US govt unveils Energy Hog to promote conservation (cartoon mascot)

[sabra]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N03583887.htm

US govt unveils Energy Hog to promote conservation

WASHINGTON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - With U.S. heating bills expected to hit record highs this winter, the Bush administration on Monday launched a conservation campaign featuring a cartoon mascot "Energy Hog," which critics said does little to discourage energy use.

Americans face higher heating bills due in part to crippled oil refineries, natural gas processing plants and producing platforms from Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.

In the Midwest, the region most dependent on natural gas for heating, winter bills will jump by 71 percent from last year, according to the Energy Information Administration. Nationally, heating oil expenses will rise 34 percent and electricity bills 11 percent, the EIA recently forecast.

...

To help sell the plan, the White House created a cartoon mascot, the Energy Hog. The pig, who wears blue jeans and a leather biker jacket, will follow in the footsteps of Smokey Bear and McGruff the Crime Dog by appearing in ads.

[EST]

1. Looks great when affixed to air force one!

[hatrack]

2. Yeah, well that figures - roll out a new mascot, dust off more PR

But never, I repeat NEVER actually DO anything substantive about a problem. :eyes:

Then again, I couldn't think of a better cartoon metaphor for this country if I tried . . .

[Mithras61]

3. Please explain to me...

how a motorcyclist type of mascot would be an energy hog. Is this "energy hog" supposed to somehow be a responsible consumer of energy products? If so, why call him the "Energy Hog" in the first place?

This is just one more double-think message from Shrubco. It says two things at once that are simply contradictory.

[KittyWampus]

30. this scary looking hog is also begging for a Jon Stewart treatment

[Voltaire99]

43. Exactly. Stylistically, it should depict the suburban middle class.

Why, then, the visual slam against a blue collar aesthetic?

To shield the Bush base: the SUV-driving gluttons.

[snooper2]

4. I bet Bush and the Freepers don't know...

That Air America has been playing their Energy Hog commercials for some time now.

Air-America - connected to Energy Hog...

Energy Hog - connected to Bush now...

Bush - Air America in cahoots>? (that's how the logic works for some people (both left and right))


:evilgrin:

[K-W]

5. But ive seen these commercials for months...

how could this be a new campaign?

[IA_Seth]

24. Me too, in Iowa...where are you? n/t

[lithiumbomb]

42. not a new campaign, they're lying.

This is not a new campaign at all. The domain is registered to the Ad Council, May 29th, 2003. The first reference I can find seems to be around April 2004 in a press release from Utah, among other sources:

http://www.energy.utah.gov/NewsReleases/2004/Final%20News%20Release%204.20.04.pdf

The internet wayback machine,
http://www.archive.org/web/web.php ,
has records of the site from May 2004. However it was flash, so the actual content didn't get saved.

So anyway, this is not a new campaign at all. They might be making a new push, but I think they're using it to make it look like they're doing something, when in reality some Department of Energy folks introduced this a year and a half ago. I've heard commercials in Georgia (and on DirecTV, which is national), for much of this year.

[Lorien]

6. They should have just drawn a cartoon Hummer

as someone who has designed characters for a living (for Disney and other companies) I find their concept entirely without appeal or sound draftsmanship.

[Corgigal]

7. lovely

How much did this great idea cost taxpayers?

[madmom]

8. looks like karl rove!...n/t

[Roland99]

35. Cha-CHING!

[ramapo]

9. Did they get religion?

It is almost amusing to watch the BushCo attempt to do a 180 degree turn and start to promote conservation.

You would think there is something conservative about conservation or something. Whatever happened to that great conservative ideal, "It;s an American's right to use however damn much resources as they want to enjoy our God-given American way of life".?

[Lisa]

10. if this is supposed to be "reverse psychology", it's too subtle for Bush

The man (and a lot of his "base") seem to be blind to irony.

[gizmo1979]

11. Stewart will have a field day

with this one.Wow.

[iconoclastNYC]

12. He looks like he's from Jersey. n/t

[Ezlivin]

13. Will the Energy Hog root out all the pork in our legislation?

Or will he end up as just another white meat?

[Rex]

14. The people who control the energy are blaming us, as usual.

nt

[MGKrebs]

15. That is one scary/ugly/creepy "mascot".

It's embarrassing that our government would come up with such an uncouth image.

