Burning Questions For Dawn Detergent

While watching TV tonight, I happened to notice this cute and cuddly commercial featuring scary people in rubber gloves removing oil from helpless ducks and seabirds thanks to reliable household dish detergent Dawn. The message was twofold: a) Dawn is awesome and is helping the environment, and b) if Dawn is gentle enough for a baby duck, it’s damn well gentle enough for your hands, Princess, so USE IT.

This was all well and good, but in the middle of the spot, I couldn’t help but notice a curious phrase at the bottom of the screen: “simulated demonstration.” What could that possibly mean? Are we to believe the good people at Dawn recreated this animal scrub down? Did they actually pour oil on these birds and whiskered critters solely so they could demonstrate how easily it could come off? Seems a bit cruel. Unless, of course, it’s not oil on these animals but a fake substance, in which case, I’m not so sure I can believe these boastful Dawn claims. Clearly, we need answers.

RABBLE RABBLE!!!

(that’s my rabble-rousing noise)

8 replies on “Burning Questions For Dawn Detergent”

  1. LOL…..I’ve always ooh’d and ahh’d over that cute little badger or whatever that is on this commercial, but last night I noticed THE SAME THING! I thought, as well, how and why would you simulate that? LOLOL

    1. Me three! Did Dawn create the BP oil spill just so they could use this ad again?

  2. gee, whose tv were you watching on? NO TAG??

    NO TAG?

    MARRIED SEVEN TIMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???

    1. This seems like a stretch. Besides, you already have a 190 tag LEAD on ever other category.

  3. The Dawn claim is “Fo Reals Yo”. A few years ago a train derailed and dumped a poop load of oil into a lake here in Alberta. As my family lives on that lake in the summer we volunteered to help clean up animals – read ducks and beavers. Sure enough we used Dawn to clean the oil off of the poor creatures, we even used plastic bins like the one in the commercial for tubs. The rubber gloves were used to protect us from the bites and claws of the scared animals who were traumatized from the spill and freaked out from being manhandled.
    And since they donated all of the stuff for free to clean the animals that is the only detergent my family and I use now.

  4. I looked into this years ago when the commercial first came out. Dawn apparently covered the animals (on purpose) in corn syrup and molasses or something of the sort in order to “simulate” the oil spill. They claimed it was harmless and necessary for the commercial and “training” (IIRC), however, I don’t think it’s necessary to traumatize animals for the sake of shilling your product. That’s just me.

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