You know, by the kids.

August 25, 2012 12:51 AM

"Wanna buy a Penguin?" Very simple: kids tell a story, adults act out story (film it and upload to YouTube). Kids voices dubbed on top.
posted by From Bklyn (28 comments total)

I really admire their restrained use of the penguin, despite somehow having a live penguin at their disposal.
posted by Corduroy at 12:56 AM on August 25, 2012 [15 favorites]

That is super cute. A+.
posted by aubilenon at 1:27 AM on August 25, 2012

The end of this one is genius.
posted by aubilenon at 1:34 AM on August 25, 2012

They need to do Dubstep. Right NOW.
posted by Smart Dalek at 2:03 AM on August 25, 2012

They did this right. As opposed to other attempts at this genre, such as Geek and Sundry's Written by a Kid, which simply has adults acting out kid's stories as they interpret them.

"Lowtax"Kyanka has done a few animated shorts written (and narrated) by his young daughter, but the live action lip-synching definitely takes it to the next level, where it belongs.
posted by ShutterBun at 2:19 AM on August 25, 2012

I LOL'd at "Nope. Nope."
posted by Pendragon at 3:24 AM on August 25, 2012

The underlying subtext suggests that children are threatened by penguins. It's understandable. I have two children and I would easily exchange them for a couple well-mannered formally-attired penguins sometimes.
posted by twoleftfeet at 3:57 AM on August 25, 2012 [5 favorites]

The penguin made that video. It looked so despondent at its lack of dialogue.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:18 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]

I was laughing so hard I didn't even spot the penguin the first time.
posted by dywypi at 4:42 AM on August 25, 2012

I thought I read: "Wanna buy a Paquin?" thinking of Anna and my first reaction was: YES!!!
posted by Fizz at 4:50 AM on August 25, 2012

That was amazingly better than it had any right to be. Deep down inside those guys are still 4 years old, they nailed it.

I want a penquin.
posted by HuronBob at 5:49 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]

"I knocked on the doorbel.l" is my new favorite phrase!
posted by HuronBob at 5:56 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]

there is some joke about a period in the middle of my doorbel.l, but I'm afraid to make it.

no friggin' edit window....
posted by HuronBob at 6:02 AM on August 25, 2012

The quick presentation and spot-on lipsynching really make these. Well, and the kids' stories.

Shades of The Parent Project, but kind of backward.
posted by ropeladder at 6:49 AM on August 25, 2012

Love it. This is extra special for taking place in an actual restaurant.
posted by Countess Elena at 7:14 AM on August 25, 2012 [4 favorites]

Reminds me of 'Drunk History'...
posted by Bartonius at 7:31 AM on August 25, 2012 [3 favorites]

Needs more penguin, but then most videos do.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:42 AM on August 25, 2012

Love it. I cracked up at calling "Hello-Helloooo!" at the wall.
posted by xedrik at 8:32 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]

These are so cute -- delightfully blurring the line between childhood and grown-up-istan. The adults look like they really had fun with things.
posted by madamjujujive at 8:35 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]

Awww! Thanks. I thought my morning was ruined by yet again depressing "War on Women" post on facebook. But I switched to Metafilter and you made it all better. You're my hero!
posted by dchrssyr at 9:26 AM on August 25, 2012

I am really curious how they managed to get a penguin for this. Can you just say, "Hey, miss aquarium lady, can we borrow your penguin? Just for, like, a minute."

Or is there some sort of penguin rental place? Is it exclusively penguins, or do they have otters, too?


I might need to know this.
posted by louche mustachio at 11:42 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]

Made me LOL. And I too need to know they got the penguin. Might actually have to do a reddit AMA request.
posted by MarvinTheCat at 11:46 AM on August 25, 2012

Am I the only one who saw the penguin, and immediately realized it was post-production CGI work? Not BAD cgi, but still.. clearly CGI.
posted by mediocre at 12:02 PM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]

Yeah, definitely not a real penguin.
posted by -->NMN.80.418 at 12:16 PM on August 25, 2012

I especially like the Kid History series these folks do. They have the youngest kids in the family retell classic family stories. This is by far my favorite.
posted by rabbitbookworm at 7:33 PM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]

Holy cow, this is genius. It's like a version of the old "Sixth Sense" twist, but sort of reconsidered the way kids reconsider those things, and then twisted again. And it's hilarious.

"Told you I wasn't dead." - "Oops."
posted by koeselitz at 7:35 PM on August 25, 2012 [5 favorites]

adults act out story (film it and upload to YouTube). Kids voices dubbed on top.

Very nice, but I think the description is backwards -- kids perform the audio version of the story and adults mime to it, mouthing along to the prerecorded track.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:22 AM on August 26, 2012

The salesman looks like a cross between Neil Patrick Harris and my brother-in-law-in-law.

My BILIL is a native Utahn, and the landscape looks hella Utah. I was pleased/vindicated to do a whois boredshorts.tv and confirm: Orem, UT.
posted by brainwane at 11:24 AM on August 26, 2012