Truth commercial: Muppets & smoking

[beaker]

I think this is a bad thing because it seems to put some negative light on the Muppets, but whudafxup's "truth" campaign has a new commercial featuring a large purple monster they call a "puppet" by claiming that while tobacco industries declared in 1969 that they would no longer target children, they had their products featured ten years later in "The Muppet Movie".

The commercial the shows this purple creature walk the streets of NYC being ignored and even removed by adults, he's naturally welcomed by children, proving the point that this funny looking creature is appealing to kids, just like the Muppets are. Hence, tobacco companies do (or at least did) use children's charcters to promote smoking.

You can view the commercial by clicking here, and then clicking the video link and selecting the commercial titled "Puppet TV: 30".

well I am very much against smoking, I think its just another Orwellian tool by the corporations to enslave humanity...

but "The Truth" about "TheTruth.com" is that the very "big tobacco" they rally against actually are the ones paying for these slick propaganda tools.

and what is the point of this commercial? that some kids like a big goofy Chuck E Cheese type outfit? Ugh

 

[Beauregard]

*waves at Beaker* Hi!

Besides, it was Pepe himself who says, "Smoking is very, very bad for you, hokay." And he's the bad-boy of the Muppets...

 

[Sgt Floyd]

I actually did see the commercial on tv...once. Just once. I couldnt watch it on my computer. Anyway, throughout the entire thing I was thinking "Is there a point to this?" The muppets did not smoke in the muppet movie. Obviously, the poeple of this commercial dont like the muppets or they have not even seen it and have misinterpretted information found wherever.

And I also think that big "puppet" was kinda scary

 

[Frogster]

I'm sitting here trying to remember if anyone was even smoking in The Muppet Movie that I recognized, and when I did remember, I also thought, I wasn't paying attention to that. I'm sure most people don't watch that nowadays and focus on "Oh wow... Jim Henson allowed smoking in one of his movies!" Henson never 'promoted' that on Sesame Street, and when he showed smoking on Fraggle Rock, the smoking was shown in a negative light. It was a different time back then; even Brian Henson wouldn't allow that now... and they're letting him slide with a lotta stuff these days. Which, by the way, is another thing that's wrong with this commercial; only focusing on kids. Back then, people of all ages enjoyed the Muppets, before Brian became the leader. Which is why the adult viewers slowly turned away from him. They should do a Truth ad on how NOT to take over your fathers business... with the same guy in the purple suit. I heard he could use the money anyways.

If Truth displays puppet characters in a negative light again, I'm gonna shove Jeff Dunham's Mexican Jalepenio right up that purple monster's @.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Besides, it was Pepe himself who says, "Smoking is very, very bad for you, hokay." And he's the bad-boy of the Muppets...

HA HA HA! That cracked me up!

 

[ReneeLouvier]

I've seen that Truth ad a lot, concerning the Muppets. Normally I like those ads, they're funny, and quite relevent actually. Like the, what were those? Ice sculptures of pregnant women with baby dolls inside of the stomachs? That was an interesting ad. The body parts in the trashcans? Genius.

The muppet ad? First few times I've watched I was just going..."when was there smoking in TMM?" I actually didn't pay much attention to the ad itself, because I kept racking my brain as to where there was ever smoking in any Jim Henson media.

Only two things I could come up with, was Bobby Benson (always had a cig dangling from his mouth, unlit. But that's only cause if it was lit, we'd have bbq'd Bobby!) And that small segment about "The Mouthburners" with Uncle Traveling Matt for FR.

Next few times, it was just....okay; the kids love him, so what? I was actually a little suprised he took off the head in front of those kids. And more suprised they didn't like...cry or scream or something. They still kept clamoring over him like ants on sugar.

That ad was sorta pointless IMHO. I wish they'd get their facts straight, The Muppets (at the least back then in the 70's) were not just for children! They were actually mainly for adults. Just children liked the movies as well.

 

[Sgt Floyd]

Next few times, it was just....okay; the kids love him, so what? I was actually a little suprised he took off the head in front of those kids. And more suprised they didn't like...cry or scream or something. They still kept clamoring over him like ants on sugar.

Yeah, I noticed that too. I dont think they thought this comericial out too well, and need to do some reseaqrch. I bet not one person who made it even watched the muppet movie

 

[MrsPepper]

Well, I haven't seen it yet but it sounds pretty dumb. Like someone else pointed out, it sounds like they made a conclusion based on what they read somewhere and didn't check out first hand. I've seen TMM countless times and honestly couldn't think of once when there was smoking! (after reading the thread though it jogged my memory).

Did the commercial also mention that the movie is nearly 30 years old? Probably not. Did the commercial mention that it was people who were smoking, and NOT muppets? And that the people who were doing the smoking were the BAD guys in the bar? Probably not. If I was a kid I would put those two ideas together: Oh, those people are smoking and no one else is, and they are the bad guys, so smoking must be bad.

 

[Sgt Floyd]

Exactly, MrsPepper. And, I think I was the one who said that

 

[cherrypotion27]

Truth ad just plain dumb!

I gotta agree with everyone here. In "Th Muppet Movie", there we're no Muppets smoking or even touching cigars or cigarettes. So not only is the Truth ad just plain dumb (guy in pathetic costume who isn't smoking trying to make a point that kids will think smoking is cool if they see a puppet character do it), its misleading as well. I've seen dumb and misleading advertising before, but this takes the cake!

Patricia/cherrypotion27