# Things you see in TV commercials that never happen in the real world **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** commercials-ads\ **Created:** [February 18, 2020, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112 "2020-02-18T15:22:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/162 "2020-02-23T01:39:10Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > It kind of makes sense to me. The people who want sensible, practical cars are no doubt _already_ buying Corollas. They’re trying to expand their appeal beyond that group. > > And I don’t see it much with Corollas, but believe it or not at least here in California it’s not uncommon to see the “Fast&FuriousTokyoDrifter” types driving modified Camrys. [Like these, for example](http://toyotacamrytuning.blogspot.com/2016/03/toyota-camry-tuning-modified-toyota.html). I’ve driven both Corollas and Camrys, and despite looking vaguely similar from the outside they are totally, completely different cars. Camrys are relatively large and can be equipped with high-end amenities and comforts, and if you add performance features I imagine they could be lots of fun to drive; otherwise, they’re just comfortable well-handling cars. The Corolla I rented a few days ago was almost brand new and equipped with a few options, and yet was boring as hell. No comparison. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/163 "2020-02-23T01:52:48Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > People like Dr Marcus Welby (remember him?) appearing unannounced in your kitchen. Doctors like Welby who, instead of being stressed and overworked and having a waiting room full of patients like a real doctor, apparently have only one patient in their entire practice in each episode, and spend all their time following them around like a lost puppy, giving constant advice. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/164 "2020-02-23T02:02:26Z")
> [@Isosleepy](#): > > Without the Dope I would never have seen this. Not sure if ever seeing that is better or worse, but there it is. Ignorance fought. LILEKS is a great site. Main page here: [https://www.lileks.com/institute/index.html](https://www.lileks.com/institute/index.html) [The Gallery of Regrettable Food](https://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/index.html) is well worth a look. Provided you have no appetite, or have one and wish to lose it and never see food again. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/165 "2020-02-23T02:27:39Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I’ve driven both Corollas and Camrys, and despite looking vaguely similar from the outside they are totally, completely different cars. Camrys are relatively large and can be equipped with high-end amenities and comforts, and if you add performance features I imagine they could be lots of fun to drive; otherwise, they’re just comfortable well-handling cars. The Corolla I rented a few days ago was almost brand new and equipped with a few options, and yet was boring as hell. No comparison. My daughter went back to school in A Big City and didn’t want a car. I was noble and bought her car from her. Now, I’d gone with her when she’d first picked it out, and was so impressed that for her first car, she wanted a practical one: a dirt-grey Corolla with the basic engine and trim, no moonroof, no upgraded stereo, no nothin’. I wasn’t so happy with her practical streak when I had to drive it. The upside? It was invisible to traffic cops (or maybe they thought “This guy’s suffering enough without a ticket.”). The downside? I could feel my soul leaking out of my body whenever I drove it. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/166 "2020-02-23T02:52:04Z")
> [@Isosleepy](#): > > Without the Dope I would never have seen this. Not sure if ever seeing that is better or worse, but there it is. Ignorance fought. As a child I sometimes would hang out with my Grandfather, who in turn spent a lot of time hanging around at a garage that specialized in racing cars. A calendar like the one in the image, by the same artist (12 variations on “impossibly loose panties around her ankles”) was always hanging by one of the workbenches. Mid 1950’s. ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/167 "2020-02-23T02:55:39Z")
Does anyone know where I can rent or buy an ultra modern apartment/condo on an upper floor of a high rise with exclusively glass walls that is only about nine feet from my neighbor’s identical condo/apartment which is decorated with only an exercise bike (just like my place). My neighbor MUST be a remarkably fit and beautiful brunette whom likes to exercise when I do so she can one-up me when we race our very expensive stationary bicycles in the same online class. Almost all of my interchangeable friends have a set-up like this and I am starting to feel left out. Perhaps I should purchase the exercise bike first, and then look for the abode—but I have a feeling it might not be as effective without the glass towers in close proximity and some neighborly motivation to never skip a day. (Are they really looking at mountain bikes riding a trail on a screen like this is an elaborate video game? Would this be known as "first person riding"?) ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/168 "2020-02-23T02:56:00Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > LILEKS is a great site. Main page here: > [LILEKS (James) :: Institute of Official Cheer](https://www.lileks.com/institute/index.html) > > [The Gallery of Regrettable Food](https://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/index.html) is well worth a look. Provided you have no appetite, or have one and wish to lose it and never see food again. 😃 Be warned that **Lileks** is a labyrinth where you can wander around lost for hours, not that you’ll mind. It’s a really great site. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/169 "2020-02-23T04:35:00Z")
