Video: The forbidden Snickers commercials
posted at 5:18 pm on February 7, 2007 by Allahpundit
Five clips here, three of which are alternate endings and then two of NFL players watching the kiss and cringing theatrically. All of them were, presumably, snagged from the “After the Kiss” website before Snickers pulled it. The ad with the wrench is the diciest but it’s still clearly a goof on “manliness” and homophobia, not an expression of contempt for gays. Whatever, though. People with money were offended; case closed.
Blowback
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Yeah must have been all those rich fags.
Andy in Agoura Hills on February 7, 2007 at 5:27 PM
Remember when people in commercials were good looking? Oh those were the days….
honora on February 7, 2007 at 5:28 PM
Yeah… Slow news day, huh?
ScottMcC on February 7, 2007 at 5:29 PM
Maybe we should write into the Mars company and tell them if they will put them back on television we will go out and buy more of their products.
GoodBoy on February 7, 2007 at 5:31 PM
Are you saying that to get where they are in life, all wealthy people had to spelunk the Glory Hole?
I guess that’s the real meaning behind the phrase “screwed someone over to get rich”
ScottMcC on February 7, 2007 at 5:33 PM
I’m about 90% sure you’re not being sarcastic here, but just in case you are, I’m going to let you off with a warning. No more slurs. Not even in jest. Ok?
Allahpundit on February 7, 2007 at 5:35 PM
I have it on good sources that Andy in Agoura Hills will shortly announce a press conference in which he will announce that he will be entering a rehab program to help with his as of yet undiagnosed “problem”.
mattshu on February 7, 2007 at 5:45 PM
I still don’t understand the hubub on this one…
Especially when there’s THIS to be outraged over.
I’m outraged!
NTWR on February 7, 2007 at 5:55 PM
The San Francisco Money People!
Kid from Brooklyn on February 7, 2007 at 5:55 PM
No faith in me AP? Course it was sarcastic. Yep. Absolutely.
Andy in Agoura Hills on February 7, 2007 at 5:59 PM
I was offended by this commercial.
Offended that the chest hair looked totally unreal! C’MON!!! What does the Snickers folks take me for? An idiot? I know fake chest hair when I see it. Geez, man.
robblefarian on February 7, 2007 at 6:00 PM
I apologize if anyone was offended by the f-bomb.
Andy in Agoura Hills on February 7, 2007 at 6:01 PM
I was offended by the commercial…. because it was uncreative and stupid.
RightWinged on February 7, 2007 at 6:07 PM
I still don’t see what the outrage was about.
The players reactions were more comical than anything else. It is not a shock to me that most football players (and also most men and women) do not want to see man on man action. The players didn’t say anything homophobic or insulting. Mostly, they thought the commercial was funny and memorable.
As for the commercial itself, the point is that Snickers are so delightful and wonderful that you have to have them. HAVE TO!! They are so yummy that two manly-men would lose control of themselves and accidently go lip-to-lip in persuit of the tastiness of the Snickers. Their ‘prove your manhood’ shenanigans afterwards are basically to drive home the point that they wouldn’t have done it if not for the desirability of the Snickers bar.
I’m just not seeing the objectionable material in this one.
JadeNYU on February 7, 2007 at 6:09 PM
AUUGHHHH! How many times are you going to ask us to look at these two retards kissing each other?
Watcher on February 7, 2007 at 6:13 PM
Wasn’t offensive, just gross.
Some people don’t need to breed.
Mazztek on February 7, 2007 at 6:18 PM
The one with the love boat guy would’ve been a lot funnier if mustache rides were offered.
Savage on February 7, 2007 at 6:30 PM
Hmmmmm, outrage on both sides of the aisle? Check. People who take themselves WAAAAAY too seriously offended? Check. Slapstick comedy that pokes fun at both sides of the issue? Double check. Seems like a winner to me! Am I the only one who thought that this commercial was just… funny? I confess to laughing myself sick on most (the loveboat one was a little weird, although I think it had unrecognized potential) of the versions simply because they were so overblown and obviously spoofs. I’m with Allah, the only reason these got pulled is because folks with money and no sense of humor got offended.
In the meanwhile, until this stupid chest cold heals, I may have to stop watching these. The chronic laugh induced coughing is starting to scare my dogs!
Militant Bibliophile on February 7, 2007 at 6:53 PM
Yeah, nothing like a gag reflex to make you want to eat a candy bar…
E L Frederick (Sniper One) on February 7, 2007 at 6:56 PM
Now THAT’s funny! I don’t care who you are.
