# Geico commercial -- what's the accent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 23, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-commercial-whats-the-accent/341292 "2006-01-23T19:57:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2006, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-commercial-whats-the-accent/341292/21 "2006-01-23T23:23:20Z")
The same accent Michael Caine used in Alfie. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2006, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-commercial-whats-the-accent/341292/22 "2006-01-23T23:38:21Z")
> [@sunfish](#): > > My bad. Not at all. Though the differences are glaringly obvious to me, I doubt that a regular Brit could tell a California accent from a Minnesota one from a New York one. > [@sunfish](#): > > Just as an aside, what’s the accent of the woman who does the intro line for the podcast? IMO, it’s Received Pronunciation with a London bias. She says “The Ricky Gervais…” in RP, then the word “show” has a definite London vowel, but then “on Guardian” reverts to RP, but the sibilant “t” sound in “Unlimited” sounds London again. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-commercial-whats-the-accent/341292/23 "2006-01-24T00:58:22Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I could have sworn that the very first couple of Geico commercials had the gecko speaking in an English accent, then all of a sudden, it was Aussie. No, never been an Australian accent. [Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=350293)’s a recent thread on subject. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-commercial-whats-the-accent/341292/24 "2006-01-24T02:10:08Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I can’t seem to find any online copies of the commercials where the Gecko talks. The recent ad i’m thinking about is one where he is standing on a leaf and giving advice to a real gecko about how to go about selling Geico insurance. > > Anyway, [here’s](http://www.tvacres.com/adanimals_geicogecko.htm) some more on the history of the voice: “Geico Gecko - Six-inch green computer-animated lizard seen on a series of successful Geico Car Insurance commercials at the beginning of the Millennium. In the earlier commercials, pesky phone callers were confusing the Gecko’s phone book listing with the Geico Car Insurance Company. Speaking in a British accent (Dave Kelly), the irritated Gecko voiced his discontent with the intrusive consumers looking for cheaper insurance. Actor Kelsey Grammer supplied the original voice for the Geico Gecko in the first ad.” Thanks for that last sentence: When the Geico commercials first aired, I thought he sounded a whole lot like Niles Crane (not Frazier)…then it switched to a more British accent. Now I know I wasn’t just imagining that, whatever Crane/Grammer tongue it was in. One thing that bothers me about the Geico gecko is that (having had a pet gecko), they don’t utilise the wonderful Gecko feature of suction cup feet and climbing up walls. Have I missed a commercial featuring that? Poor earthbound Geico gecko. Prolly more difficult to animate, though. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-commercial-whats-the-accent/341292/25 "2006-01-24T02:24:20Z")
> [@](#): > > One thing that bothers me about the Geico gecko is that (having had a pet gecko), they don’t utilise the wonderful Gecko feature of suction cup feet and climbing up walls. Suction cup feet are really cool. But gecko feet are actually even cooler. Their feet are almost fractal, with a vast multitude of exceedingly tiny fibers. This very high surface area and very large number of contact points allows them to take advantage of van der Waals forces between their feet and the surface they’re climbing, forces which are usually only significant on a molecular scale. Speaking of real geckos, can they really lick their own eyeballs? ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-commercial-whats-the-accent/341292/26 "2006-01-24T02:43:02Z")
Why do geckos lick their eyeballs? …waaait for it… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-commercial-whats-the-accent/341292/27 "2006-01-24T02:54:34Z")
> [@antechinus](#): > > Why do geckos lick their eyeballs? > > …waaait for it… Because they can. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-commercial-whats-the-accent/341292/28 "2006-01-24T03:50:20Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Suction cup feet are really cool. But gecko feet are actually even cooler. Their feet are almost fractal, with a vast multitude of exceedingly tiny fibers. This very high surface area and very large number of contact points allows them to take advantage of van der Waals forces between their feet and the surface they’re climbing, forces which are usually only significant on a molecular scale. > > Speaking of real geckos, can they really lick their own eyeballs? The gecko feet are amazing, yep, really not suction cups, but lots of surface tension areas… more like ridges, neat to feel on your skin. Their tongues are amazing, too. Lightning quick, and snap up prey well. I imagine these are not the salient points the insurance industry wants to highlight, but mebbe future art directors for Geico can have some fun with it. ---
**Author:** ![DrLoveGun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@DrLoveGun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrLoveGun)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-commercial-whats-the-accent/341292/29 "2006-01-24T05:07:03Z")
I actually thought he was starting to sound like the crazed roadie in Wayne’s World 2. Maybe its just me. I just picture the gecko saying “I had to beat him to death with his own shoe”. Perhaps I have too much time on my hands these days. ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-commercial-whats-the-accent/341292/30 "2006-01-24T05:15:00Z")
> [@Hippy Hollow](#): > > I suppose it most closely approximates what Americans would think of as a Cockney accent. What, we’re supposed to believe that this lizard is a hard case wide boy, a la _Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels?_ > > They should have hired Harry Enfield, he does good accents… I sent an email to Geico ad execs just last week, asking them if they were trying to sell insurance in England, because I can’t understand a freaking word that gecko is saying. They have yet to respond. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-commercial-whats-the-accent/341292/31 "2006-01-24T05:44:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Speaking of real geckos, can they really lick their own eyeballs? [Sure can!](http://www.kingsnake.com/rockymountain/RMHPages/auro1.jpg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-commercial-whats-the-accent/341292.md?page=1)