Levi's Advert - Kevin The Hamster (1998)

[derrickccoetzee]

...what?

[SuperNostalgic]

Oh my gosh. o_o

[Gigaspine7]

He was so bored that everyone died.

The end.

[KyiKyo95]

...

Levis?

[PerianArdocyl]

If this has some sort of metaphorical meaning, I'm guessing they're saying that you need to stay in the wheel... and as this is an advertisement, the wheel would be a metaphor for consumerism. Over-analyzing it? Hey, it's your commercial, Levi's; if it doesn't mean anything, don't make it!

[GiantPetRat]

Actually, leave the cage open, and the animal will just crawl out and look for their own fun. We had a hedgehog who disappeared for days because we'd forgotten to put her wheel in- for one night.

[Ygdrasel]

TVTropes sent me. "What were they selling again?"

[yourlilemogirl]

@Ygdrasel i got here by means of "Dada Ad" :P

[SneezingSquirrel]

Ah--guh--what??!

[ShinobiSora]

Poor Kevin! No!

[twitchygiraffe]

did chris morris have anything to do with this advert?!

[hippiechik95]

What the hell? I can't even begin to list the problems I have with this ad.

[ozidnzg]

Who else come here from TvTropes?

[HockeyMutt74]

@ozidnzg Picture me raising my hand :D

[PoloAddict98]

had to do this for media. our class burst out laughing. is that bad?

[Omnywrench]

Spongebob: That didn't help at all!

[DepressedIrishMan]

Not only was I upset by this advert when I first saw it aged nine, but I - and remain so today - do not get how this promotes levi jeans!

[ThedarkestTroll]

It was very charming ad until you said that he died!

[Pooky1991]

HUH????

[billybobfred0]

Man. This sure makes me want to buy pants for some reason.

[MagnaCentipede]

what.

[TomSFox]

Only in the USA are people retarded enough to complain about something like this. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU MORONS?!?

[Decembirth]

@TomSFox

The commercial aired in UK and Europe, and was complained about and banned there ... so where did you get the idea that Americans complained about this?

[somethingmundanethen]

@TomSFox It wasn't only in the US.

[BEASLAND000]

my dog got hit by a car when I was 12.

[poisonjn]

O_o that was the saddest thing ever.

[danthemango]

"...and died"

this really makes me want to Levi's!

[ChuckRoast14]

What is this i don't even

[Ominona001]

WHAT!

[princelucifer86]

@caspertrick Levi's jeans last longer? lol

[DarthJuhoker96]

And this advertises jeans how?

[MsHarkness872]

lol remebered seeing this when I was a kid, made me laugh my ass off!!!! XD

[StrickenRecord]

I dont get it.. how does this sell jeans?

[magicalbilly]

i dont get it.

why would this make me what to buy jeans?

[therealmoshmonkey]

They're probably the adults who complain about swearing on tv today

[JayArgonaut]

lmao thanks for uploading this! I haven't seen this advert since the late 1990's and it cracked me up, still does :D... I remember reading somewhere that it was banned soon after broadcast.

You have to wonder about people in the UK at times: record complaints about a dead hamster, of all things!

[Rudahn]

lol

Im naming my hamster Kevin. :D

[blacklanton]

lool wtf

[123456789lukeantony]

i was 6 on the weekend this broadcast im now 16 and still remember it because i cried as they played it every single commercial, ha class!

[starting2win]

best advert ever!!

[Baplamb]

its a bit sad but cute

the hamster is cute but its sick that they pushed the hamster over and it fell

[mueymue]

i had it explained to me once, i think the wheel is a metaphor for levi's :P

i.e. if you don't buy levi's u will get bored and die!

lmao! hope that helps :D

[MsHarkness872]

this ad got banned. remember seeing somthing about it on gmtv. fucking funny though!

[therealmoshmonkey]

Classic advert brilliant

[Kexxa]

This isn't even that funny and yet it has me in absolute hysterics playing it over and over. Legend.

[dinojedi]

It wasnt banned.

It was only shown after 9PM from than +

[scottchops]

this advert is some sort of god...its briliant :D

[Emo635]

omg! i remember seeing this when i was like 6 and i couldnt stop crying

awh aha, i miss being young

[bobtheduck]

You're 17 if that's the case. You're still young.

[Vesania83]

I saw this during MTV Europe music awards... lucky me since it got banned after 2 days! couldnt forget it, so funny :D

[smasher]

it got banned cos of the young kids crying, i saw kevin the hamster on gmtv on tv when there were complaints so its just an ad.

[Newsome9465]

O god i remember this advet i was only 8 at the time. i remeber it got banned, but got is it funny

[helzy89]

I don't get it! Somebody explain!

[9Lives101]

Kinda cruel and stupid at the same time. A good hamster would find other means to entertain himself. For example, it would get out of its cage and run around the house.

[hamneggwich]

@9Lives101

Sometimes they just chew their fur off, or holes in themselves :U

[SUEMACABRE]

i remember this!

lmfao

i loved it

[gordonliv]

I love YouTube! I had HEARD about this ad so many times but had never seen it. I knew it had been banned. But just talking to a friend about the "gorilla" thing with Cadbury's chocolate ad (the Phil Collins tune) reminded me of it, so I hit a search on YouTube and found it straight away! Excellent! And it's a really funny vid too! Thanks Antomrocks!

[OnionPixie23]

I remember there was a great controversy about this ad, I'm not sure why. They had to show the hamster in the paper saying "Kevins not dead really", or words to that effect.

[misscongenialityx3]

dont get it.

[Youngdubber]

This is the ad that made me go into advertising. I was in london when this ran and it was pulled after like..2 days. Thankfully I was there for those 2 days.

[siriuslunar]

epic

[loliloo]

I have to study this for media its actually a really good example of anti advertisment ( used in the 1990s) Levis proved people wrong as many said they wouldnt make money out of it, yes it did get banned in some places and only was shown after 9pm but as its not anything to do with levis it causes contravcity and it actually used as a humours observation as it a total contrast to the brand- jeans.

[antomrocks]

Yeah, I studied it for Media too which is partly why I was pretty happy to find it on an old videotape and get it on here! :)

[Bananarama88]

What a rubbish advert...

[ruantengyi]

is this ad about obesity?

[pandytastic]

lol... lmao no its "original" captivating, i hadnt seen the ad for 9 years yet i still remember the name of the hamster and what its advertising. to this day i still hear people saying "kevin grew bored.. and died" absolute genius

[Halfbrick]

haha thanks for uploading this, i like remembering those certain adverts that i haven't seen for years!

[ribbonboy]

this ad was banned in ireland the day after it was first shown here. it's so funny

[053bss]

What's a dead hamster got to do with jeans?

[AgentPoole]

brilliant pure genius

[spookler]

Even now, I still don't get this ad. Funny though.

[g00ders]

Probably one of my fave ads of all time. Thanks for the upload!

[Vesania83]

haha, I remember first time I saw this, I was at shock! doesn't make any scence but it's hillarious! :)

[hollysmoke]

yes i remember that one . i also remeber one where a kid of about 2 is is playing with a kids puzzle and is ramming a square peg in to a round hole , am so sure it was levi' but i havn't seen it for a long time . anyone know it ?

[shamblesuk]

My god, have been looking for this ad for years. I remember sitting watching it at home with a mate, cracking up. Even the Donkey couldn't find it.