Archive for the ‘furry commercials’ category

MiO “Watering Hole” Nose Job!

March 26, 2012

– – The action continues at the Watering Hole, and in this airing it’s time for the girls to come front and center…two long-necked beauties, specifically an ostrich (–perhaps swan?) and a giraffe!  The animation is amazing, but reactions to the commercial itself appear to be divided along the lines of, “It’s creepy and disturbing,” versus “They’re hot!”  So choose your side, I guess…but I like this universe!

Females everywhere regardless of species apparently have commonalities if this commercial is to be believed, and these two ladies engage in the bar pastimes of shooting down guys who hit on them, and making “catty” comments about other females…in this case, a rhino girl who had her nose done, and a camel chick with humps that “do not exist in nature!

Whether you love this commercial series or hate it, you can entertain yourself deciding which female celebrities the four presented characters resemble!  I’ve heard Taylor Swift, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Snookie mentioned as possibilities…

Frontier Airlines “Spokesanimals…”

March 18, 2012

– – Frontier Airlines boasts wildlife images that appear on the tails (- -where else?) of each of their aircraft!  There are more than 60 animals with distinctive personalities and bios  that are said to represent the airline’s character, commitment to service, and humor. 

Members of the “stable” include Larry the Lynx, Grizwald the Bear, Jack the Rabbit, Sal the Cougar, and my personal favorites, Foxy the Fox,  and Trixie the Fox.

Frontier Airlines was founded in 1994, and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.  Their corporate slogan is,  “A Whole Different Animal.”   With tail art like this, Frontier looks like a good place to rack up my frequent flier miles! 

The Starburst “Contradictions” Dog…

March 14, 2012

– – We all know that many dogs like to ride in cars with their heads sticking out of an open window; a dog who prefers to ride with his tail end sticking out of the window would be, to put it mildly, a contradiction, or at least an unusual preference.- –Well, we meet such a dog in action in a recent Starburst commercial, the idea of which is to show how a sweet which is both juicy like a liquid and also solid is also a contradiction. 

Starburst has explored this notion of contradictions before in their commercials about “Scottish Koreans.”  This dog, as his owner contends, is not weird, but an innovator…and in any case, they’re cute!

MiO “Cheetah” at “The Watering Hole!

March 6, 2012

– – A rhinoceros, a cheetah, and a gazelle walk into a bar…it sounds like a hokey joke, but it’s the theme for a Kraft MiO liquid water enhancer commercial!   Blending the line between live action and animation, the spot makes over wild animals into twenty-something dudes, inhabiting a bar appropriately called, The Watering Hole.  The Rhino is a solid, muscular guy with glasses wearing a tight T-shirt labeled (–What else?) “Animal.”  The Cheetah is a sleek speedster in a leather jacket who bewails the fact that MiO energy drinks are “completely crushing my game” by making everyone “…more energized, more alert” after mixing MiO into their water.  As a result, the Cheetah is no longer the fastest beast around!

“Remember when I used to be it?,” continues the Cheetah.  “I was the man.  If you needed to track a gazelle down for dinner, you came to me.”  At that point a jeans-jacket wearing Gazelle literally laughs in the Cheetah’s face!

It’s a great furry bar scene, a place where I’d certainly be at home!  Watch for a future spot to include a giraffe…

Dueling Porkers…

February 29, 2012

– – Riding on the coattails of the popularity of Geico’s Maxwell the pig, Cici’s Pizza has unleashed near look-alike pigs seen speeding around in a blue van…and the kicker is, these pigs are advertising not insurance, but  (-gasp!) a Hog Fest promotion, which means a pizza with bacon, sausage, ham, and pepperoni!- –Oh the horror, the horror!

Things may get ugly in the Pig Wars from this point on, but you may count on Foxsylvania to give you an unflinching look at the atrocities  and keep you fully informed, for you deserve nothing less!

DirecTV’s “Grandson With A Dog Collar”

February 21, 2012

– – Some people regard this commercial as hilarious while others regard it as an ad full of stereotypes and prejudice.  It’s DirecTV’s “Don’t Have A Grandson With A Dog Collar” ad which like  others for the same company takes us through a chain of events sequence illustrating the consequences of making a bad or wrong decision.  In this one, it seems that if your cable is on the fritz, you get frustrated.  When you get frustrated, your daughter imitates.  When your daughter imitates, she gets thrown out of school.  When your daughter gets thrown out of school, she meets “undesirables” (-shown hanging out in a video game room, gasp!).  When she meets undesirables, your daughter ties the knot with undesirables.  And when your daughter ties the knot with undesirables, you get a grandson with a dog collar!  Don’t have a grandson with a dog collar, we are admonished…get rid of cable, and upgrade to DirecTV!

