Burger King's 'No Pants' Spot vs. American Family Association

Rev. Wildmon Off the Mark with 'Adult Nudity' Objection

Posted by Bob Garfield on 04.16.07

Quick! Hide the children! The godless hamburger barbarians are poisoning their minds!

Or so we are informed, anyway, by the Rev. Donald E. Wildmon, the Bible-thumping scold who has built an industry

Rev. Donald E. Wildmon's American Family Association characterizes this spot as featuring unaccpetable 'adult nudity.'| DO YOU AGREE?: Comment on this review in the 'Your Opinion' box below.

out of outrage at the excesses of the culture. His latest crusade is directed at Burger King over a commercial "that mixes a children's cartoon character with adult nudity. That's right. Burger King is senselessly using adult nudity to appeal to children!"

An attention getter
Granted, as anxious appeals to moral common sense go, that's an attention getter. Adult nudity? Kid's Meal porn? Considering BK is handled by Crispin Porter & Bogusky -- the agency that used a repulsive dog-feces stunt to promote Haggar slacks -- you'd be forgiven for being curious about what scandal the agency has perpetrated now. We certainly were, so we dug up the spot. What we found is a vignette in which two little kids barge into the bathroom, where Dad is taking a bubble bath and Mom is folding laundry.

Girl: "Hey, Mom! SpongeBob's at Burger King! Can we go?"

Mom: "As soon as your dad's done."

Girl: "Yessss!" (The kids run off.)

Dad: "Hey, honey. Guess who I am." (He plops a sea sponge on his head. His wife looks at him, smiles wanly and goes back to what she was doing. Then Dad stands up, soap bubbles all over him, and the sponge on his head.) "Come on. ... Who am I? ... SpongeBob!" (He gestures downward, below the view of the camera.) "No pants."

Mom: "Wow." (As in, "Wow, what an idiot you are." She walks out of the room.)

Dad: "I live in the sea, honey. In a pineapple. SpongeBob NoPants!"

Voice-over: "SpongeBob fever is spreading. Grab some spicy chicken fries and SpongeBob toys. Only at BK."

Pondering some questions
Got it? He's standing in the bathtub, and his wife can see him naked. Now, let us ponder some questions, not necessarily in the order the Rev. Wildmon would select.

1) Will a joke about a father's random goofiness scan with the 8-year-old target audience? No, not much -- but this is one audience that nonetheless pays close attention to anything on TV, even if it doesn't get the jokes. To wit: the absurd SpongeBob SquarePants show itself. So, even if the kids are left cold by the comedy, the nagging for a BK visit will occur as planned.

2) Is the comedy actually funny? Yes, it is very, very funny -- not so much because of the silly premise, but because of the acting. Mom (Kristen O'Mera) lowering her eyes to check out her bubbled-over husband, and her utterly indicting, utterly un-wowed "Wow" are hilarious. And so is Dad's (Brogan Roche) deadpan semi-enthusiasm.

3) Is this material inappropriate for children, on implied-full-frontal-nudity grounds? No, for God's sake, of course not.

Not erotic
It's not as though this is somehow erotic. It's not as though there is any prurient appeal intended or achieved. It's Dad being goofy, period. Maybe some little kids watching will scream, "Ewwwwww! He's naked!" But that's not being scarred; that's being a little kid. Children aren't seeing exposed genitalia, for crying out loud. They're seeing a guy, covered in bubbles, with a sea sponge on his head. Exactly how will that image defile them? Perhaps what it might do is teach them that a little absurd silliness can be surprising and fun.

4) Is Wildmon ever right? Yeah, sometimes he's right. The culture is coarsening, and the networks are very lax about protecting kids from gratuitous sex and violence.

5) But should we worry about the wanton attacks of fundamentalist fanatics as they wage their cultural holy war?

Yessss.

~ ~ ~
Title: No Pants
Marketer: Burger King
Agency: Crispin Porter & Bogusky
Stars: Three

16 Comments

By Stephen | Havertown, PA April 16, 2007 08:46:10 am:

While you gave the Rev. Wildmon more exposure and legitimacy than he rightly deserves, you are to be lauded for highlighting the idiocy of his message. This and other of his messages are divisive, ill-founded, intemporate, even hateful. It's a sad time in America.
Steve Gary
Havertown, PA
garypr@comcast.net

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By Scott | Minneapolis, MN April 16, 2007 09:33:31 am:

Does this spot actually make you want Burger King?

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By Scott | Minneapolis, MN April 16, 2007 09:33:31 am:

Does this spot actually make you want Burger King?

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By Roger | Ridgefield, CT April 16, 2007 09:56:20 am:

Bob,
You nailed it as usual. I saw the spot and found it amusing. Silly and harmless.

If Wildmon wants to direct his energy somewhere, how about towards horror movie advertising? I recently took my kids to see the (very funny) comedy "Blades of Glory." Before the film, we were "treated" to a preview of the aptly titled "Disturbia." While both films are PG-13, there is no way in hell I would ever take my kids to a violent psychological thriller. But since the ratings board gives them the same rating, the family comedy audience is deemed appropriate for this trailer. Am I the only one who thinks this is a bit screwy? How about a little better targeting of audiences?

RG

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By roberto | louis, MO April 16, 2007 10:03:54 am:

How can this be nudity? This is basically what Every happy father does when he's trying to be silly with his kids and wife, in no way this is offensive. I hate the way sometimes people (like Rev. Wildom) make a big deal out of stuff like this. That's why kids in our current society are so messed up, because adults try to ban everything from them.

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By Angeleia | Lso Angeles, CA April 16, 2007 11:19:34 am:

I agree with Rev. Wildmon. Not funny and totally unacceptable.