TugboatPhil on February 7, 2007 at 6:59 PM
All of the commercials were obviously making fun of homophobia, not homosexuality — making fun of the fact that two homogendered heterosexuals would go to such extreme lengths to prove to each other than they are heterosexual (which they equate with manliness — defined as a willingness to do stupid things that cause pain).
The football player reactions were borderline homophobic “that’s not right,” etc, and that’s probably what people were objecting to.
I actually enjoyed the commercial. Mostly because I was watching it with my hyper-conservative family, one of whom immediately declared that Snickers used to be their favorite candy bar — completely missing the point that the commercial was making fun of people who overreact to anything that could be interpreted as homosexual, not making a statement about homosexuality.
So basically:
Priceless.
Mark Jaquith on February 7, 2007 at 7:02 PM
I’m sure that’s exactly why the ad got pulled.
Because this day and age, we’re not even allowed to think that there’s anything wrong with two guys kissing without being labelled homophobic.
Esthier on February 7, 2007 at 7:10 PM
Payday bars are much better than Snickers.
forged rite on February 7, 2007 at 7:11 PM
I laughed when I saw it, but said aloud that it would come back to bite them, and it did. I took it the way Allahpundit did…I never thought gay bashing..
forged rite : I love paydays, but those are the kind I eat about twice a year..If I had them around, it’d be all I ate…
Pam on February 7, 2007 at 7:18 PM
Here’s a question for you: do you think that this commercial would have been more funny or less funny if the same two guys reacted the same way after only almost accidentally kissing?
Peresonally, I think the problem most people had was with the execution… straight guys tend to get rather grossed out when they see two guys kissing, “accidentally” or not, and being grossed out by the set-up of a joke tends to make people less receptive to the punchline.
Watcher on February 7, 2007 at 7:22 PM
Equally ridiculous are the people that protested to the Snickers’ people that the commercial was anti-homosexual and should be pulled.
I’m pretty sure people in this country used to have a sense of humor.
Which is not to say that you should find the commercial funny. The joke is an old one that has been played out on tv many times.
I just don’t understand why the typical reaction today is, “They did something I don’t agree with! Quick, call our lawyers…..we’ll teach them a lesson.”
JadeNYU on February 7, 2007 at 7:29 PM
It was just funny – my 81 year old father laughed out loud and if he gets it, any one should.
Ann on February 7, 2007 at 7:38 PM
How young are you, honora? You never saw arthur godfrey, dick wilson (Mr. Whipple) or Jack Benny and Don Wilson pitching? Not that attractive…
eeyore on February 7, 2007 at 7:48 PM
They didn’t think it. They said it outright.
Less funny. And less effective at selling Snickers. The point is that they were so enthused by the Snickers bar that they didn’t even notice their impending awkward moment until after it happened.
Oh totally.
Mark Jaquith on February 7, 2007 at 7:55 PM
The only analysis necessary is:
Did that commercial make you want to eat a SNICKERS bar? Just pick one up whilst standing at the checkout? As in BUY one? As in increasing company sales and thus evil profits?
Hellloooo Mars! Hersheys’ bars still look good.
naliaka on February 7, 2007 at 8:16 PM
Occam’s Razor:
Simplest explanation:
What about the hygiene? Two slovenly guys who don’t look like they know how to brush their teeth, don’t brush their hair, wearing last week’s clothes working on a oily car with dirty hands and they throw “food” in the mix?
EEEwwww!
Who cares about “homophobia” psychoanalysis? These guys are gross!
naliaka on February 7, 2007 at 8:26 PM
NOT while I’m working on my car!
TugboatPhil on February 7, 2007 at 8:30 PM
Interestingly enough, half of the video descriptions provide a link back to… Americablog! Who takes credit for getting the ads pulled in the first place
*Shakes head*..
Worth noting is that a few extra clicks from those videos and you wind up with a video trailer by Spike Lee wondering what would happen ‘if the South had won‘
Which seems really peculiar from Lee, considering he still seems to argue like the CSA did win..
Reaps on February 7, 2007 at 8:45 PM
The commercial didn’t, but the controversy afterward made me think about Snickers and how good they are.
So yeah, I bought one. And it was good.
Slublog on February 7, 2007 at 8:52 PM
I thought it was funny as hell – made fun of discomfort, not homosexuals!
