The Crooked Eye of the Beholder

One of the ads that came up a few times over the last couple days of class discussion on memorable commercials was this one:

Most students remembered it because it is so bizarre, featuring peculiar chinchilla-like rodents superimposed with seriously amblyopic human eyes and toothy human mouths screeching an offbeat jingle about $2.99 toasted subs. First appearing in 2004, they have become something of meme, and so they are popular with kids who were not even born then.

So when another student mentioned it today, I asked if he considered it memorable because it was so weird.

"Weird?" he responded. "I don't think they're weird. I find them rather stately."

"Stately?" I said. "Really?"

"Yes," he assured me. "Look-- one is wearing a bowler, and the other is obviously an admiral. And--" he paused for dramatic effect, "he is playing a guitar!"

"You make a good point," I agreed, "and they are definitely memorable."