Arriba! Arriba! Sofa Sofa!

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Being an expat, sometimes it is not the differences rather the similarities between your new home and the old that are the most curious. Behold the sombrero dudes above who were featured in an article in today's Helsingin Sanomat about their weird commercials ranging from Mexicans to Sherlock Holmes and Watson to genies on a magic carpet. About 30 years ago, there were 2 Jewish appliance salesmen in St. Louis, the Slyman Brothers, who starred in their own disturbingly cheezy commericals of them sitting on top of the arch and waving. They were joined by Steve Mizerany who would run into trees while on roller skates or dress like a boozing pervy Santa for the annual "Christmas in July" sales. Two guys offering debt consolidation services also had some really funny cave men commercials with boobalicious cave girls sitting on their laps. The heiress of these pioneers is Becky the "Queen of Carpet", a rather corpulent lady in a shiny satin gown and tiara flying around the arch on a carpet.

These guys are a touch of home, even if it is freaky to turn on the TV late at night, suddenly see two Finns dressed as Speedy Gonzalez and wonder if I'm hallucinating. The continuity director forgot to send them somewhere for a tan as they are the most glaringly white Mexicans I've ever seen. :) They mention in the article that commercials that don't get talked about are bad/not as effective and, well, I've not been able to blot out the Slyman Brothers after 30 years in spite of the electric shock therapy so I would have to agree. I hope they try dressing up as Vikings sometime soon as that would be really amusing and show a sense of humour a little closer to home. :)