Life Rant

Penguins.

Freaking penguins.

Everywhere.

American culture has reached penguin saturation. I cannot turn around without finding a stinking penguin staring me in the face. They're in commercials, they're in movies, cereal boxes, juice containers, magazines.... just everywhere, and I've had it.

Corporate America, can you please find some NEW cute thing to use as your basis for the next advertising fad? I'm pretty sure that when I'm hitting the limit a lot of other people must be hitting it as well.

It started, I suppose with the (most excellent) movie March of the Penguins which was a documentary about a typical year in the life of penguins in Antarctica. Really, it was fascinating and even moving. Unfortunately it was such a sleeper hit with such staying power that advertising execs latched on to the concept like pit bulls. I mean what's not to like? They're funny looking, furry and cute (oh, especially the babies of course).

And then we had the devious movie Happy Feet come out, which although for over 6 months all they showed in commercials was a bunch of happy little dancing penguins, turned out to be a United-Nations-is-good-mankind-is-evil-for-destroying-the-environment story. Great message for the wee tykes, thanks. I guess it's ok for penguins to gorge on seafood, but not ok for people to eat fish. Yeesh.

So anyway, too much of ANYTHING is a bad thing and now it's like we're being stalked by the waddling litlle buggers.

Enough with the penguins already!