal spokes-creatures, including this bear, Maxwell the pig, and of course the Lactaide “milk that messes with you” cow. We’ll throw in Tony the Tiger, Toucan Sam, and other guest animals. It would be just the thing to heal us from the vicious political mid-term election attack ads now dunning us at every commercial interval. And this bear? – – better than your average politician, hey hey hey hey! – – I’d vote for him!
Explore posts in the same categories: animal spokepersons, anthropomorphic, Brilliant but twisted, commercials, furry, furry commercialsTags: Robitussin honey bear
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FOXSYLVANIA 
November 1, 2018 at 2:54 pm
I recall such a format only being done twice before. The first time, when Standard Oil changed the name of their service stations from “Esso” to “Exxon.” That required their spokes-tiger to come out of retirement at the Advertising Hall of Fame in an animated commercial that also featured Speedy Alkaseltzer and the Little Dutch Boy.*
The second time was a little more recent. Some insurance commercial that advocated always preparing for the future. Hence, their usage of every robot familiar to pop-culture lovers of science fiction (including the 1960’s LIS Robot and Commander Data from STAR TREK: TNG)!
As for me? My third favorite bear, after Yogi and Smokey, would have to be…The Cookie Bear!!
One of the recurring comedy skits on the old Andy Williams variety show (back in the pre-disco Seventies) involved an anthropomorphic ursine acted by stunt man Janos Prohaska and voice-dubbed by comedian Allan Blye. The bear was so nicknamed because he was always trying to con the venerable singer/host out of some freshly-baked cookies.
Trying…but always hilariously failing.
*The latter exulting the tiger to “Paint the town red!”
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November 2, 2018 at 9:40 am
On the Exxon tiger, once long ago gas stations gave out as a promotion little stuffed striped tiger tail stubs with elastic attached so as to enable their attachment to a gas cap. This gave free advertising to Exxon, plus the user the appearance of having a “tiger In their tank!”
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November 2, 2018 at 2:44 pm
Exactly!
Btw: did the shared Youtube clip (of the above-mentioned commercial) make it through to you?
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November 9, 2018 at 11:56 pm
The only thing I noticed wrong is that the bear says “that cough looks bad”, however it should say that cough sounds bad. Just a though, otherwise other than the phrase I like the commercial. Matthew Bottorff
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November 12, 2018 at 3:53 pm
He “sees” her cough as that blueish/purple haze that comes out when she coughs.
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November 16, 2018 at 9:40 pm
Exactly! Much like those mouthwash commercials, back in the Nineties, where bad breath was electronically symbolized as a green cloud. In fact, my parents used to parody the old rock song “Green Door” to that commercial.
“Green Cloud, what’s that secret your keepin’?
What smell, out of your mouth, is seepin’?”
Etc. etc. etc.
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January 13, 2019 at 9:11 pm
This commercial seems to promote that bears going through trash is permissible. That’s just wrong!!! Here in the Smokies, we have a large bear population. And everything is done to keep them out of human trash and human contact. If a bear proves to be a “nuisance bear” with too much contact with humans and their property, it can possibly be located or euthanized. What was Robitussin thinking? With the current government shutdown, volunteers are trying to police the trash in the National Park so that bears won’t be attracted to all of the human waste.
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February 6, 2019 at 11:50 pm
The voice of the bear sounds a lot like the voice of Ted (of Bob’s Burgers).
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February 7, 2019 at 2:37 pm
I thought the voice of the bear sounded a lot like Josh Gates of Travel Channel’s “Expedition Unknown”. I’m not sure though.
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January 2, 2022 at 7:27 pm
It’s Ray Romano of Everybody Loves Raymond.
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November 5, 2019 at 12:18 am
I thought it sounded like ray Romano.
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