Trunk Monkey

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Trunk Monkey is a concept originally created in January, 2000 by Sean Sosik-Hamor, for the automotive group of Subaru enthusiasts in the New England Subaru Impreza Club, or NESIC. The original concept of a "Trunk Monkey" was a small stuffed animal placed in the trunk of a vehicle which came alive and jumped from side to side to help distribute weight during "spirited driving maneuvers".[1]

The Trunk Monkey television ads, loosely based on this concept, were created in 2003 by the advertising agency R/West in Portland, Oregon. Originally created for the Suburban Auto Group of Sandy, Oregon, the syndicated commercials are now the primary source of revenue for the agency. The series of commercials has been licensed to at least 45 car dealerships around the United States as well as New Zealand.[2]

Contents

[edit] The Commercials

The eight Trunk Monkey commercials generally involve the intercession of a chimpanzee to solve a problem when a "trunk monkey" button on the dashboard is pressed.

  1. A man is being assaulted at an intersection. With no place to go, and seemingly defenseless, he presses the "Trunk Monkey" button. The chimpanzee comes to the rescue.
  2. A group of hooligan kids are throwing eggs at a car. The driver invokes the chimpanzee and the kids run for safety. The next scene depicts the kids washing the egg covered car.
  3. A woman is pulled over by a highway patrolman. She presses the Trunk Monkey button. The chimpanzee attempts to bribe the officer (with cash and then a donut) and is then depicted in police custody.
  4. A car is broken into - triggering the chimpanzee to bash the car thief over the head with a crowbar, then throw the thief's body off a bridge.
  5. A woman goes into labor in the backseat of a car. The driver presses the Trunk Monkey button and the chimpanzee assists with the delivery.
  6. A teenage couple in a car are interrupted by a chimpanzee who throws a banana at the boy. The couple attempt to kiss at which point the chimpanzee is shown in the back seat holding a shotgun.
  7. A driver recounts his story of how he spilled hot coffee on his lap while driving, causing him to have an accident. A chimpanzee proceeds to remove him from the crash and administer first aid.
  8. A driver describes his vehicle being stopped by aliens and is defended by a chimpanzee.

[edit] Animal welfare concerns

Sid Yost, of Amazing Animal Productions, who also goes by the name Ranger Rick Kelly, supplied chimpanzees for some of the Trunk Monkey ads. [3] Sarah Baeckler, a primatologist, conducted an undercover investigation at Yost’s training facility. She reported that "The trainers use physical force to train the chimps and other animals as well but they punch them they kick them. They use weapons such as a sawed off broom handle that they called the ugly stick."[4] Yost surrendered his chimpanzees and agreed to no longer work with non-human primates in settlement of a lawsuit alleging violations of the Animal Welfare Act and California Anti-Cruelty laws.[5] Because of this, and other suspected abuses of chimpanzees used in these ads, animal rights group PETA has asked R-West to cancel the series of commercials.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Trunk Monkey Videos - Trunkmonkey Training Headquarters
  2. ^ Trunk Monkey antics win over fans far, wide
  3. ^ A partial list of our extensive credits
  4. ^ Cruel camera
  5. ^ Hollywood chimps head to sanctuary
  6. ^ Tell R/West to Pull "Trunk Monkey" Ads

[edit] External links