Targeting Wonder Pets

Attention shoppers! This really happened. I am not lying.

I, a friend, and my granddaughter, Joanna Leigh, were in Target last week – again. Joanna Leigh and Martha headed straight for, yes, the shoes, even though they were supposed to be looking for a decent iron. Irons are not in small appliances where you’d expect them to be. They’re with, I can’t remember.

I stopped at the musical greeting cards to get one for a friend, and then headed for books and kid’s DVDs. Ah ha! Wonder Pets – for $5. Done! I then started searching for Joanna Leigh and Martha.

Shoes. Of course. I found them with the iron in the cart. We stayed in shoes a while. Joanna Leigh spotted the Wonder Pets DVD. “Oh, I LOVE Wonder Pets,” she exclaimed.

In case you don’t know about Wonder Pets, they are three adorable pets – a hamster, a yellow chick, and a turtle, on Nick Jr. Together they save the day.

And it’s OPERA! They sing their way through the plot, which always involves saving an animal in trouble. Can Figaro be far behind?!

First, they’re napping or hanging out. Then their phone – a tin can with a string and toy -- rings.

Each Wonder Pet in turn: “The phone, the phone is ringing.”

Then they discover an animal in trouble: “There’s an animal in trouble,

There’s an animal in trouble,

There’s an animal in trouble somewhere.”

They explain in song: “We’re not too big and we’re not too tough,

But with each other, we’ve got the right stuff,” followed by singing about Teamwork.

You’ve really got to see this! Two million-plus viewer have already watched it on YouTube.

 

Ok. We headed for checkout. A guy, about the age of a young father, begins the check-out process – scan, scan, scan the DVD. He breaks into song. “Wonder Pets, Wonder Pets, Wooonder Peeets!” And on and on.

I couldn’t help it. I sing, “The phone, the phone is ringing.”

Joanna Leigh is facing the people behind us in line. She’s singing along quietly, “There’s an animal in trouble somewhere.”

Then the young girl behind us says, “Hey, I know that song,” and begins, “What have we got? Teamwork!”

People in two lanes were laughing. The check-out fellow and I looked at each other and laughed. Martha was trying to hide, laughing.

I said to the fellow, “You gotta talk to management here and tell them you’ve got a great commercial idea.” He laughed.

Except that it would make a great commercial. Hey, a series of commercials. First, shopping at Target and singing Wonder Pets arias; then teenagers, still shopping at Target, watching “Fame” or something on Broadway; then, successful adults, owning shares of Target, at the Met watching The Magic Flute. Then, at their own funeral, kleenex from Target, someone from the Met singing, oh, I don’t know, something from Madame Butterfly. . . .

Meanwhile, I’m not holding my breath. I’m just trying to make a ringtone out of “The phone, the phone is riiinging. . .” for my iPhone. Anyone know how?

 

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