Bear Loses Bearings on Bare Ice
January 4, 2017 6:13 PM   Subscribe

[SLYT] When White Bear Mitsubishi's mascot joins the Minnesota Gophers' Goldy on the rink in Mariucci Arena to shoot a local ad, everyone wins! Except the white bear.
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posted by not_on_display (32 comments total) 30 users marked this as a favorite
 
I laughed waaay too hard at this. Both times I watched it.
posted by sutt at 6:20 PM on January 4, 2017 [4 favorites]


I hope there's lots of padding in that suit. And that the actor got additional hazardous-duty pay! Which is not to say I didn't laugh.
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:23 PM on January 4, 2017 [1 favorite]


Ironically if you ever see an actual polar bear hunting on ice they are amazingly fast and sure footed and graceful.
posted by spitbull at 6:28 PM on January 4, 2017 [3 favorites]


They should have just worked the gopher body checking the bear into the commercial script and made it work for them.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:43 PM on January 4, 2017


The best part is when the bear falls.
posted by maryr at 6:51 PM on January 4, 2017 [12 favorites]


Never broke character once. A real pro.
posted by klarck at 6:56 PM on January 4, 2017 [4 favorites]


That was the hardest I've laughed in a while
posted by lalunamel at 7:01 PM on January 4, 2017


Hockey mascoting: the worst mascot job you can have?
posted by gusandrews at 7:01 PM on January 4, 2017


It's right up there with raptor fail!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Zph323Dos
posted by benk at 7:05 PM on January 4, 2017 [9 favorites]


After watching about eight hundred times I think the real MVP here is the BOOF*CRUNCH of failure resounding through the entire hockey arena. I give it nine deflating Raptor tails out of ten.
posted by saturday_morning at 7:16 PM on January 4, 2017 [2 favorites]


Tears in my eyes. This is so great.
posted by 4ster at 7:17 PM on January 4, 2017 [1 favorite]


At 0:41 you can tell exactly what word the bear is saying from the way his arms move, which I didn't realize was possible.
posted by Wolfdog at 7:21 PM on January 4, 2017 [10 favorites]


That final fall is gold.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:35 PM on January 4, 2017 [13 favorites]


He didn't even wear the right socks.
posted by maryr at 8:01 PM on January 4, 2017 [1 favorite]




I feel so bad about laughing at that faceplant.
posted by Zalzidrax at 8:53 PM on January 4, 2017


Mr. McGee laughed so hard he scared the baby into tears.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:01 PM on January 4, 2017 [5 favorites]


There is a wonderful book called "Gopher Hockey by the Hockey Gopher" that tells one guy's stories of his years being the hockey mascot. I highly recommend it! (I have not read the sequel but I plan to.)
posted by wenestvedt at 9:03 PM on January 4, 2017


I like how he just keeps on smiling the whole time. Such a great attitude!
posted by aubilenon at 9:32 PM on January 4, 2017 [6 favorites]


looks like the actual comercial has it's fair share of pratfalls, so either some of this was intentional or they gave up and used what they had.
posted by cirhosis at 11:23 PM on January 4, 2017


The actual ads kinda put the blooper reel into context. E.g. the bear is now swearing with its arms because it misses its cue! I also noticed a pratfall in another of their ads, so it's probably a running (or slipping) gag, but in this case the mascots kept missing cues, falling the wrong way, falling too slow, etc. Ice makes you realize how much you take friction for granted. Also, falling on ice hurts. It's harder and colder than a normal floor. Having to fall on cue, in the right fashion, on ice... that bear's a pro.

...but I think I enjoyed it more when I thought it just was a person in a mascot costume who just couldn't keep their footing on ice, though – so I am going to ignore the rest of White Bear Mitsubishi's oeuvre and focus on this one blooper reel, especially the faceplant at the end.
posted by not_on_display at 11:41 PM on January 4, 2017 [3 favorites]


There is a wonderful book called "Gopher Hockey by the Hockey Gopher" that tells one guy's stories of his years being the hockey mascot. I highly recommend it! (I have not read the sequel but I plan to.)

I will use any and every available occasion to mention the Hockey Monkey and this is one of them.
posted by maryr at 10:11 AM on January 5, 2017


I hurt my diaphragm trying to suppress my giggles at work. Damned open office plan!
posted by Existential Dread at 10:14 AM on January 5, 2017 [1 favorite]


It's the skittery feet that make it for me. The costume obviously constrains the actor's legs, and when he starts to slip all he can do is start this hilarious quickstepping that just cements his doom.
posted by Existential Dread at 10:18 AM on January 5, 2017 [3 favorites]


Hockey mascoting: the worst mascot job you can have?

Substitute Hockey Mascot seems worse.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:20 AM on January 5, 2017


Ahhhhh ha ha! The poor bear looks exactly like my adorably clumsy Great Pyrenes dog! Especially his adorable nose and equally adorable butt.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 2:30 PM on January 5, 2017


After my umpteenth time watching this, I think I get why I laugh so hard. The unintentional falls happen on the beat where you would expect a punchline. So you're waiting for a payoff, and it comes in the form of that damn bear ass-planting.
posted by sutt at 4:17 PM on January 5, 2017 [4 favorites]


No no, it's the SOUND of the bear's feet
On the ice as he falls oh god make it stop i am weeping and can't breathe...
posted by tristeza at 9:00 PM on January 5, 2017 [3 favorites]


Is nobody going to talk about how Zangief really let himself go?
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:30 AM on January 6, 2017


I dunno, he bodyslammed that bear with like zero effort. I wouldn't pick a fight with him.
posted by Existential Dread at 8:49 AM on January 6, 2017 [1 favorite]


The bearded gentleman set my heart aflame the moment he said he did get to ride a bear once.

Then, the face plant made me radiantly happy.

Everything is good.
posted by sonascope at 9:31 PM on January 6, 2017 [1 favorite]


The Pro: I laughed and laughed and kept laughing.

The Con: I suddenly realized I cannot remember the last time I laughed out loud... and hadn't even been aware of that until now.
posted by ezust at 10:42 AM on January 7, 2017


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