In the commercial titled “The Hill”, a young boy is in his kitchen eating a bowl of Quaker Oats cereal and fruit. He then takes off on his bike, envisioning himself climbing up steep hills, through mountains of snow, until he reaches the top. The mountaintop turns into his backyard, and the boy turns out to be perched atop a picnic table. Cute, right? Everything I like: food and bicycles in one commercial.
Then why can’t I get past the first 3 seconds without wondering if the mom in the opening scene ever taught her son how to hold a spoon? I’ve seen old Tarzan episodes where Cheeta held a spoon better! Is he arthritic? Did he break his hand on a previous adventure?
Who the heck was the Art Director on this spot, and why didn’t someone else say something? Am I the only one who thinks this is a big deal? Maybe I just look at these things and wonder about the way that they should have been done… I don’t know. But at least I know I’m not the only one out there who noticed it; my wife also looked at me upon seeing it for the first time, and laughed at just how ridiculous this kid’s hand looked.
Just my two cents…
Written by Fred Appel, Senior Art Director
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