RustMouse on February 7, 2007 at 9:13 PM
Well, sorry, but seeing a dude eating a Snickers bar out of another dude’s mouth doesn’t make me want to buy a Snickers. All it does is make me wonder, if the guy on the right is drawn to Snickers bars like a moth to a flame, then why didn’t he just dig some change out of his pocket and buy one himself… or steal the other guy’s bar (with his hands) before he started to eat it in the first place? And why did the guy on the left only seem really interested in eating it after someone else started eating it out of his mouth?
Watcher on February 7, 2007 at 9:47 PM
Oh,yeh, what do you know? All the Mars executives that paid for that ad know you do! The ad company told them so.
So there! Buy one! Buy ten! Eat them! And like ‘em!
Slublog,if you have the fortitude to eat a SNICKERS after that ad, you have my respect. (Like Ping in Mulan) :P
naliaka on February 7, 2007 at 10:22 PM
Heh. Not only did I eat a Snickers, I bought one for a co-worker who was disturbed by the ad and left it on his desk.
He said he didn’t know whether to consider it a kind gesture or sexual harassment.
Slublog on February 7, 2007 at 10:29 PM
SLublog
“Is that a SNICKERS in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?”
(course, at an hour at 98.6 degrees, that SNICKERS is gonna generate some snickers, for sure.)
naliaka on February 7, 2007 at 10:54 PM
I’ll say it before and I’ll say it again, if you don’t have a problem with it you won’t have a problem being made fun of about it. You hear that all you girl likers!!!!
- The Cat
MirCat on February 7, 2007 at 11:56 PM
I like Snickers. I didn’t like the commercial. I’ll still eat Snickers. Commercials will not change a person’s mind as to the brands they like. Unlike the fact that Pelosi and Kerry own Heinz, Delmonte, Starkist and Nine lives. That has changed a few minds.
R D on February 8, 2007 at 12:38 AM
Boy, that’s what I call defining “hateful” down. If that’s hateful then is it hateful to use the word “indefagitable?” These people need some skinheads in their world to remind them what “hateful” really means.
smellthecoffee on February 8, 2007 at 12:44 AM
That’s funny!
It took me five episodes of Horatio Hornblower, but now I can say indefatigable as if it was the most natural word in the world. I’m sure it won’t take too much practice to get indefagitable.
naliaka on February 8, 2007 at 9:11 AM
Yeah, too bad we all can’t be little Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt clones…course, that would make sleeping around kind of boring, but hey, at least we wouldn’t have to look at ugly people. You know what would be really cool..if we could figure out what children were going to be good looking and which ones ugly and then sort of…get rid of the ugly ones…create kind of a master race? That would make for some lovely commercials, huh?
austinnelly on February 8, 2007 at 10:30 AM
Remember when the study of Eugenics was still mainstream? Oh those were the days.
austinnelly on February 8, 2007 at 10:32 AM
Well anything beats last year’s series of SB ads–seemed like half were for erectile disfunction and the other half for beer. Ok, let’s do the math……
honora on February 8, 2007 at 10:35 AM
Well I for one would heartily endorse weeding out by any means necessary people who lack the humor gene.
You’ve been warned….
honora on February 8, 2007 at 10:36 AM
A second after seeing where the advert was going I was on another channel. Didn’t want to see 2 guys kissing. I voted with my remote. I don’t care what it was mocking. Gone.
Doug on February 8, 2007 at 10:44 AM
I am old. As in when dinosaurs roamed and the earth was cooling old. These Snickersguys make Mr. Whipple look like Dick Powell (like I said, old…)
honora on February 8, 2007 at 10:50 AM
I’ve got a good sense of humor. Your post wasn’t funny. We are inundated by celebrity culture, little rubber people running around saying and doing stupid things. Movies, magazines, ect. Our culture worships these morons. But that isn’t enough for you? One commercial shows two simulated average people, and oh, the longing for some Justin Timberlake looking model just overwhelms you.
And who decides what’s funny, chuckles? You? Always ready to eliminate or dismember those who disagree. Predictable honora. You put your foot in it and now rather than let a rotten joke lie, you make my point for me. Should I bother with a rhetorical rejoinder on what should be done with stupid people? Let it rest. You were pwnd.
austinnelly on February 8, 2007 at 10:51 AM
You do? Well I can only assume you’re not very attractive then….Sorry, like you say, looks aren’t everything.
honora on February 8, 2007 at 10:57 AM