[KittyWampus]

31. Muslims and Jews will just LOVE it.

[truthisfreedom]

16. ugh. idiots. that's like Romper Room rolling out the "Don't Bee."

mindless babboons.

[BiggJawn]

17. I wanna slaughter and render the "Energy Hog"!

Might get enough fat out of him to heat for a day or two...

Ass-licks in DC...We're already squeezing the fuel nickel until Jefferson's eyes pop around here, and what does our Gubbmint offer us?

A fucking cartoon and the meme that we waste too damn much.

Oh, NOT you loyal Bushites with your holy "W" stickers, they're talking the poor slobs who have to make do with a 30-y-o gas furnace that eats 1/2 their paycheck....

[Neocondriac]

18. Do you notice...

the love child of Michael Moore and Michael Dukakis resemblence.lol

[Pastiche423]

25. No

[Judi Lynn]

37. I don't see it. I think it looks like John Erlichman, Nixon's advisor.

It also looks like Republican activist, David Bossie:

[eShirl]

19. what's this, the new GOP mascot?

anything called "energy hog" must be Republican

[truthisfreedom]

21. exactly.

[Massacure]

20. This little piggy went to market,

This little piggy stayed home.
This little piggy had roast beef.
This little piggy had none.





This




Little




Piggy




Went




ITS TIME TO CONSERVE YOU DUMB ASS!

[CAcyclist]

22. Looks More Like a Troll nt

[Gregorian]

23. Well, at least now we know what he looks like.

Are we going to have a war against energy hogs now? The best war on energy use is a good leader who promotes engineering new energy conversion alternatives.

Another hoax.

And am I a hog because I drive a big truck? It just so happens that I drive a huge vehicle. BUT, I drive it 30 miles a week.

I'll tell you what my plan has been for decades. Energy allotment. Fly to Rome for a holiday, that's a certain amount. Commute to work, that's another amount. But it's a free country, isn't it? We pay, we play. So what's it going to be, Georgie? One or the other?

What about how long you take a hot shower? Where are the shower police!

If you want to discourage energy useage, maybe you should stop wars and start engineering new forms of energy conversion. Or maybe discuss world population.

Now that we have an energy hog, how about a real leader?

[imaginary girl]

26. Have they done away with the tax break for Hummers yet?

[Demeter]

27. Doesn't It Look Like Cheney?

I mean, really, doesn't it?

[Judi Lynn]

38. Yeah, it does, except it's more charismatic than Cheney!

[Neshanic]

28. Apparently there are different types...."Kelvin Bacon" is one.

"To help sell the plan, the White House created a cartoon mascot, the Energy Hog. The pig, who wears blue jeans and a leather biker jacket.."

Rove has a motorcycle?

[sweetheart]

29. He's the mascot for the defense industry

He probably works for rumsfeld.

[tom_paine]

32. This is a joke, right?

Even their mascots are horrible.

This looks like the Soul of a Bushevik.

[Straight Shooter]

33. Are those bush's boots that hog is wearing? They should be. eom

[gulliver]

34. Harley Davidson will be thrilled.

As a Harley owner, I have to ask, couldn't the administration think of anything else to link with an "energy hog" than a market leading, popular, American made motorcycle? Didn't Bush just visit Harley Davidson? Hog...motorcycle...Harley.

[MGKrebs]

36. Atlanta has finally been relieved of the worst mascot yoke.

Remember the 1996 Olympic mascot? It looked like a blue sperm.

[kestrel91316]

39. This has got to be some sort of a joke, RIGHT??

[Dunvegan]

40. A negative message.

Would it have killed them (if they've decided to do no more to assist in the crushing energy crunch coming) to have created a POSITIVE message?

Like "Be Energy Smart".

What am I saying...Hoggishness they know, smart...not so much.

(Yes...and I'm sure this is also going over like a unleaded balloon with certain cultures...by any chance was this one of Karen Hughes' ideas?)

[Dover]

They could have just used Cheney as their mascot.

What's the dif?

[Dover]

41. They could have just used Cheney as their mascot.

What's the dif?

[NuttyFluffers]

44. so... has America jumped the shark yet?

or are we at the triple sow cow, half geinger with a twist while balancing spinning plates stage?


...poor shark, gets no respect. :cry:

[brainshrub]

45. Here's a bit of photoshop fun with the pig: