Burger
King's Fighting Chickens - A tongue-in-beak duo created in 2004
to advertise Burger King's Spicy and Tender Crisp (TC) chicken menu at
Burger King restaurants. Employing actors in chicken costumes, the Burger
King Corporation assisted by Miami's Crispin Porter & Bogusky ad agency
introduced ad spots promoting "Burger King Presents Chicken Sandwich World
Championship" that aired November 5th 10PM on Direct TV Channel
340.
Billed as "Chaos in the Coop." (a
parody of such real life fights as "Rumble in the Jungle" and "The Thrilla
in Manila." the mock event pit a white chicken named TC (Tender Crisp) with
a fiery red feathered fowl named Spicy in a knock-out fight that hoped to
prove who was the best chicken sandwich on Burger King's menu.
Spicy (aka "The Red Riot") was known for his ferocious kicks. He hailed
from Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. His trainer was Pappi Garcia.
Spicy's equally formidable opponent TC (aka "The Golden Bird") was famous
for his devastating right hook.
Eventually, a 15-minute battle between TC and Spicy unfolded with all the
festivity of a gladiatorial competition. As the two feisty fowls entered
the ring, cheers and boos filled the arena to herald the impending chicken
combat that would combine the skills of boxing, wrestling, kickboxing and
other assorted martial arts moves.
Hosted by Don "The Dragon" Wilson (Light Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion
of the World for 12 years) and Carlos Del Valle, the event focused on a
big enclosed wire cage called "The Poultry Penitentiary" that measured 20
ft X 20ft. Inside there were 2 perches that served as the fighter's
corners. Joe Moldinado refereed the event whose rules were simple: The
first chicken to knock out the other was the winner.
In the end, the fight lasted two rounds with Spicy chicken taking out his
plucky opponent with a strangle hold that suffocated TC, and left the
Tender Crisp chicken's body collapsed at Spicy's feet. But because the
hold used by Spicy was "illegal" the judges awarded the match to TC. The
decision, of course, left open the door for a rematch.
This battle of the birds created such hype that
Intertops.com, one of the
Internet's first and largest sports betting sites, was accepting wagers on
the outcome of this farcical event. Intertops company spokesperson
Michael Waerz said of the event, "This is the first time we are offering
odds on actors in a chicken costume beating each other silly. We realize
how sizzling this fight is, so we thought it would be a great opportunity
for our customers to get in on the action," The odds are 10/13 on "Spicy"
and 10/11 on "TC."
Not everyone was enthusiastic about Burger King using cock fighting to
promote their products, however. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
called on the BK company to pull its "chicken fight" advertisement because
it makes light of what HSUS described as the barbaric and widespread
practice of cockfighting. Despite the fact that a disclaimer stating that
"No real chickens are being harmed" and that neither Burger King nor Intertops.com endorse or condone animal cruelty in any way, The Humane
Society saw little humor in the festivities that glorified the pummeling
of poultry on a nationwide telecast.
More that one million people
visited the Burger King website prior to the main event to vote for their
favorite chicken
http://www.chickenfight.com. The actual fight was also simulcast on the
Internet at
http://msn.foxsports.com/chickenfight.
TRIVIA NOTE: Before the fighting chicken ad
spots, the Burger King folks had hosted a website called "Subservient
Chicken." The website let visitors type in commands while the chicken
on the screen did exactly what you asked. Other recent BK spots featured
Dr. Angus, a fictional doctor "famous" for his Angus steak-burger diet. As
for whom the actors are underneath the chicken costumes, it's still a
mystery.
*DISCLAIMER: "No real chickens were
harmed in the making of this advertising campaign. Burger King Corporation
does not endorse or condone animal cruelty in any way including chicken
fighting. The chicken characters featured in this advertising campaign are
just actors wearing a chicken costume."
