Dates to 1957-61.
The proto-Kermit is disturbingly cheerful while delivering his Mafia-like threats: “You see what happens to people who don’t drink Wilkins coffee!”
Explanation: In 1958 (date chosen because of relevance and because it was Lucky 13 after D-Day) most viewers were inured to filmed and televised violence. Many of them had experienced the Real Thing. TV in general was, by later generations, disturbingly violent. These led to a numbing of feelings, so blowing the head off (not-yet national icon) Kermit could be amusing.
This is one of them “you had to be there” episodes. Feel lucky that, despite a national wave of Existentialism, you were born. 
Y’all should try watching the Looney Toons.
Wilkins and Wontkins!I still have puppets of them! I didn’t know they were pre-Muppets!
Oooh, those have gotta be collector’s items now! I’ve seen those commercials before, and had a ‘squee’ moment once in DC as a Wilkins coffee truck drove by (this was either the late 90s or just after the turn of the century).
You might want to look at this.
That was awesome. Violent proto-Kermit was so casual in his shooting, exploding, etc. of Wontkins. I will drink Watkins, lest I encounter a branch smacking me in the dome.
*Two *gun blasts point blank. :eek:
However, the falling tree disturbed me more. The other muppet’s brain activity just seem to stop, pretty creepy.
Kermit always seemed to have an aura of deep, seething rage boiling inside him. Now it all makes sense.
Two more collections of Wilkins Coffee ads. Henson would also use the characters in other markets to promote other products.
At first glance, Wontkins appears to be a victim of circumstance, much like Wile E. Coyote, who has things happen to him due to pure dumb luck (as Wilkins himself says, “Strange things happen to people who don’t drink Wilkins Coffee!”) But deep down, the real, veiled message of these commercials appears to be “Buy Wilkins Coffee or die!” A gruesome prospect, to be sure, but since it’s not spelled out, it makes it seem less so. This isn’t the only time Henson would use the threat of violence upon the customer to sell products- note this commercial in which two Kermit the Frogs threaten to bite the viewer if they do not buy stuffed animals.
To be serious for a moment, though, the Muppets are all about physical violence (it must be a puppet thing- look at Punch and Judy). Brian Henson once said that his father often commented that if he couldn’t think of an ending to a sketch, he’d just use a bunch of penguins or blow something up. And that seems to work pretty well.
I’ve since been told YouTube also has some good Flinstone commercials with Fred and Barney flogging Winston cigarettes, but I’ve not looked yet.
Looks like a fairly standard Punch and Judy show to me. I’m guessing Jim had spent some time in Paris. . . ?
I have to admit, it was surreal hearing that stuff in Kermit’s voice. . .
ooh, boy…I wonder where I put them? I hope no one threw them out. They aren’t in that good of shape, though…but those are the ones I have…somewhere.
Ah yes- Winston was the original sponsor for the show. (Keep in mind the fact that much like The Simpsons, The Flinstones was aired in prime-time and originally intended for an adult audience. In 1967, one year after The Flintstones went off the air, Anheuser-Busch comissioned Hanna-Barbera to create a half-hour long promotional film meant for internal use only to promote their advertising campaign for Busch beer.
Am I hearing 6:50 right? “Why don’t we go down on Mr. Slate and ask for our jobs back?” :eek:
I’ve listened to it a few times and it sure does sound like that. I assume it’s a slip of the tongue (heh) and he was supposed to say something like “Let’s go down and ask Mr. Slate for our jobs back,” but it seems like it should have been easy for someone to catch and edit out.
Anyone else really have a mad urge for some Wilkins coffee after watching that. With commercials like that it must be good.
On a related note, is Wilkins Coffee still available on the market? I don’t think they ever sold it where I lived (i.e., the Western U.S.).
Apparently, Wilkins Coffee still existed towards at least 1992, when Jim Henson Productions attempted to sue the company for using Henson’s name without permission in marketing the Wilkins and Wontkins characters. Presumably, Wilkins Coffee is local to the Washington, D.C. area, where Henson was working at the time the original commercials were made. (Also, I must disagree that the widow Henson’s behavior towards the Wilkins reps is “conduct unbecoming to a Muppet”- obviously, the article writer has never seen Miss Piggy angry…or Cookie Monster hungry.)