Riddle me this, folks: What is it that amuses me so about the "Above the Influence" anti-pot-smoking ads that are currently all over primetime? Is it the way the characters, like the alien and the dog, are so crudely sketched, and yet at the same time, so evocative? Is it the way they’ve reminded me of the joy of the phrase, "You disappoint me"? Or is it because, as one of the tags on the YouTube site itself points out, "the person who made it probably smokes weed"? Also, am I the only one who stops fast-forwarding my DVR when these ads come on? All must be revealed people!
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Comments (1-30) of 67 Add your comment
Yeah, these Above the Influence ads are cool, but have you ever seen them… on weed?
I enjoy those commercials, particularly the little dog being superior in it’s uniqueness to the pothead. But more than these, I like the soda commercial that uses Queen’s “I Want It All” to maximum effect.
Man, the girl in that one spot must really, REALLY hate weed. She hates it so much, in fact, that she leaves both her HUMAN boyfriend and the PLANET EARTH to cavort with an ALIEN! Doesn’t that seem just a wee bit extreme?
Don’t let’em fool ya….it’s because the space aliens have better stuff.
I find it unbelievable that aliens wouldn’t want a little toke.
I find it unbelievable that aliens wouldn’t want a little toke. Why else come to Earth?
I guess that alien isn’t from Amsterdam.
ever wonder why we call it space?
Oh FurryTom, you beat me to it! These commercials are twice as great when stoned to the gills! In fact, I’m so sure the ad exec who came up with these was baked out of his/her mind while watching School House Rock.
I don’t know. I remember the Time for Timer PSA’s from the 80’s. They were so bad, yet funny.
Dearest Slezak, sorry but i don’t find these ads amusing at all. i think they are condescending and unbearably lame.
But hey, at least they’re not loud and obnoxious like those Truth.com ads. Those make me want to start smoking again just out of spite.
The alien one made me laugh out loud the first time I watched it. To whoever made it:
“Wow, I never realized that, but it’s crystal clear now. It’s every girl’s fantasy for an alien to be their knight-in-shining-armor to rescue them from their pot smoking girlfriend.”
That’s just too weird of a commercial not to laugh at.
I liked it beter when they fried my brains in a skillet. Any questions?
Not me but, you know, a “friend” has turned these into a weed-smoking game. There is no way a commercial like this would turn a smoker into a non. God bless them for existing.
Can someone PLEASE run some “pro pot” competition ads to put these sad sack attempts to re-criminalize the herb in their proper place?
The anti-drug folks are trying to fend off the image that pot is “cool” and are using semi subversive ads to “sell” their idea.
The irony of this is that while the kids are smoking less pot these days, they’ve been abusing prescription drugs in greater numbers. It’s like Chris Rock once said. You can get rid of all the illegal drugs in the world and people are still going to find ways to get high. Clearly, these ads don’t work.
BTW it was the discovery that the anti-drug “documentary confession” ads of the 1980’s were straight up false (remember the one where the young girl does a “confession” that she used pot and coke and that it messed up her family? Turns out she was an ACTRESS who was later in Eggo ads) that got me to smoke my first joint in the 1990’s. Also, many of my college smoker buddies were “DARE” graduates.
don’t even try to tell me that these people didn’t want stoners to hard core trip out from watching drawings that move about aliens and talking dogs. they picked some out of control music too. i guess i have under the influence to thank for that insane 30 seconds that felt like 3 hours.
I’m trying to find the song on the commerical with the dog. Can anyone help me?
the alien one is my favorite thing in teh entire world. its official. ;]
Yeah could someone PLEASE tell me the song on both of them, are they the same artist or is it a specially made song that is made for that ad agency?
yes, i need that song
Not sure of the age group these ads are marketed towards – But the music and the simple animations brought back memories I thought were closed away behind the labyrinth of forgetfulness. I find these oddly reminiscent of “Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings”. Anyone remember that show?!
i like the dog one because it just shows you that if you are under the influence you stop caring about your favorite people and animals.
wuts the song?!?!?!
the song is by a band called “garfield slurry tribe” i guess you could find them on myspace = http://www.myspace.com/garfieldslurrytribe
these commercials are great. but the songs are better!
Vjku eqoogtekcn ku vjg hwppkguv vjkpi K jcxg uggp kp c yjkng. Kv tgokpfu og yjgp K uoqmgf yggf. Uggkpi kv ocmgu og ycpv vq nkijv wr cpf ycvej vjg fcod vjkpi. Jqygxgt vtwvj dg vqnf ftwiu ocmg aqw rctcpqkf cpf Ko uq rctcpqkf vjcv K eqwnfp.v gxgp ngcxg vjku pqvg wpgpetarvgf. Kh aqw jcrrgp vq fgetarv vjku oguucig yjkej ujqwnfp.v dg vq jctf jkv og wr ykvj cp gockn cv dtqmgvjgeqfg@rgqrngeqogwr.eqo.
You misspelled a word when you encoded your message. Unless “damb” is some pot head term.
i agree – amazing visuals and music
My dogs love it when I blow reefer smoke in there face , they wanna get as high as I do . so that first video is a rascist dog , racist toward pot heads . Pro choice people .
Check out my spoofs on youtube…
http://www.youtube.com/foxy002000
I just found out the musician/artist who created the music. His name is Charlie Campbell and he has quite a resumé!
His website is: http://www.charliecampbell.com