A hooker sex scandal involving the Secret Service? Delicious! An ad for pistachios poking fun at the situation? Fairly amusing, especially when you let your mind wander to all the potential bad puns about nuts getting cracked, which obviously is the point. The new spot for Paramount Farms' Wonderful Pistachios is strictly G-rated, and not likely to blow up the interwebs like the earlier Honey Badger ad, but it keeps the brand's off-kilter party going. It's one of four new commercials that debuted Monday during the just-launched fall TV season. Others in the $30 million effort star the Village People, fur-covered Brobee from that trippy kids' show Yo Gabba Gabba!, and Victor and Sparky the dog from Tim Burton's new movie Frankenweenie, opening Oct. 5. The latter ad, shot in 3-D, will run on theater screens for the next several weeks in a cross-promotion with Disney. There's more to come later this fall from the pistachios campaign, which already has racked up some 12 million online views with ads featuring Kardashians, Kermit and keyboard cat, among other pop-culture figures. It's a malleable setup, with the bright-green color scheme and the "Get crackin' " tagline still somewhat fresh after four cycles. Taking bets on the next go-round. Crack your snacks "Gangnam Style," anyone?
