I swear, sometimes I see stuff and it really just makes me feel like I’m going insane.  I walk a pretty fine line of sanity most days anyway, but there are times when people say things that is just completely inaccurate or changed up to fit their needs or whatever and I start to question if I’m the only one that sees it, like I’ve become Crowe’s character in A Beautiful Mind.

For instance, take a look at this VW commercial that was shown during the Super Bowl this year:

Um, so “PunchDub”? There is no such thing as “PunchDub”… or at least there wasn’t until this commercial came out. So the idea that there are a bunch of people, including Stevie Wonder, wailing on each other when they see ANY VW is just inaccurate.

Before you jump on me, check your memory… what you’re thinking of isn’t “PunchDub,” but most likely “Slug Bug” or “Punch Bug” or “Punch Buggy.” Coming back to you now? Yeah, you and your kid brother probably did it as a form of justifiable violence during the 60s and 70s, back when every little punch didn’t mean you were mentally unstable and needed to be drugged up.

I know it sounds like I’m a little late with this since this was a Super Bowl spot, but I’m being reminded of it daily because VW of Southern California is running radio spots for “Volkswagen PunchDub Days.”  The radio spots are pretty much the same bit, and even throw in some manufactured nostalgia for the game that didn’t exist with a flashback to two brothers duking it out in the back seat. Every time I hear it, I feel my sanity slipping away a little because I can’t check with anybody by asking, “it was Slug Bug, right?”

I guess I just don’t understand why they felt they had to rename the whole game.  I mean, the game actually was about one of their cars!  Right?  It’s not as if they softened the game up by taking out the punching, which would be totally expected these days.  They just expanded it to include all of their cars, which is also fine, but you don’t get to tell me that it’s been around forever when it hasn’t.

I really wish advertisers would consider this stuff, then I wouldn’t have to take time from away from making dolls out of my co-workers’ hair to write up these postings.

Yours Truly,

The King of Prussia

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