Posted 1:46 PM by John A. Seafisk

Chew On This

I saw a TV ad last night for Extra sugar-free gum. It was about a skydiver who jumps out of a plane. He's soon followed by an anthropomorphic stick of Extra gum, who jumps out of his pack of gum & falls downwards with the skydiver.

What confused me about the stick of gum wasn't the fact that it had eyes & hands & could talk, but the fact that it spoke with a Scottish accent. "Aye! You ain't leavin' without me, laddie!" and so forth. And it wasn't a giddy, comical kind of accent - this stick of gum was quite serious. He ends up landing in a tree, to which the gum tells a live squirrel, "What are yoo lookin' at, ya mangy beast!"

I sat there wondering how one would equate sugar-free gum with a Scotsman. I'd understand if the product was whisky or haggis or even some kind of money-saving item (albeit that last one would be a wee bit of a hurtful ethnic stereotype). But when I'd like to chew something to freshen my breath and/or give my mouth something to do, the first thought into my mind isn't some bloke from Glasgow in a kilt playing bagpipes...or even any of the fun kids from 'Trainspotting'.

It would appear the Wrigley people or the ad agency may have gotten the inspiration from Mike Myers -- whether it be his Fat Bastard character from 'Austin Powers', or his dad character from 'So I Married An Axe Murderer', or his 'If it isn't Scottish, it's Crap!" shop-owner character from 'Saturday Night Live'.

I have nothing against the ad. It just confuses me, that's all. Next time I'm in possession of a stick of Extra, I won't know what to do.