The scariest question ever

I just heard a TV commercial that ended with a voice-over of a sweet male child asking, “Mom, have you seen my iguana?”

Yes, that would give one pause. Worse might be “…snake?” (or any reptile, actually), or “…black widow spider?” (or any arachnid), or “…Saber Toothed Tiger?” But “…iguana?” was scary enough to get me to look up from my email answering/writing to glance at the TV. I was too late. I didn’t see the closing logo, if there was one. And if there were any further words after
“…iguana?” I don’t know what they were. In other words – I have no idea what the ad was for. Insurance? Pharma? Certainly not the 3rd of the big 4 things advertised on TV these days – food. [The 4th is vehicles, and as far as I know, iguana is not the latest transportation mode. City Cars are quite enough.] (BTW – I had a ride in a Smart Fortwo this week. Surprisingly roomy passenger seat, although there was precious little space for my handbag. But that’s true of most front seats as I often have a commodious handbag.)

All this just to say: what’s the point of a commercial if you don’t know what’s being touted?

That question goes waaaaay back. If you’re old enough, you may remember a black and white TV spot featuring two men standing face to face, talking and gesticulating. The shot was framed so that all we saw were two tremendous bellies (fully clothed) facing one another, and fingers pointing and sometimes poking the other guy’s belly. The voice-over said something about indigestion. So here’s the question: was that ad for Bromo-Seltzer or Alka-Seltzer? Discuss. Or Google at will.

While this is a question worth asking and answering for a certain population – those sociologists, anthropologists, and proverbial “men in gray flannel suits” who make this their business — it certainly does not strike the same fear in one’s heart as the question in the opening paragraph.

I just looked it up on YouTube. I won’t play spoiler by providing the link. Find it for yourself. One fun fact: the ad is from 1965! Imagine remembering a TV spot from 1965 but having no idea what the spot was for! Then imagine being able to type in a few words on a contraption on your lap and having the original ad pop up right in front of you. Snatched from the annals of time, transported through the ethers, and plopped onto your own lap in seconds. Imagine…!

We live in remarkable times, even though they are also inhabited by iguanas, run-away and otherwise. I guess we just have to learn to live together, and not be so scared.

A political statement. And a prayer. And a tribute to Lennon.
Imagine…