I was reminded of Critters, Gremlins, Muppets, Fraggle Rock, as well as that old Monty Python routine, where the guy uses hammers on live mice (? could be puppies or kittens - it's been so long I've seen it) to produce music. [I believe it was the episode of "And now, for Something Completely Different" where they claimed that the Queen was going to watch].

(Note that 3 of the 4 things I initially mentioned, were produced by Jim Henson studios).

(If also reminds me of the Sponge Monkeys by Rathergood for Quiznos. (One of the first ads I posted about).

I saw this on my local TV, and I swear that before she begins her last statement (which ends during the geyser), he quietly says "she's a screamer". ?

Additional Note (4/25/2009): I've recently seen this again, and he comments 3 times not including his comments in this version. There isn't as much silence in the version I've seen. She has one or two other lines, and he says something quick that I can't remember (about socks?), then he says, "She's a screamer". [He speaks very quietly]. After she says something else, he says "She's loud" [or "quite loud"?], then she says one more line, and finally, the geyser geyses (followed by the end scene).

A friend of mine who is a paleontological artist (he draws and paints prehistoric creatures) created a series of life drawings of a set of dinosaurs for the renovation of a local museum's dinosaur hall (ANSP*). These were reproduced and posted on the railing around the dinosaur skeletons. (The drawings were pen and ink, without coloration - I think the ink was colored a dark green).

A locally based (national) convenience store company decided to promote a drink product by giving away 4 different cups when you buy the drink, each featuring a different dinosaur. The pictures on each were my friend's artwork, with color added, and someone else's name on them.

One might argue that they couldn't have known that these were copies, except for 2 things - one is that the museum had re-opened the dinosaur hall over a year earlier and had been promoting themselves with the T. rex picture during that time, and two is that my friend had submitted his artwork to the company for their promotion, and had been rejected.

My friend sued and won, of course. (He told me he got back about 4 times what he would have gotten if they had just licensed the art - plus they had to pay legal fees on both ends).

My advice to Engle - sue and sue HARD.

[* => ANSP = Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia]

I received an email from the World Wildlife Fund today (3/25/2009) talking about it, and giving this link: http://www.earthhourus.org/.

This is 3 days before the event. Not a lot of advance notice. :-)