The Hamsters in That Kia Soul Commercial: Why are They Funny? (VIDEO)

Who knew hamsters could be so cocky? Take a look at the thuggish, ruggish rodents in this ad for the Kia Soul:

Seriously, this commercial cracks me up. That's partly because I have a thing for cute, anthropomorphic animals, but it's also because I love the absurdity of three hamsters getting gangsta in their Kia. I mean, the genius of :40-:42 alone... with H-Tweezy in the backseat, popping his head from side to side, tapping his paw to the dance beat while a light in the car door flashes in time. Not even RuPaul has this much self-confidence. Don't these hamsters realize they're hamsters?

But that's just it, right? This commercial is funny because it's so disproportionate. Hamsters are little animals. We dominate them so completely that we build their worlds for them, shooing them through mazes of plastic tubes and then clapping when they run. Therefore, seeing a hamster behave like a bad-ass is so audacious that it's funny.

You have to like a creature that refuses to acknowledge the lowly station we've given it... that instead envisions itself as the king of the hip-hop highway.

That brazen, endearing confidence also extends to the hamsters' ride. Because really... a Kia? Is almost like the hamster of cars. Or at the very least, it's not the first thing you picture when someone says "pimpmobile."

In this commercial, however, the Kia Soul is presented as the only vehicle in the world that doesn't breed rodent-in-a-wheel conformity. Those hamster wheels we see on the road could be Mercedes, BMWs, Audis, whatever. The point is, they're not Kias, so by this ad's standards, they're lame.

Again, you have to admire a car company that refuses to accept the less-than-ferocious image the public imposes on it. That attitude is scrappy. It's cool.

So let's say I'm a middle-class American who can't afford a luxury car, but I can afford a Kia Soul that starts at under $14,000. I may realize I'm not driving a champagne vehicle, but this ad encourages me not to care. This ad encourages me to raise my bottle of sparkling white grape juice out of my moonroof and wave it side to side like it's a damn magnum of Cristal.

In other words, the ad encourages a perceptual shift in which "little guys" like hamsters, Kias, and the middle class embrace their ability to be awesome. There's a knowing joke in there---you can't take yourself that seriously if you're rolling in Lil' Hammy's whip---but that lightheartedness is just another badge of confidence. If you drive a Kia Soul, the commercial tells us, then you know yourself, love yourself, and get down with yourself. If consumers buy the message, then Kia's sales could explode. Middle class affordability could be hipper than ever.

Too bad I don't need a car in New York City and that my building won't let me have pets. Otherwise, I would be hosting the hamster grand prix up in here, featuring some totally souped up Kia Souls. Word.

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Comments

[Cebca]

I was actually part of the market testing for these commercials and I LOVED them (the other proposed ads pretty much sucked). It's such a clever simple way of getting the message across, and it grabs your attention! I don't think much of the car, but they've certainly done a good job with this ad campaign.

[TigersEye]

Any commercial featuring cute critters is fine by me, ha ha!

[dinglebe]

I find the Kia Soul really cool even though I'm a senior citizen. I will consider one for my next car, but then Kia has a really bad quality image to overcome.

[Jay Adler]

I just bought my second Hyundai Elantra Coupe within the last two years and I am more than pleased with it for many reasons. Admittedly, I bought this vehicle solely because Hyundai and Kia offer the car buyer extremely low carrying charges in these awful economic times. I would rather own this quick and nimble and powerful four door or a Kia Optima for in my case only $229/mo after the down payment. My view is that it is the monthly payment that a family actually has to wrestle with and the so-called top fight vehicles usually come in at $300/mo. Surprisingly so, both Kia and Hyundai have been around for a long time, starting out in similar fashion along with the Chrysler K or AMC Javelin's and Rebels as "throw-away cars". They then became what's known as generational lines where every year improvement and luxurious features increased dramatically. I also can achieve high mileage and roominess. The author above will have to excuse my technical commentary but I think his message is more than correct.

[LeeLoosMultiPass]

I, too, love this commercial. While the rest of us dull little hamsters are busy spinning our wheels getting nowhere, those colorful hamz-ster ganz-sters in the red KIA really know how to live....LOL....as they speed on down the highway.

Don't you just love the look of the hamster when the car drives up?

Kudos to the creators of a commercial that I actually look forward to watching. Not that I can afford even a KIA, but still. . . .