Footnotes: Simpsons Butterfinger Commercial
We’ve all been there: we’re sitting in a therapy session and the therapist pulls out the old ink blots. He shows us photo after photo and asks us what we see. Traditional wisdom says the answer should be a cat, or a mountain, or perhaps a volcano. But no matter what, there’s only one image we can form – a Butterfinger. This Simpsons Butterfinger commercial really hits the nail on the head, doesn’t it?
Oh wait, perhaps that’s never actually happened to anyone. Because you EAT before your therapy sessions. That’s the way a real wizard does it. Either way, let’s dive into this Simpsons classic ad from 1991, featuring a pretty rare cameo.
This Simpsons Butterfinger Commercial is Special
This ad is a special relic from the past because it features Dr. Marvin Monroe, a character that at some point had died. Well, at least most of the town thought he had died. After all, in various episodes, we see his tombstone, his memorial hospital, school gym, and Troy McClure even confirmed as much during the first clip show episode of The Simpsons.
But yet, Dr. Monroe turned out to just be “very sick.” He popped out of the blue to get Marge to sign a copy of her book (man, I’ve missed a lot of seasons of this show). So for a while this ad was extra special. As it turns out, Dr. Monroe was retired because voicing him hurt Harry Shearer’s voice. I’ve occasionally done some voice acting and I feel Shearer’s pain – doing scratchy voices is no fun at all. Well, I suppose if you were getting paid dump trucks of money, it might be. I, for one, was not.
Just Take Off the Wrapper, Man!
There’s a consistent theme across commercials that feature candy bars: nobody bothers taking off the wrapper. I get it; you’re showing off the brand and it’s harder to tell which candy we’re talking about when it’s naked. But let’s be real: you can’t eat a candy bar like that (at least I can’t). Do you dream of biting into that sweet chocolate, nougat, and/or caramel center? Of course you do, but you don’t crave a mouthful of the wrapper, too.
I’m not trying to single Butterfinger out here, since all companies are guilty of it. But if you ever see someone eating a candy bar like this, I want you to publicly shame them. Do it for me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joSRVpxSSr4