> [@Temporary\_Name](#): > > My neighbor MUST be a remarkably fit and beautiful brunette whom likes to exercise when I do so she can one-up me when we race our very expensive stationary bicycles in the same online class. \*\*WHO \*\*likes to exercise. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/170 "2020-02-23T13:53:08Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > \*\*WHO \*\*likes to exercise. Not me! (maybe I would in my ultra modern glass high rise condo…) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/171 "2020-02-23T16:06:12Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > As a child I sometimes would hang out with my Grandfather, who in turn spent a lot of time hanging around at a garage that specialized in racing cars. A calendar like the one in the image, by the same artist (12 variations on “impossibly loose panties around her ankles”) was always hanging by one of the workbenches. Mid 1950’s. I never saw those but I remember being fascinated by one with a nude pinup that had a peignoir printed on an acetate sheet over it. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/172 "2020-02-23T16:20:19Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Not me! Third base! ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/173 "2020-02-23T17:43:32Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > \*\*WHO \*\*likes to exercise. Thank you for the correction, my mistake. I would like help finding that location with that neighbor because it seems like the most normal thing in the world and an ideal setup to establish before I invest in any exercise equipment. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/174 "2020-02-23T19:07:53Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Eating a large sub sandwich, fully loaded, and holding the sandwich vertically with one hand. Or someone eating a candy bar sideways so that you can read the name on the label. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/175 "2020-02-23T19:11:45Z")
> [@Temporary\_Name](#): > > Thank you for the correction, my mistake. He’s the shortstop! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/176 "2020-02-23T19:18:44Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > He’s the shortstop! 😃 I don’t know… [COLOR=“black”][COLOR=“black”]3rd base[/COLOR][/COLOR] ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/177 "2020-02-23T19:32:44Z")
Dogs run in slow motion, their tongues don’t hand six inches out the sides of their mouths when they run, and they don’t slide when running on floors so they fall over and slide into their food bowls. Also, cats are always playful and friendly, and never extend their claws at random times to rip your flesh off. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/178 "2020-02-23T20:54:28Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Pretty much the entire “has this ever happened to you” section of any given infomercial, featuring the most inept people to have ever lived. Y’know, the part where the lady is so totally incompetent she’s incapable of dumping a pot of pasta into a strainer and she _desperately_ needs a technological solution that they’re about to tell you all about and can be yours for only three easy payments of $9.95, but if you call RIGHT NOW they’ll knock off a payment and even send you a free gift _just for calling_? The thing is that the products in those commercials are generally made for disabled people, and yes people with significant physical disabilities are often ‘so incompetent’ they can’t do things like open a jar by hand, pour a pot of pasta into a strainer without help, or carry a bowl of chips to the couch without dropping it. Showing disabled people in commercials generally doesn’t do good for overall sales, but the primary target market for most of those products really is people who have difficulty with common tasks, with a secondary market of people who just like gadgets. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/179 "2020-02-24T04:52:26Z")
The panoply of wholesome outdoor activities people that undertake with their grandchildren, while cautions about pharmaceutical side effects are being read aloud. What can I ask my doctor to prescribe that will give _ **me** _ such a rich, full life? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/180 "2020-02-24T15:11:44Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Dogs run in slow motion, their tongues don’t hand six inches out the sides of their mouths when they run, and they don’t slide when running on floors so they fall over and slide into their food bowls. They do slide into some strategically placed toilet paper, though. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112/181 "2020-02-24T15:18:36Z")
Apartments sharing bathroom medical cabinets. (If you get that one, you are old). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-see-in-tv-commercials-that-never-happen-in-the-real-world/848112.md?page=10)