Lemmings (television commercial)
Encyclopedia
Lemmings was a television commercial that launched the "Macintosh Office
" by Apple Computer
in the United States
, in January 1985, a year after the introduction of the Apple Macintosh in 1984. It was aired during the 1985 Super Bowl
. Apple didn't air another commercial during the Super Bowl until the Hal commercial in 1999 and later, the Pepsi/iTunes "I fought the law" commercial in 2004. The Lemmings commercial was a large failure, and was widely seen as insulting to potential customers.
", a long line of blindfolded businesspersons slowly makes its way through a dusty, windswept landscape to a cliff, where one by one they fall to their doom. A voiceover notes that the 'Macintosh Office' will soon be announced. The last businessperson in the line stops just at the brink, uncovers his eyes and takes in the situation, as the announcer suggests 'looking into it'. A second line of people is then shown, as the voice continues, saying "or you can go on with business as usual'.
In August 2011, the motif of lemmings was copied in a viral video
advertisement on YouTube
for an upcoming tablet computer product by TabCo. The video portrays Apple iPad users as the lemmings.
that holds that lemming
s periodically commit mass suicide. The legend alleges that the animals mindlessly jump from cliffs into a body of water and drown en masse. This advertisement predates the Lemmings video game
by several years.
Macintosh Office
The Macintosh Office was Apple's third failed attempt to enter into the business environment as a serious competitor to IBM. Consisting of three key parts, a network file server, local area network and a network Laser printer, Apple announced Macintosh Office in January 1985 with an ill-fated,...
" by Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in January 1985, a year after the introduction of the Apple Macintosh in 1984. It was aired during the 1985 Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
. Apple didn't air another commercial during the Super Bowl until the Hal commercial in 1999 and later, the Pepsi/iTunes "I fought the law" commercial in 2004. The Lemmings commercial was a large failure, and was widely seen as insulting to potential customers.
Summary
To the soundtrack of a whistled, discordant and down-tempo version of "Heigh-HoHeigh-Ho
"Heigh-Ho" is a song from Walt Disney's 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, written by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey...
", a long line of blindfolded businesspersons slowly makes its way through a dusty, windswept landscape to a cliff, where one by one they fall to their doom. A voiceover notes that the 'Macintosh Office' will soon be announced. The last businessperson in the line stops just at the brink, uncovers his eyes and takes in the situation, as the announcer suggests 'looking into it'. A second line of people is then shown, as the voice continues, saying "or you can go on with business as usual'.
In August 2011, the motif of lemmings was copied in a viral video
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
advertisement on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
for an upcoming tablet computer product by TabCo. The video portrays Apple iPad users as the lemmings.
Name
The advertisement's name refers to an urban legendUrban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
that holds that lemming
Lemming
Lemmings are small rodents, usually found in or near the Arctic, in tundra biomes. They are subniveal animals, and together with voles and muskrats, they make up the subfamily Arvicolinae , which forms part of the largest mammal radiation by far, the superfamily Muroidea, which also includes rats,...
s periodically commit mass suicide. The legend alleges that the animals mindlessly jump from cliffs into a body of water and drown en masse. This advertisement predates the Lemmings video game
Lemmings (video game)
Lemmings is a puzzle computer game developed by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis in . Originally developed for PC and Commodore Amiga, Lemmings was one of the most popular computer games of its time, and several gaming magazines gave it some of their highest review scores at the time...
by several years.