Wilkins and Wontkins (partially lost series of Jim Henson commercials; 1957-1969): Difference between revisions

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==Overview==
==Overview==
The basic premise of the original spots - later used as the template for the others - features the relentlessly bright and cheerful Wilkins somehow bringing up his namesake coffee to the grumpy, gravel-voiced Wontkins, who insists he does not/will not drink it... whereupon Wilkins promptly (but cheerfully!) punishes him for his refusal, in various outlandishly sadistic ways.
The basic template for the ads features the relentlessly bright, cheerful Wilkins somehow bringing up his namesake coffee (or, later, the other products) to the grumpy, gravel-voiced Wontkins, who refuses it - whereupon Wilkins promptly (but still cheerfully!) punishes him, in various outlandishly sadistic ways.


The formula was like nothing that had ever been seen in advertising before, and it was a smash hit... quite literally. Over the course of their long partnership Wontkins stubbornly refused to appreciate the sponsor's product despite repeatedly being shot, stabbed, beaten, blown up, branded, crushed, set on fire, drowned, dropped from heights and - on at least one occasion - run head-first through a table saw (this one was thankfully kept off-screen). Even when Wilkins doesn't handle him personally, it's made clear their universe itself is displeased with Wontkins' stance. As Wilkins (cheerfully!) puts it in one of the best-known spots, "Things just seem to ''happen'' to people who don't like Wilkins!"
The formula was like nothing that had ever been seen in advertising before, and it was a smash hit... quite literally. Over the course of their long partnership Wontkins stubbornly refused to appreciate the sponsor's product despite repeatedly being shot, stabbed, beaten, blown up, branded, crushed, set on fire, drowned, dropped from heights and - on at least one occasion - run head-first through a table saw (this one was thankfully kept off-screen). Even when Wilkins doesn't handle him personally, it's made clear their universe itself is displeased with Wontkins' stance. As Wilkins (cheerfully!) puts it in one of the best-known spots, "Things just seem to ''happen'' to people who don't like Wilkins!"

Revision as of 21:48, 9 September 2022

Wilkins and Wontkins.jpeg

Wilkins (right), and Wontkins (left).

Status: Partially Lost

In 1957, puppeteer Jim Henson was asked by Wilkins Coffee to star his then-novel Muppets in commercials for their product. The company only had 10 seconds of screen time, so the ads had to be lightning-fast yet memorable - a problem Henson solved as only he and his creations could. From 1957 to 1969, Henson created 179 such ads for Wilkins Coffee plus many more for other brands, all of which revolve around the early Muppet duo of Wilkins & Wontkins. As of this writing, the online archive of these commercials is missing a significant number of the total produced.

Overview

The basic template for the ads features the relentlessly bright, cheerful Wilkins somehow bringing up his namesake coffee (or, later, the other products) to the grumpy, gravel-voiced Wontkins, who refuses it - whereupon Wilkins promptly (but still cheerfully!) punishes him, in various outlandishly sadistic ways.

The formula was like nothing that had ever been seen in advertising before, and it was a smash hit... quite literally. Over the course of their long partnership Wontkins stubbornly refused to appreciate the sponsor's product despite repeatedly being shot, stabbed, beaten, blown up, branded, crushed, set on fire, drowned, dropped from heights and - on at least one occasion - run head-first through a table saw (this one was thankfully kept off-screen). Even when Wilkins doesn't handle him personally, it's made clear their universe itself is displeased with Wontkins' stance. As Wilkins (cheerfully!) puts it in one of the best-known spots, "Things just seem to happen to people who don't like Wilkins!"

Although Wilkins himself, contrary to Internet legend, is not an early prototype of Kermit the Frog (who had already been introduced by name a few years earlier) the popularity of these witty, highly distinctive ads resulted in he and Wontkins becoming iconic in their own right. The duo would go on to bring their signature ultraviolence to a number of campaigns for other coffee and grocery brands, initially produced in black and white before shifting to colour in 1966. The last known Wilkins & Wontkins commercials made were for Community Coffee, made around 1969.

Companies

Companies that Wilkins and Wontkins promoted.

# Company Runtime # of ads made Status
1 Wilkins Coffee 1957-1961 179 Partially Lost
2 Community Coffee 1959-1969 37 Partially Found
3 Donovan Coffee Company 1961-1966 13 Partially Found
4 Nash's Coffee 1958-1961 20 Partially Found
5 La Touraine Coffee 1958-1962 15 Partially Found
6 Martinson Coffee 1959 15 Partially Found
7 Faygo 1958-1959 10 Partially Found
8 Calso Water 1961 8 Partially Found
9 Frank's Beverages 1961-1963 7 Found
10 Kraml Dairy 1962 18 Partially Found
11 Merita Bread 1963 6 Partially Found
12 Taystee Bread 1967 9 Found
13 Dugan's Bread 1962-1963 3 Found
14 Standard Oil of Ohio (Sohio) 1960 Unknown Partially Found
15 National City Bank 1960s? Unknown Lost

Availability

Selected Wilkins & Wontkins spots are currently playing in certain exhibitions, including The Center for Puppetry Arts and the Jim Henson exhibition, Imagination Unlimited.

Out of the 179 Wilkins Coffee commercials, only 135 have been released on the internet. It is unknown how many the Jim Henson Company has stored in their archives.

On June 26th, 2020, YouTuber KermiClown uploaded a large collection of Wilkins commercials, including all the ads for Taystee Bread and Dugan's Bread.

Videos

Probably the best-known compilation of the available Wilkins Coffee ads.

Another compilation of Wilkins ads.

Another compilation of Wilkins ads, with title cards suggesting this was an official showreel. (1/2).

Second half of the Wilkins Coffee ad showreel (2/2).

Wilkins "Pie" commercial.

All ads for Taystee Bread.

Compilation of ads for Nash's Coffee.

Compilation of ads for Merita Bread.

Compilation of ads for Frank's Beverages.

Compilation of random ads, including a rare ad for Frank's Beverages (3:44).

Compilation of ads for La Touraine Coffee.

All ads for Dugan's Bread.

Compilation of ads for Faygo.

Red Diamond Coffee commercials featuring Wilkins and Wontkins.

A compilation of various commercials featuring Wilkins and Wontkins.

A couple of ads for Calso Water.

Compilation of Community Coffee commercials.

Kraml Milk commercials.

Behind-the-scenes with the Hension team, featuring an unknown Wilkins Coffee ad.

Another Kraml Milk ad.

Gallery

Wilkins and Wontkins commercials that can only be found in images.

Completely Lost Commericals

Commercials that are completely lost.

Nash's Coffee - Communist Store The Wilkins version can easily be found, but the Nash's one is lost.

See Also

External Links

Sources