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(INTRO) "Who framed Roger Rabbit?" (1988). You all are thinking of an actress temptation, akin to the gams of Cyd Charisse (10) or the calf of Julie Andrews (7)... I don't think so. As all pets living close to human beings in the pictures, he was framed by man's envy or ambition or power trip. Even so it was not a sob-story. I'll tell tales to you! The practice of letting pets talk to revealing human weakness was created by Aesop, narrator of fable animated by animals with different attitudes. Herodotus handed down he was a slave in Samos, Greece. Nothing else we know --it were neither journalists nor TV news crews recording for posterity in the course of 5th century B.C.. Rumor has it Aesop was sentenced to death by Delpht population. His heritage went through Phaedrus, La Fontaine, forward to the fab XVIII century and lastly into the comic strips and cartoons. Thanks to a thick-set man was Cartoonia safe, much ado about nothing. Nowadays it's time pets creep into the Internet teaching the Web surfers about how the man was b.c. -before computer!
Down Under. Sydney 2000 mascots are pets. Millie is an echidna, Olly a platypus, Syd a kookaburra, the lyreshape-tailed bird. I was bitter at defection of the potatolike nosed koala, who is bitter at growing defection of eucalyptus leaves on its habitat. At times koala appears on winner podium as special guest: it's really a wizard of Oz!C@ www.olympics.com.
Rodents. By 2008 the Olympic games will probably take place at Toronto, my crystal ball foresees! Walking there trough downtown parks you meet grey squirrels munching out. Will they carry the torch of the Olympics? Or will the beavers of the lakes do? Computer designers and creative managers will compete on logo and merchandising signs, trying to draw down a compromise of natural life and technology mastery. Good future!
United Pets Society. The embassy of pets over the Internet is the World Wild Found for nature (C@ www.wwf.org). Its Panda logo has been embodying for years the most recognisable green symbol.
Birdwatching. Apteryx is a flightless bird with hairlike plumage. So you can watch it on the swamp but not to the sky of New Zealand. It's not a regal bird at all. Pagan gods liked being surrounded by true birds. The divine Thoth of ancient Egypt was patron of writers. He was represented as ibis-headed sustaining the crescent. (Note: Ibis is a curve-billed stork). Aztecs venerated the Quetzal, a marvelous multi-colored bird. Finally the Eagle, the royal bird. It's not by chance if an eagle was behind the thundering Jupiter by the Greek tradition. Not by chance the eagle is fixed on prestigious logo and flag of powerhouses such as USA, Germany and Russia. Surely where eagles dare, doves don't fly. "Pappagalli Verdi" (tr. green parrots) is a book title written by a mensch about the war emergency because of the eagles --and hawks-- that are not caring about the doves. Iraqi's Kurdistan is the most terrific man trap in the world. Meanwhile eagles and hawks talk talk... [C@ www.emergency.it].
Madhouse. Italians go mad for soccer. The new edition of the national championship is going to start soon and the wild bunch is led by Eagle, Zebra, Giant Snake, Feeding Wolf, Donkey, Lioness, Griffin. Unless hooligans play dozens, it's not the animal factory. The old newspapermen took some allegoric animals to designate teams. Like Palio-flags from Siena, a tradition is yet surviving on soccer fan banners where aristocratic or historical emblems play mascot. Turn your tv on and your favorite pet is probably on pay-per-view networks (C@ www.telepiu.it versus www.stream.it).
Ecosystem. Ciesse is an Italian company supporting the Mount Kenya National Park, home to a great variety of animals, including... well C@ www.mountkenya.com. It's not monkey business but an example of indirect sponsorship interested in safeguarding the environment. Green marketing as business philosophy? For the answer C@ www.ciesse.com.
Dolphins. Petrol price is dolphin-plump. The 21st-century fairy tale tells the price of crude oil at 28.5 ITL per liter is growing up to 2,168 ITL as branded carb to the tanks. Needless to tell who is playing the shark on this value chain is the Italian government absorbing 1,368 ITL of the whole end user price (about 63%). How to defend? Number1: save 40 ITL (1.8%) fulling up by self-service pump. Number2: privilege petrol brands on promotion and win! Number3: out of petrol out of jalopy. The marketing rule is as follows: hot price is offering distributors margin to stake us to gift collection. So did the Q8 TV ad campaign (C@www.Q8.it) where eversmiling dolphins are starring and wanting the bewildered consumer to forget the can of worms. The prize is a collection of merchandise ... to sail! Are commercials dolphin safe?
Freaks. Party animals and longue lizards are absolutely freak. They are living from dusk 'til dawn in a gold fish bowl looking for munchies and cocktails. C@ www.absolutvodka.com.
Cats&Dogs. Or lasses&lads. Advertising images are often a world of make-believe. Marketer and copywriter know that dog is more muscular than cat. But his features --look, appeal, grace-- are less handsome than other's. In a men's world advertisers tend to show what shakes themselves, as advertiser & as man. The Pirelli calendar has shown naked role models marketing gummy goods (C@ www.pirelli.com). The history of this calendar is a testimony to the forthcoming usage of human body in publicity as well as a gallery of the best 'dogs' & 'cats' on this planet. Some assume that their appearance is a promotional stunt of some kind. Vous etes tres belle...
(OUTRO) Johnny Hart's B.C. is/was a comic strip well-known during '70s. I got it on the school diary, the kind one bought to note down the topics to learn --an antique organizer for kids! B.C. is living on a prehistoric planet, where with difficulty are human beings learning the rules of living together... Their companions of adventure on that primal earth are animals --from dinosaur to apteryx-- all able to express by talking, except for the fish. Out of print in Italy since early '90s, you can unearth it by seeking for B.C. books at Amazon.com! In those happy schooldays, when anything goes, Jack Lemmon won the Oscar-statuette as best actor for "Save The Tiger" (1975). An actor's revenge to Mr. Cukor? If memory serves many film-goers didn't like both movie and actor, greatly far away from the sophisticated comedy he was a star of... [back to the Front Page].