Jim Henson would be proud (and on his way to the bank) if he was still around to see his creations commandeer the wheel in this thirty second television commercial. Beaker, Professor Honeydew, Ralph the Dog, Gonzo and of course, Animal all show up for a fun and fuzzy ride in the Toyota Highlander. To be sure, quite a lot goes on during the half-minute road trip, largely because of the commercial's swift but smart editing. Obviously, there are two agendas being executed here, and the closer one looks at the way every second is orchestrated, a masterful lesson in multi-purpose marketing (also known as co-branding) can be learned and appreciated.
First, here's a look at the spot itself:
For starters, the commercial's opening shots are right out of a typical car spot (Figure 1). The lush scenery, the shiny vehicle and the impossibly glamorous couple making their way to a high-priced dinner party or snooty fashion shoot located somewhere in the rolling green hills of Nowhere, USA (Figure 2). But before the whole endeavor crashes under its own weight of predictability, Animal arises (presumably from under the passenger seat) to announce that this ride (oh, yeah, and the Toyota Highlander) will be anything but predictable.
Figure 1 The product gets introduced in a typical setting.
Figure 2 The vehicle's glamorous attribute is reflected in its equally glamorous owners.
Figure 3 Animal arises! (Note the Highlander name on the dashboard).
Clearly, the standard formula for an everyday car commercial has been drastically altered by the Highlander's new passengers. It matters little how they got there, what they are doing there, and how Dr. Teeth managed to get a provisional license. When Mr. and Ms. GQ exit the vehicle showing that their ride in the hills was actually happening in a television studio, the Muppets take control and hit the road (Figure 4 and 5).
Figure 4 "Hey, where are you guys going?" Animal succeeds in scaring away the dashing duo.
Figure 5 Escape from the fantasy of the studio to the real outside world, where, ironically, Muppets can actually drive Toyota Highlanders.
Figure 6 Dr. Teeth putting his foot-made-of-felt to the pedal as he manages to stay in his lane.
As if viewers needed to be reminded, this is a commercial that not only touts the attributes of the Highlander, but it puts the Muppets at the forefront of the spot to either reacquaint themselves with old fans or introduce themselves to new ones (Figures 7 and 8). (This also happens to be the demographic that files their kids into their Highlanders and heads to the movies in search of good, clean family fun.)
Figure 7 Driving along while getting reacquainted with viewers.
Figure 8 Dr. Teeth is far from being a chicken when it comes to exhibiting his cartoonish charisma.
Sure, everything is all good and fine and wonderful, but as every Muppet fan knows, the fun really starts when Crazy Harry shows up (Figure 9). Not only does he show up, but he likes to blow up. That is, he has a thing for his detonator, and when Crazy Harry is around, the explosions are soon to follow. This does bring a bit of Muppet drama to the proceedings, as the explosion not only hurls a caped Gonzo through the air (Figure 10), but it also shows that the Toyota Highlander is capable of withstanding more than its share of explosions. What a blast!
Figure 9 "What happens when I push this thing down?" Crazy Harry ignites the Muppet road trip.
Figure 10 Obviously, capes protect you from explosions if you happen to be a Muppet.
Okay, so now that Gonzo is airborne and Crazy Harry is reloading, the time is right for another fine example of co-branding. There's the Highlander, aka the Muppet Mobile, making its way to a theater near you. Ironically, so is The Muppets Most Wanted! (Figures 11 and 12)
Figure 11 Obviously, Dr. Teeth is a better driver than his glassy eyes would lead you to believe.
Figure 12 Let's Go Places...LIKE THE LOCAL MOVIE THEATER!!!
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