this weekend disney has kermit shilling for the ford motor company and
miss piggy for pizza hut during the super bowl. soon after disney
purchased the rights to the muppets, kermit appeared in a bmw
commercial. did kermit or miss piggy ever appear in a commercial for
a for-profit corporation before the 2004 purchase? |
Request for Question Clarification by
pinkfreud-ga
on
03 Feb 2006 20:18 PST
I get the feeling that you may be seeking an answer which would
indicate that the Disney organization turned Kermit and Miss Piggy
into hucksters for the first time. However, both Kermie and Piggy have
dabbled in advertising before.
A very early version of Kermit appeared in a 1966 Ideal Muppet Dolls
commercial that was storyboarded by Jim Henson himself. Kermit sang "I
am Kermit, I'm made by Ideal, I think you'll agree I have real
appeal."
http://www.kermitage.com/html/collectibles/plushtoys/ideal.htm
Kermit was also featured in a commercial for Apple's Sage iMac
computer in 2000. He sang "It's Not Easy Being Green." Neither the
commercial nor the product lasted very long.
"A preview of new commercials for the iMacs showed the indigo version
displayed to Elvis Presley's 'Blue Suede Shoes'; the ruby model was
paired with the Dion tune 'Ruby, Ruby'; and the sage iMac modeled with
Kermit the Frog singing 'It's Not Easy Being Green'."
http://money.cnn.com/2000/07/19/technology/apple_jobs/index.htm
Miss Piggy starred in an commercial for Baked Lay's potato chips in 1996:
"The Miss Piggy Muppets character is featured in the spot with the
supermodels Kathy Ireland and Vendela; they, along with the supermodel
Naomi Campbell, were the focus of a campaign that introduced the
brand. In the commercial, which begins running Sunday, the models,
lounging poolside, are miffed to find their supplies of Baked Lay's
depleted.
Miss Piggy is revealed as the culprit as she snacks and sings the
bossa nova hit 'The Girl from Ipanema.' A voice-over announcer says
that the low-fat content of Baked Lay's -- made by the Frito-Lay unit
of Pepsico Inc. -- may tempt you "to eat like a ..." only to have Miss
Piggy interrupt, 'Don't even think about it'."
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E3D8123FF931A3575BC0A960958260
Please let me know if this information would provide a fully
satisfactory answer to your question.
|
Clarification of Question by
tomwiththeweather-ga
on
03 Feb 2006 20:33 PST
no, i already knew that disney wasn't the first. after henson died,
it is my understanding kermit appeared in a furniture commercial in
1995. i was just seeking more data.
|
Clarification of Question by
tomwiththeweather-ga
on
03 Feb 2006 20:35 PST
your answer is sufficient, btw. i was mostly interested in whether
kermit or piggy were ever in a commercial while henson was alive
(other than commercials promoting the muppets, of course, which is
perfectly acceptable for a performer to do)
|
Request for Question Clarification by
pinkfreud-ga
on
03 Feb 2006 22:59 PST
The only evidence I found of Kermit or Miss Piggy appearing in a
commercial during Jim Henson's life was the Ideal Muppet Dolls
commercial described above. I'm leaving your question open for other
Researchers.
|
Clarification of Question by
tomwiththeweather-ga
on
04 Feb 2006 22:21 PST
cool. i learned that cookie monster did some commercials for munchos,
a frito-lay potato chip and a training video for ibm. i found the
following which is interesting (from a 3/23/1993 usenet post). this
was very early because it was done before frank oz and jerry jhul
joined the company.
History of the muppets, March 17, talk by Jane Henson
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.tv.muppets/browse_thread/thread/f418e606123e8f7d/1d1800fa30ce052a?lnk=st&q=kermit+commercial+-protocol+henson&rnum=28&hl=en#1d1800fa30ce052a
an Eskay "hot spots" ad (for little hot dogs).
While the announcer is talking about the hot dogs, kermit and harry are
next to her, dancing in time to some music. At the appropriate times,
kermit and harry sing "es-kay!", "hot-spots!", and "yum-yum!" in time with
the music. This proceeds for some time, until the announcer says "eskay"
instaid of kermit and harry. The two stop the music, and explain to the
announcer that _they_ are the ones who say "eskay!", etc. The music starts
up again and they proceed. However, by the end of the commercial, they
become so wrapped up in their singing tha
|
