Do you remember this Froot Loops and Aliens Crossover Commercial?
Many people will debate when breakfast cereal advertising peaked. One can make a good argument for the fifties/sixties, when mascot characters exploded onto the airwaves or perhaps the 80s when Saturday morning programming was at its zenith. I would have gone with the eighties up until I rediscovered this gem of a commercial from the nineties.
The commercial for Froot Loops begins with a spaceship discovering the wreck of a much larger craft. What mysteries lurk within this downed vessel? Our brave astronauts venture forth into the unknown. What do they find? Giant Froot Loops!
This part of the ad in enjoyable enough. A spacecraft full of giant loops is pretty great, but the tone of the commercials gives you a clue that this is far from over.
One of the astronauts sees something lurking in the deeper recesses of the ship and goes to explore. What does he discover?
The very essence of fruit flavors, giant glowing spectacular fruit. But something more is happening here and he approaches. It is at this point in the commercial where I, as the viewer, realize that this commercial is an homage to the Alien films!
One of the fruits, a lemon, erupts and an adorably small Toucan Sam leaps out and grabs the face of the astronaut, hugging him and smiling.
At this point the astronaut awakes from this science fiction dream to his dog licking his face. He is safe and sound in his living room back on earth. Free to enjoy a delicious bowl of Froot Loops.
Great advertising is not owned by anyone decade. As long as creative people are working in the industry and brands are willing to take a chance, great work will continue. The future is filled with potential.
Froot Loops just brushed the surface of the Sci-Fi horror genre. If this had been a more popular ad, how long before a Thing/Froot Loops or Predator/Froot Loops crossover?
Someday.
