Puppy Monkey Baby Swings Back Into Action for MTN Dew

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Charlie Day yuks it up in MTN Dew‘s loud, self-referential new campaign that zings commercial tropes, among other pop-culture targets.

But a cameo by Puppy Monkey Baby—among the wackiest and, in some circles, most reviled brand mascots of all time—steals the show. It’s baaaack! Just for a few seconds, but that’s ample time to delight fans and set detractors’ teeth on edge.

Rewind to Super Bowl 50 in 2016, and the furry, frenzied one bopped across the world’s screens, robotically chanting its own name. (Flashing back to a pug face and primate tale. And that diaper—lord, that diaper!)

Ad viewers famously love puppies, monkeys and babies, so PMB, created by BBDO, represented a manic meta-spoof that generated significant chatter, pro and con.

Six years later, the damn thing encores in a hoops-themed :30 headlined by Day, Chicago Bulls standout Zach LaVine, and Dew-green inflatable skydancers:

Um, can’t wait to catch that one on the tube, man.

Developed by TBWAChiatDay with Arts & Sciences directors Adam Brodie and Dave Derewlany, the work breaks ahead of this weekend’s NBA All-Star festivities. As the league’s official soft drink, MTN Dew sponsors the annual 3-Point Contest.

PMB will snag the headlines (see ours above!), but Day’s caffeinated comedic takes carry the, um, day, with more jokey installments below:

“We’re not afraid to poke fun at ourselves and the whole ad industry along with us,” MTN Dew VP of marketing Pat O’Toole tells Muse. “By no means are we trying to take a shot at or make fun of other brands. We’re just leaning into our instigator roots and playing up the irony of it all, while making ads that’ll leave viewers at home wanting more.”

O’Toole adds: “When I saw the storyboards, I knew we had a challenge in finding the right spokesperson—someone who was not just authentically funny but also got the Dew brand of humor. Charlie’s name quickly came to the top of the list for the team, and I was immediately on board.”

As for PMB, O’Toole says it was simply time for the creature to reassert itself as “an iconic part of our brand history and ethos.”

He wouldn’t discuss further appearances for the mascot. So, keep watching your media of choice. It could pop up anywhere, really. (What a nightmare.)

UPDATE: Surprising no one, PMB hung out court-side with a pal on Sunday:

CREDITS

Mountain Dew
Greg Lyons – Chief Marketing Officer, Beverages
Lou Arbetter – VP, Content and Production
Pat O’Toole – VP Marketing, Mountain Dew
Matthew Nielsten – Senior Director, Mountain Dew
Katy Holden – Director, Mountain Dew
Faye Stein – Marketing Director, Partnerships, Mountain Dew
Jesse Anderson – Senior Marketing Manager, Mountain Dew
Peter Hirshberg – Senior Marketing Manager, Mountain Dew
Erica Smith – Senior Manager, NBA Sports Marketing, Mountain Dew
Tiffaine Stephens – Associate Marketing Manager, Mountain Dew

TBWA
CCO/Executive Creative Director: Amy Ferguson
Creative Director: Holden Rasche
Creative Director: Coleman Davis
Creative Director: Ashley Veltre
Associate Creative Director, Copy: Patrick Regan
Senior Art Director: Brittany Newman
Head of Production: John Doris
Associate Director of Production: Tina Lam
Executive Producer: Amanda Revere
Senior Producer: Regan Wallace
Director of Integrated Business Affairs: Thalia Tsouros 
Senior Business Affairs Manager: Anne-Camille Charpie
Business Lead: Bruna Bechelli
Business Lead: Matt Duerr
Business Director: Julia Winn
Business Manager: Nicole Rodriguez
Operations Manager: Christina Curtis
Communications: Asheden Hill
Executive Strategy Director: John Gibson
Strategy Director: Michael Obermeyer
Strategy Director, Social Branding: Lesley Parks
Strategist, Social Branding: Emily Larsen
CSO: James Sowden
CEO: Nancy Reyes
CCO: Chris Beresford Hill

Genesco
Eric Robinson – Senior Director, Genesco Sports
Eric Barber – Manager, Genesco Sports 

Direct Focus
Brett Zuckerman – Production Specialist
Danielle Vadai – Head of Business Affairs
Barry Rosen – CEO & Founder

Arts & Sciences
Director: Adam & Dave
Managing Director/ Partner: Mal Ward
Managing Partner / Executive Producer: Marc Marrie
Head of Production: Christa Skotland
Line Producer: Pat Harris
DP: Matthew Libatique
Production Designer: Noel McCarthy
1st AD: Mark Robinson
Stylist: Thomas Van Horn
Hair: Nicki Chestnut
Makeup: Thea Samuel
MackCut (Editorial)
Editor: Nick Divers
Junior Editor: Danielle Minch
Assistant Editor: Arden Phillips
Executive Producer: Gina Pagano

Small Penguin (Mix)
Sound Engineer: Rob Fielack
Executive Producer: Zarina Mak

Company 3
Colorist: Tim Masick
Producer: Kevin Breheny

JAMM
VFX Supervisor / Lead Flame Artist: Mark Holden
Shoot Supervisor: Mike Wigart
Flame Artist: Max Harris
Flame Artist: Graziella Gandolfi
Flame Artist: Lisa Kim
Matte Painter: Derry Frost
Graphics Artist: Jonathan Ficcadenti
Producer: Anna Dood
Executive Producer: Asher Edwards

Music by Human
Creative Director – Mike Jurasits
Executive Producer – James Dean Wells
Head of Sonic Branding – Craig Caniglia
Production Assistant – Brandon Trapizona

TRACKS:
“Grandpa” – Jon Hubbell
“On A Ledge” – Daryl Pinsdorf
“Short Form” – Morgan Visconti
“Product Placement” – Gareth Williams / James Dean Wells