Wilkins and Wontkins (partially lost series of Jim Henson commercials; 1957-1969)
In 1957, puppeteer Jim Henson was asked by a Washington D.C. coffee company, Wilkins Coffee, to make commercials for their company. The company only had 10 seconds of screen time, so the ads had to be lightning-speed fast. From 1957 to 1969, Jim 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
In each original commercial, the relentlessly polite and cheerful Wilkins brings up his namesake coffee to the equally grumpy and pessimistic Wontkins. The latter refuses all offers and/or makes his distaste for the product clear, whereupon he promptly falls victim to various slapstick but notably sadistic misfortunes. Over the course of the run Wontkins stubbornly refused to appreciate the sponsor's coffee despite repeatedly being shot, stabbed, beaten, blown up, branded, crushed, knocked off heights and - on at least one occasion - run head-first through a table saw (this one was thankfully off-screen). Often these punishments are at Wilkins' hand, but overall it's clear their universe itself disapproves of 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, 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 star in a number of similar 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
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
- Compilation featuring a newly discovered Wilkins Coffee commercial.
- A MEGA folder containing all known commercials and 4 alt takes (as of July 7th, 2020).
- Defunctland's DefunctTV video covering the commercials along with Sam and Friends as part of a 6-part retrospective on Jim Henson. Retrieved 31 Dec '19
Sources
- http://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Wilkins_Coffee
- http://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Wilkins_and_Wontkins
- http://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Muppet_commercials
- https://henson.com/jimsredbook/2013/11/111957/
- https://henson.com/jimsredbook/2012/03/313-141969/
- https://henson.com/jimsredbook/2011/12/1213-151966/
- https://henson.com/jimsredbook/2013/08/8-1967-2/
- http://toughpigs.com//anthmadison01.htm
- http://toughpigs.com//anthmadison02.htm
- http://toughpigs.com//anthmadison04.htm