Justin Cox
The Cult of the Snuggie
Polyphonic Spree or Snuggie commercial? You be the judge.
There is a plague sweeping our land; a terrible ill that cannot be stopped. We’re being attacked by the Snuggie. The Sunggie is an evil piece of cloth, in some circles known as a harmless blanket, with a menacing addition: sleeves.
Ok. It’s not exactly that terrifying, but it is pretty silly. I’m sure you’ve seen the infomercial — they seem to be everywhere lately. The thing about it is, and I’m sure someone on marketing side figured this out and was snickering the whole time, the thing looks like a freaking cult robe. I’m talking, full on drink the Kool-Aid cult. Throughout the infomercial people wearing the Snuggie are doing normal things — watching TV, reading books, roasting marshmellows — but because they’re wearing the Snuggie it looks like it’s all cult activity.
It actually reminds me of the first time I saw the Polyphonic Spree. I was watching Conan O’Brien back when Light and Day was being used for the VW commercials. Anyway, they were on Conan wearing their robes and playing happy music while bouncing balls in the air. I decided right then and there that the Polyphonic Spree was a cult. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I mean they seemed happy.
Flash forward back to the Snuggie. Now I could be wrong, and I probably am, but what if the Snuggie was the marketing end of the Polyphonic Spree? A new way to get people to think the robes are acceptable, so they can return to the mainstream and peddle their wears? Probably not. But it’d be cool, right?
The Snuggie Commercial
Polyphonic Spree at FSU