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By jeffjack | Los Angeles, CA April 16, 2007 01:00:53 pm:

Bob - good points - fundamentalism is getting WAY ahead of itself. I wonder though - what does our ignorance of this (supposedly) large population of poeople mean about us? That we don't whatch one of the 8 cable stations (more in some markets) dedicated to some form of hyper-evangalism; or that we aren't moved to tears by the sight of the cross, the star-o-david, or whatever; or that we prefer to continue BEING controversial and against whatever humorless god that their thumping for... does this mean that we're all going to Hell? And holding our handbaskets all the way?

As much as I am NOT a strong supporter of how QSR ads have been going - and have my own freakouts about the devil in the crown - I'm sure that we can win the hearts and minds of these religous freaks if we just hug them to suffocation, and ask them nicely with big god-like bullhorns to GET A LIFE! and move along...

doncha think?

Jj

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By Lisa | Pittsburgh, PA April 16, 2007 03:25:55 pm:

As a mom of 3 kids under 5, I thought this commercial was hysterical on MANY levels.

If you are a true SpongeBob fan, you will know that there is an episode where SpongeBob loses his pants and is referred to as "SpongeBob Nudy-Pants".

My four-year old thought this commercial was great because she gets the play on words and has a dad who thinks he is funny ;)

By the way, we rarely eat fast-food, yet somehow we have almost every toy in this series of BK Kids Meals...

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By Daniel | Oviedo, FL April 16, 2007 09:23:00 pm:

I agree. There is no nudity here.

Any child can see more flesh than this on practically any music video and more gratuitous sexual innuendo on nearly any television show specifically aimed at teens.

It's certainly not sexy. It's just silly, goofy and more importantly memorable. In short it works as an ad.

For what it's worth this comes from a born-again Christian.

"Reverend" Wildmon get a life. Jesus taught peace, love and brotherhood. Not self righteous outrage at anything even remotely sexual. In my humble opinion, your concern over this ad says a lot more about you than it does about the people who created it.

P.S. If you're in the mood for some really steamy reading about sexual love between a man and woman, try Solomon's Song of Songs from the Old Testament.

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By coolrayfruge | Flagstaff, AZ April 17, 2007 02:05:04 pm:

I think the commerial is stupid ,but not pornographic.
There are no private parts being exposed ,its covered by bubbles.
No if this guy wants to B*tch about how lame that commerial is,I'm with him on that!

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By jcmcconnell | New Braunfels, TX April 19, 2007 02:36:03 pm:

Not only did I chuckle knowingly at this ad the first time my husband and I saw it, I actually commented to him that it was notable that the station we saw it on was not one that focused on children's programming. Since I haven't yet seen it on NICK, I don't know if BK is limiting its exposure, but it seemed to work for me that BK was targeting Mom and Dad on thier programming so they would know where to go to feed the "I want SpongeBob" frenzy of their offspring.

I agree with Bob that this ad probably doesn't really resonate with the kids - this ad was meant for me, the Mom, not my son. Far from offensive, it seemed to me like smart, effective marketing!

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By sportsbizguy | NY, NY April 20, 2007 03:20:47 pm:

I'm no prude. Far from it, but what surprises me is that the creators and owners of Sponge Bob the brand would allow this slightly bizarre incarnation of their property. Was the money soooo good that they couldn't refuse?

No matter the financial gain, it can't counter the yuck feeling many parents had, and last I checked, family disposable income is still controlled by the family's adults. Why risk any of it?

David Langan
GrandCentralGames.com

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By welshjs | Ottawa, ON April 20, 2007 04:25:28 pm:

Absurd. This ad is absurd. The Rev. response to the ad is absurd. BK and CPB should thank their lucky stars a contraversy has erupted over such a crappy ad. The only thing worse than BK ads it seems is the food at BK.

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By JAMES | DALLAS, TX April 20, 2007 05:06:44 pm:

1. If the rarget IS 8 year olds, most won't "get it". But it used to be that BK and McD's had at least dual targets.Is this for the folks? Probably not either, but the 12-17's for whom "naked" is cool.

2. Funny? I guess I'm too old, but it is amusing.

Erotic? No. Inappropriate for kids and tweens? Yes.

Is Wildman right? Very seldom, and he is not my family's watchdog.

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By JAMES | DALLAS, TX April 20, 2007 05:15:04 pm:

1. If the rarget IS 8 year-olds, most won't "get it". But it used to be that BK and McD's had at least dual targets. Is this for the folks? Probably not either, but the 12-17's for whom "naked" is cool.

2. Funny? I guess I'm too old, but it is amusing.

3. Erotic? No. Inappropriate for kids and tweens? Yes.

4. Is Wildman right? Seldom, and he is not my family's watchdog.

5. "What me Worry" @ 'fundamentalists"? I'm not sure really what a "fundamentalist" in this regard actually is.
Although I am a former/reformed ad "person" with two major agency groups, and now, get ready for this, a Pastor, for the last few years, I DO worry about any self-appointed National guardian of our families. Mr. Wildmon, sometimes, gives true fundamental believers in God a bad image I'm afraid.
JGC

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By happyfunnymom | las Vegas, NV April 23, 2007 03:08:26 pm:

I'm afraid even my kids 12 & 14 think the commercial is uncalled for, they don't see it as a stupid dad, because how often do kids see they're dad being stupid in the bath tub?
That something that should stay behind closed doors.
The commercial was disturbing to both me and my kids, It sure doesn't make me want to run out and buy a hamburger!
I think they should pull the commercial.
Sharon Garcia

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