Kellogg's Fruit Harvest Commercial - Fat Dog Suit

I feel like I have shared this repeatedly over the years, but no matter how hard I search my blog and other social sites, it would appear that I have yet to fully share about this project. I have shared the final commercial before, and I may have even shared the photo of the completed suit, but I never shared them both here on the blog before, so that is what I am doing today.

In 2003, I worked on a commercial for Kellogg's Fruit Harvest cereal. We were tasked to make a fat suit for a dog performer. It was another typical day in LA when you need to create a fat suit for a dog. There were only a few of us working on the project as it was a small project with a fast turnaround. I was there for the entire length of the project, but I can not find any additional photos from working on it, save for the image I am sharing below. My work on this was to paint the finished fat suit to match the dog's real body. The suit was made with white fur, so I was required to paint with inks that would adhere to the fur we used. Here is a look at the final fat dog suit.

The fat dog suit used in the Kellogg's Fruit Harvest commercial, "I've fed muffin."

She is shown here without her RC tail that we attached to the back of the suit.

Everything was moving so quickly that I didn't have time to freak out about painting with materials I had never used before, on material I had never painted on, all with a quick turnaround, little to no room for delays or errors, and nearly constant abuse from the boss. Everyone was thrilled with how it turned out, and I actually received some praise for my efforts. The dog was a champ, super friendly, and really enjoyed wearing the suit. I did not go to set for this one, but I was told it all went swimmingly, and we really pulled it off. Here is the finished commercial featuring the fat dog suit I painted.

The Kellogg's Fruit Harvest commercial in all its glory - before it was pulled from airing.

And so concluded another project. But alas, it was not the end of this project. After the commercial began to air, there was a massive outcry that the dog in the commercial was being abused and that Kellogg's was endorsing animal cruelty. Looking back now, it is all incredibly stupid and pointless, but at the time, I was really frustrated. Individuals who were never a part of the process complained about a thing that was long done and forced the commercial to be pulled from the air. As the dog in question was never in danger or hurt, and really enjoyed being in the suit doing all of this only hurt real humans. The actors in the commercial had their residuals severely hit by the ad no longer playing. The people behind the commercial likely took a hit as Kellogg's would be less interested in working with them again, which meant we would likely not get more work from that production company. So, in an effort to protect a dog that was never in danger, a lot of humans were harmed. I had hoped, but I never got a chance to see the commercial air on TV.

That's all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Friday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com