Now dog collars themselves are worn by a variety of different types, including actual canines as well as some goths, heavy metal fans, sado-masochists, and furries.  It’s a personal decision and a personal statement that doesn’t mean that the wearer is bound for a life of crime, or that social deviance is inherently bad.- – No, I don’t wear one, but I’m I’m fine with it if you do…and I can see how some people of alternative life styles might be offended by this commercial.

On the other hand, the expression on the face of the painfully straight grandfather as he sits at the end of the commercial  holding his dog-collar wearing grandson is priceless!  It’s a fish out of water scene that might be a scenario for a sitcom…

DirecTV’s “Stop Taking In Stray Animals!”

February 19, 2012

– – A series of DirecTV commercials shows us the consequences of making bad decisions in a chain of events fashion reminiscent of Laura Numeroff’s 1985 children’s classic,  If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.  It seems that if you pay too much for cable, you throw things.  If you throw things, people think that you have anger issues.  When people think that you have anger issues, your schedule clears up.  When your schedule clears up, you grow a scraggly beard.  When you grow a scraggly beard, you start taking in stray animals; and when you take in stray animals, you can’t stop taking in stray animals!  

In this half a minute gem, we are shown each step in this downwards spiral, winding up with our unfortunate man at home looking cheerfully demented with unkempt hair and beard, clad in his robe and slippers and surrounded by numerous stray dogs and cats and even a raccoon and opossum!   We are told that one may break out of this bleak cycle and stop taking in stray animals by getting rid of cable, and subscribing to DirecTV…

Aspects of this commercial are funny and I take it in the spirit in which it was intended, but the problems of animal collecting and hoarding are real as are the problems of homeless, neglected, and abused pets.  The commercial might also be criticized for potentially ridiculing those who have taken in stray animals, a practice which is far from objectionable if done responsibly and in full awareness and acceptance of the commitment involved…  

Geico’s Black Panther…

February 18, 2012

Geico continues to produce noteworthy commercials with a furry twist, one of their latest featuring a magnificent black panther doing duty as a money-saving home security system!   I certainly wouldn’t mess with him…trouble is, the couple employing the big feline’s services aren’t getting much sleep out of the deal, especially since the panther appears to be sizing the duo up, staring as cats do so uncannily well and licking his lips- -heck, they can’t even talk as the fearful woman “shushes” the guy! 

The point of the commercial is that Geico offers security that will save you money and doesn’t involve adopting a rescue panther, but cat people will enjoy seeing this black beauty, who as David Bowie sang so memorably, “…can stare for a thousand years.”

Street Luge Maxwell!

February 13, 2012

 – – Maxwell the Pig seems to be getting into extreme sports, and continues to be hamming it up and having the time of his life!  Geico’s original 2010 commercial turned the porker into a web sensation, and the last time we saw him he was flying down a zip-wire.  Now Maxwell’s trying out a street luge, and making it all look easy;  he catches up to a street-luging human, gives him a memorable “bro-nod,” warns him “Ahh…heads up!,” and then becomes airborne!   At no time does Maxwell lose his blue and white pinwheels or express anything but giddy delight as he “Weee’s” his way along in his quest for the ultimate thrill!

Yeti in Stride Gum Whitemint Commercial…

February 11, 2012

 – – With Stride gum packing long-lasting flavor, management has to take strong measures to get consumers to spit out their gum wad, take a new chew, and so grease the economic wheels.  They have devised ingenious ways of doing just that; past commercials have depicted rams butting customers, wrestlers squeezing the gum out of them, and German folk dancers slapping them chew-free.  Now, an even heavier hitter has been recruited; the legendary Yeti!

This isn’t your father’s abominable snowman, mind you, although he certainly is cool!  This Yeti enters a marketing meeting wearing a headband and earphones, and delivers a gut punch to one manager, physically forcing him to expel his gum.  A voiceover warns, “Spit it out.  Or Yeti will find you.”

Stride Whitemint gum is licensed by gold medalist snowboarder Shaun White, although I’d much rather meet the Yeti