It's Gonna Taste Great..?

I see that TV commercial is running again - the one for Frosties with the kid rapping that 'they're gonna taste great'. Apparently it is Britain's most hated advert. Actually, it probably isn't, it's simply that it has irritated some people in the media and, as usual, they've abused their positions to start a bandwagon of hate rolling. Frankly, I can think of far more irritating and offensive ads on TV at the moment, this one is just mildly annoying. Anyway, the reason I've brought it up is simply because of an 'urban legend' which has sprung up concerning this particular commercial. There is a persistent rumour (mainly web-based) that the kid in the advert is actually dead. In some versions he committed suicide after being bullied as a result of his appearance in the advert, in others he was allegedly murdered and in some he was terminally ill and appearing the ad was a dying wish. Now, as far as anyone is aware, the young man is alive and well and still living in South Africa (where the commercial was shot). Despite this fact being confirmed by Kelloggs (and their official spokes-Tiger Tony), the rumours just won't go away. The obvious similarity to the whole 'Paul McCartney is dead' nonsense I discussed in an earlier post is fascinating: the lack of actual facts, multiple (and increasingly bizarre) versions of his demise, official denials, the lot.

Of course, what will really seal this one as an urban legend which can run and run is if Kelloggs come up with another Frosties ad featuring this kid. Inevitably the conspiracy theorists will start running frame-by-frame comparisons with the original to 'prove' that the kid in the second ad is an imposter. Undoubtedly they'll show that whilst in the first ad he was shorter than Tony the Tiger, in the second he is marginally taller, whilst voice analysis will inevitably show subtle differences in his rapping performance between the two commercials. Mind you, the really big question will be whether the ads actually contain subtle 'clues' alluding to their star's demise. In fact, I'm going to set the ball rolling on this aspect right now - have you noticed how at the end of the ad the kid appears to rise into the air? An obvious allusion to his ascent to heaven, with Tony the Tiger cast as an angel (perhaps indicating his responsibility for the kid's death - maybe he mauled him to death?). You see, it's all there - you just have to juggle it all around a bit...