What could possibly terrify Cam Newton more than Von Miller and the Broncos’ impenetrable defense? How about a wet-nosed, long-tailed, chubby-legged thing?
A star was born the night of Super Bowl 50, indeed, but not on the football field. During a first quarter commercial break, “Puppymonkeybaby”” made its television debut, rattling and chanting away in hopes of slinging some Mountain Dew Kickstart.
Despite a canine-primate hybrid waddling on-screen donning a diaper, the concept is simple. Mountain Dew Kickstart combines three great ingredients — Mountain Dew, juice and caffeine — to make one amazing product. Similarly, “Puppymonkeybaby” combines three mammals to inspire one nightmare. That makes sense, right?
Here’s the thing — it doesn’t need to.
While Super Bowl 50 hosted plenty of great spots besides Mountain Dew’s “Puppymonkeybaby,” the others didn’t even come close from a buzz-generation standpoint.
“Puppymonkeybaby” drew more than 65,000 mentions throughout the telecast and 4,000 hashtags within the first minute of airing, according to the New York Post.
Everyone seems to have an opinion on “Puppymonkeybaby” and no one seems interested in withholding it. Here are some immediate reactions to the polarizing 30-second spot:
“…I don’t need to see no dog monkey baby centaur creature,” Mindy Kaling tweeted.
“The minute I don’t love a commercial involving a #PuppyMonkeyBaby it probably means I’m dead. #Superbowl,” Daniel Fienberg tweeted.
Others simply demanded Puppymonkeybaby apparel, which isn’t out of the question considering Mountain Dew licensing has already called for stuffed animals, bobbleheads and key chains based on the ad.
After all, BBDO New York and Mountain Dew plan to extend “Puppymonkeybaby” to digital, social and out-of-home platforms, eventually executing a full-fledged campaign around the little freak, according to AdWeek.
In the 90s, a Spanish-speaking Chihuahua sufficed. If “Puppymonkeybaby” is the weird that stirs the pot now, what will Super Bowl spots look like in another 15 years?
Written by Eric Kroupa
Photo Credit: Nathan Lewis – http://www.nathanlewis.co