And Now the ‘Vintage’ Japanese Commercial for Pixar’s Lots-o-Huggin Bear

From slashfilm, Someone at Pixar is having a great time coming up with ad materials for Toy Story 3. Just a few hours ago we pointed out the ‘vintage’ commercial for Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear, which purports to be a 1983 commercial, recorded on videotape, for the real-world version of the new bear character in Toy Story 3.

Now there’s a Japanese version, which was made with the same excellent attention to detail as the US ad.

Or: based on other real Japanese commercials I’ve seen from the time, it seems like all the details here are right. The US ad certainly nailed the style of early ’80s toy commercials in every respect. As a result, it is just as irritating as most of the other stuffed doll ads at the time. I say that with the greatest respect for the abilities of whoever put these together.

(Anyone who spent a morning or afternoon just waiting for Battle of the Planets to come back on while wading through a few ads like these will probably remember the feeling these toy ads created.)

Whether intended as viral ads or simple gags, these work as a way for a couple designers and editors at Pixar (or an external firm) to have a good time with some cute ideas. It’s easy to see how a whole line of similar toy commercials could be made for Toy Story characters, but this gag works so well now because this character isn’t yet well known. After Toy Story 3 is out they’ll still be well-done parodies, but the impact now is as great as it is going to be.