http://www.bio-planet.com/bmw-kermit.htmlPls visit website for links to work.."Prinzip Freunde" ("the principle of joy") is not only BMW's newest online-campaign for their latest vehicle, the BMW 1er, it's also a (very welcome) froggy-overload in German online-, print- and tv-ads. The official site is packed with advertainment/infotainment content created by BMW to connect with its customers. It was launched about one year ago to promote the BMW 1er.One of the main characteristics of the site which attracts visitors' attention, is the fact it gives away lots of prizes. Right now, among other goodies, it is possible to win tickets to the upcoming F1 Grand Prix in Hockenheim. What does that all have to do with the frog I came to look for, you might ask...Well, here's the sweetest deal of it: online ads starring Kermit the Frog are currently being used on a huge variety of sites to promote the competition and drive traffic to the site, while double-page print ads are showing up in all kinds of news- and lifestyle magazines. The sah-wah-wah-weetest of it all though, is the new tv-spot (#02) which is constantly bringing the frog on screen all over the day - especially during prime-time. Woohoooo!After the heavy use of Statler & Waldorf on the German media landscape for about two years now (see the credit union Sparkasse's site for screensavers, videos and online-games starring the two grumpy old men), this is the next big Muppet thing that everybody is talking about. Literally! The People, they do love themselves some froggy!!!Due to the lack of webspace, this is only a temporary site (but I guess that's online-land for you anyway), so click away and get the stuff while it is hot! I tried to gather as much as I could find about the campaign, to share the joy of the frog. For comments, additions to this list, plain and simple signs of gratitude, appreciation, worshippyness and a healthy dose of whatsoever you can contact me at jk [ at ] bio-planet.com or visit Tough Pigs' Muppet Fan Forum to show just how wet you can get your pants about frogs in the desert! There's friendly Muppet fans there who would actually appreciate it, so hop & stop by!'Nuff said. Now gather 'round the good stuff! [ TV-Spots & Making-Of ][ Spot #01 ] The BMW 1er's first tv-spot featured lots of random clips showing the people from your neighborhood blossoming in total glee during everyday life. And yes, Kermit is one of them alright! Featured is an older clip of a costumed Mr. the Frog, wiggling around in front of the Muppet Show's red theater curtain. The featured song is "Principle of Joy" by Thom. The clip mostly ran in mid to late 2004. "BMW 1er Spot - Prinzip Freude" - Windows Media Video file (wmv-file) [ 2.75 MB ] Translation of the "BMW 1er Spot - Prinzip Freude" from German to English[ Spot #02 ] May 2005 - When I first saw this commercial, I didn't expect Muppets at all. The music (“Limbo Rock” by The Champs) was catchy and it even seemed somewhat familiar (it is track 6 from the 1993 "Muppet Beach Party" album, sung by "Fozzie Bear and The Muppets"), but up until then it was still just a CAR-spot...My heart bounced into sheer happy-mode when the window rolled down. So when you watch it for the first time, try to imagine the total awe that strikes a Muppet fan when the surprising (!) driver is being revealed! Ready? Set... Go! "BMW 1er Spot - Kermit" - Moving Pictures Expert Group file (mpg-file) [ 8.87 MB ] "BMW 1er Spot - Kermit" - Quicktime Movie file (mov-file) [ 2.43 MB ] "BMW 1er Spot - Kermit" - Windows Media Video file (wmv-file) [ 2.38 MB ] "BMW 1er Spot - Kermit" - Audio-Video Interleaved file (avi-file) [ 1.58 MB ] Translation of the "BMW 1er Spot - Kermit" from German to English[ Making-Of ] And yes, there's even a Making-Of right from the actual location in Calvinia, South Africa, that aired on about eight German tv-channels simultaneously in May 2005. Some very neat scenes with Kermit's old pal Steve Whitmire included."The area is covered by a desert, but the day the crew arrived it started raining heavily. When an expensive film crew arrives in a desert where it never rains… It starts raining! After one day of waiting, the rain stopped and the desert dried in a couple of hours." Enjoy! Making-Of - BMW 1er Spot - Kermit (link to youtube clip) [ 04:12 Min ] [ Print- & Online-Ads ] Article about the launch of the campaign [ from HORIZONT magazine - May 06th 2004 ] Double-page print ad [ "Isn't it joy, that makes us unique?" ] Online teaser-ad [ "Discover the principle of Joy. More..." ] Online ad #01 [ "Tickets for 3 days on the Hockenheimring..." ] Online ad #02 [ "Do you know the Principle of Joy yet? ..." ] Online ad #03 [ "Do you know the Principle of Joy yet? ..." ] Online ad #04 [ "Win hot, new iPod photo! High-end Sound. Brilliant colors. Trendy design..." ] Online flash-ad #01 [ small version - for screenshots of bigger version, see next links! ] Online flash-ad screenshots - part 01 [ "Hey, pal! Do you know the Principle of Joy yet? ..." ] Online flash-ad screenshots - part 02 [ "...Whaaaat? You don't know the Principle of Joy yet? ..." ] Online flash-ad #02 [ "Win hot, new iPod photo! High-end sound. Brilliant colors..." ] [ More Images ] Kermit tv-spot screenshot #01 Kermit tv-spot screenshot #02 Kermit = a honker!!! [ animated - 124 KB ] The special BMW-logo [ "froggyfied" just for the Making-Of ] John Andreas Andersen & Kermit [ the cinematographer & the star ] Okay, and since this is what everything should be about, here's the BMW 1er [ Source Links ] BMW's official "Prinzip Freude" [ with short Kermit splash-screen ] News on the launch of the campaign [ in English ] John Andreas Andersen - the cinematographer's blog Stevan Treshow - the director's site Jung von Matt/Alster, Hamburg - concept [ both spots available over here in flash ] Big Fish - the production company's site [ spot #02 available here in flashy flash ] www.eirikso.com - Media. Technology. Food. Travel. What? www.cartoonland.de [ vote for the spot! 5 stars, baby! ] www.werbeblogger.de www.adverblog.com Sparkasse [ Statler & Waldorf heckle for Germany's biggest credit union ] [ Your #1 Muppet News Sources ]Since now you're on the kick anyway, go ahead and give in to the fandom: Muppet Wiki - a collaborative encyclopedia for everything related to Jim Henson and the Muppets Tough Pigs - Muppet Fans Who Grew Up Tough Pigs Muppet Fan Forum The Muppet Newsflash PuppetVision Blog [ The purpose of this website is to spread Muppet love and make info on this certain project more easily available to all fans online. All Muppet characters and photos are copyright of The Muppets Studio, LLC. Fraggle Rock is copyright of The Jim Henson Company. ]
