Today was a big day not only in sports, but also in anthromorphism. One of the best examples being Animal Planet’s juxtaposition to the Super Bowl, the Puppy Bowl in which puppies of a variety of breeds are placed in a miniature football stadium with stuffed toys. Through post-production editing and narration, the puppies are made to look like they are playing football, as seen in the following video clip:
What the puppies believe is normal playtime becomes touchdowns, defensive plays, interceptions and they even throw in a little “personality” of the pups with end zone dances. There are penalties given for roughhousing, projecting the human values of sportsmanship on the puppies as well. The Puppy Bowl experience is rounded off with a baby pig cheerleading squad, a blimp flown by hamsters, and a kitten halftime show.
Another great example of anthromorphism is found in Volkswagen’s new Beatle commercial:
After getting stuck trying to leave through his doggy door, Bolt the dog realizes that he is out of shape. The commercial shows him dieting and working out so he can lose enough weight to run out the doggy door and catch a glimpse of the neighbor’s new Volkswagen Beatle. He starts off playing a version of solo fetch on the stairs before moving on to more human weight loss exercises like running on the treadmill, doing laps in the pool and even trying out a workout tape complete with exercise ball. He is seen ignoring food dropped on the floor by a toddler to symbolize putting himself on a diet. With over 4 million views on YouTube, I’d say anthromorphism is a memorable marketing tool.
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