The Puttermans
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Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, The Puttermans starred in a series of advertisements for Duracell Batteries in the 1990s. Made to combat the successful Energizer Bunny ad campaign, the Puttermans were a family of plastic robots, who outlast the others, thanks to their Duracell brand batteries (a playful reference to their deadpan 1970s ad campaign which featured head-to-head competition between toys). The company slogan was "No battery is stronger longer."
The campaign was developed by special effects wizard Steven Johnson working with the New York-based firm, the Ogilvy & Mathers Agency. The actors were made up to look as if they were clay animation or computer animation cartoon characters. The costumes consisted of boxy modular units of stiff foam rubber, coated with urethane. Their faces were made of state-of-the-art latex prosthetics designed to heavily caricature their own features, and complete character wardrobes.
The family consisted of:
- Herb, the father
- Flo, his wife, the mother (Marla Frees)
- Son Zack (Debi Derryberry)
- Daughter Trish (Krystee Clark)
- Grandma Putterman, who was actually played by a male actor.
Each character had a large copper top battery protruding from their backs. The actor identities were not revealed, to preserve the family's mystique.
Some of the earlier commercials included:
- The Puttermans attend a family reunion picnic. A talkative relative freezes up mid-sentence and falls face first into a plate of spaghetti, and the Puttermans jokingly accuse her husband of switching her Duracell battery with an off-brand.
- Trish Putterman and boyfriend Bruce sit on a porch swing, and hope that their romantic night could go on forever, with the help of Duracell.
- Grandma Putterman is so filled with energy, she can't stop dancing.
- Jess Putterman is the sweet cousin. Her degree in comparative sociology aids her fashion sense. At the family reunion, Jess complains about the terrible spaghetti and throws her own plate in the trash.
- Drew Putterman is the little brother. His interests include print-making, the alternative uses of common weeds, crochet, hand writing and bluegills.
In all, these characters tended to creep out viewers, due to their non-human yet non-toy or cartoon appearance, and the series of commercials were abandoned.
Genre-defying band Primus wore Putterman-like costumes of themselves made up like cowboys for their video for "Winona's Big Brown Beaver".
Halloween costumes with latex masks, of Herb and Flo were released in North America.
