Gothamist: City Hall Welcome Imaginary Friends

hooch

Sat, 07 Aug 2004 18:00:34 -0500

Statler & Waldorf: named after hotels? There is also a swanky restaurant in London named Bibendum, housed in a former Michelin tire factory.

muppetfreak

Sat, 07 Aug 2004 14:52:53 -0500

But do you know what Statler & Waldorf are named for? 50 points, if you do!

AlexisT

Sat, 07 Aug 2004 00:26:06 -0500

Ha ha Confusion! The old guys in the box from The Muppet show are Statler & Waldorf! This is my nickname for 2 of my cantankerous friends! Ed Koch def. looks like one of them.

AlexisT

Sat, 07 Aug 2004 00:25:19 -0500

Ha ha Confusion! The old guys in the box from The Muppet show are Statler & Waldorf! This is my nickname for 2 of my cantankerous friends! Ed Koch def. looks like one of them.

chibeca

Sat, 07 Aug 2004 00:12:41 -0500

The Wise Owl is the mascot for Wise snack foods. They make popcorn, chips, and other things like that: http://www.taquitos.net/snacks.php?snack_code=1637

rion

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 23:34:45 -0500

strange sighting. does this mean that the apocalypse is coming?

dirtgirl

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 22:12:30 -0500

dude, who the hell is wise owl? i see woodsy owl in the Koch photo, but i've never heard of a wise owl. what is it?

Bobbie

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 19:04:39 -0500

My icon is Paris Hilton. How about someone strutting around dressed in a costume of a naked Paris Hilton?

Jen

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 16:08:17 -0500

I read and loved Pattern Recognition, but Bibendom did not stick in my mind. Thanks for the explanations.

nicky

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 15:31:58 -0500

(Explanation of the "Cayce Pollard" post--her name--above)

nicky

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 15:29:51 -0500

Bibendum is a big part of the plot line in William Gibson's new book, Pattern Recognition. The main character, a cool hunter, is allergic to certain logos and symbols, Bibendum chief among them.

Cayce Pollard

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 15:17:56 -0500

The Michelin Man? Oh shit. ::runs to bathroom::

Jen

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 14:56:15 -0500

Bibendom? Who would know that? That's such an arcane piece of trivia - and I love it! In a part life, I worked on the Exxon account. There were rumors of litigation from Kellogg's because Exxon was using their a cartoon version of their tiger ("Put a tiger in your tank!") to promote their convenience stores (this site is in German but there's a picture of the cartoon tiger). Whenever we'd do anything marketing related involving the Exxon tiger, I'd have to count the number of whiskers, blah blah and make sure it looked like the Exxon tiger, versus Tony. Ah, brand management!

stereogum

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 13:53:52 -0500

awesome photos. i wish i was there.

confusion

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 13:27:41 -0500

Doesn't Ed Kock look like one of the old guys in the balcony seats on The Muppet Show?

Bibendom

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 12:27:53 -0500

The Michelin Man has a name and it is Bibendom! Thanks for those pix. So fantastic! -Tony

doshin

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 12:13:20 -0500

In other news... http://www.local6.com/news/3616080/detail.html

mike

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 12:11:28 -0500

"And if you're really tired of commercialsl [sic], there's TiVo." Hmm, how about this instead: "And if you're really tired of commercials, turn off your TV and unplug your internet connection. Ride your bike, read a book, talk to your neighbor, be part of your community."

Steve

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 11:50:51 -0500

Actually, in addition to his convention PR work, Koch said he would vote for Bush. Does an endorsement qualify as "shilling"?

nicky

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 11:46:19 -0500

I agree that a little municipal frivolity is a good thing, but there's an unpleasant aspect of product placement in these highly staged events. The McEnroe-ization of Mayor Koch is also funny to watch. He's gone from being a sullen, self-centered bully to a lovably irascible symbol of the city.

Dave H.

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 11:20:48 -0500

Those pictures are the epitome of why I frequent Gothamist.com. Terror alerts, GOP convention security, whatever. Tony the Tiger, the Michelin Man et al. strutting in front of City Hall makes me feel like all is right with the world. Municipally-endorsed frivolity is somehow very comforting. This is officially the moment when ad icons overtook dashboard saints. On a different note, Koch may have been a very personable Mayor, but I remember NYC as being literally a much scarier place during his tenure. And he's not shilling for the GOP, he's shilling for NYC as an open, inclusive, and tolerant city that is not overly disrespectful of its guests, which it is, or I hope it will be.

drew

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 10:49:11 -0500

Hey, is that Michael Chiklis as Mr. Clean? You'd think The Commish wouldn't have to do these gigs anymore after winning the Emmy...

tien

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 10:35:23 -0500

"hey kool aid!!" "oh yeah!"

joeq

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 10:08:47 -0500

i used to love koch � he was the greatest mayor of my generation and really epitomized the ny of the day. the thought, however, that this once proud village democrat is now shilling for the gop makes me ill.

Jen

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 10:06:41 -0500

The second photo with Mayor Koch kills me - he's so crazy, I love it! Whether it's posing with Tony the Tiger or GOP elephants, he's having a good time.