Although Jim Henson’s Wilkins Coffee ads are probably most notable for the unmistakable traces of The Muppet Show that appear in their DNA, the thing that I always appreciated about them was the wanton puppet violence.
In an era where Crispin Porter + Bogusky can make The King work as a viable campaign for Burger King, why hasn’t this kind of pitchery come back?
Puppet A: “Hey, do you bank with Citibank?”
Puppet B: “No, I hate them!”
*Puppet B is attacked by hyenas and torn into tiny pieces*
Or a puppet, standing in a room with a sleeping child, holding a pillow in its puppety hands, saying, “Shhhh. Her parents don’t drink Pepsi Cola.” Fade to black.
