document_title: Climate of the Tampa Bay area

question_text: when does it get cold in tampa florida

question_tokens: when does it get cold in tampa florida

text: Climate of the Tampa Bay area

text: Seasonal weather[edit]

text:
Tampa

Climate chart (explanation)

JFMAMJJASOND

2.3

70
52

2.7

72
54

2.8

76
59

1.8

81
62

2.9

86
69

5.5

89
74

6.5

90
75

7.6

90
75

6.5

89
74

2.3

84
68

1.6

78
61

2.3

72
55

Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inchesSource: NOAA[citation needed]

showMetric conversion
JFMAMJJASOND

58

21
11

68

22
12

72

25
15

46

27
17

72

30
21

140

32
23

165

32
24

193

32
24

166

32
24

58

29
20

41

26
16

58

22
13

Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm

text: Wet Season[edit]

text: The hot and wet season begins in May and lasts through October. Seasonal high temperatures average about 90s °F (around 32 °C) and lows in the mid-70s °F (around 24 °C), accompanied by high humidity and an almost daily chance of thundershowers, especially in the afternoon. Day to day weather is remarkably consistent, with wet season average high and low temperatures usually only about five degrees above or below the record highs and lows.[3]

text: The typical summer weather pattern is for heat-produced thermals, powered by either the Gulf or Atlantic sea breeze (and occasionally both simultaneously), to build puffy white cumulus clouds into threatening thunderheads over the interior of the Florida peninsula. Usually, the resulting storms drift slowly westward to the bay area, though they may rain themselves out before reaching Tampa if the easterly winds are light or the sea breeze from the Gulf of Mexico is too strong. Stronger storm cells often survive to move out over the Gulf of Mexico, where they can be seen from the beaches as spectacular nighttime lightning shows.[2] Occasionally, storms form offshore overnight along the land-breeze front which is the dermal counterpart of the daytime sea-breeze front. If the prevailing winds are from the west or southwest, these storms can push ashore into the Tampa Bay area in the morning and move inland, reversing the more common pattern.

text: Summer thunderstorms typically bring brief periods of heavy rain and gusty winds with frequent cloud-to-ground lightning. Afternoon storms are usually followed by a pleasantly clear and cooler evening, while morning storms usually bring very high humidity levels and a chance for more rain in the afternoon. At times, these storms can grow severe, bringing damaging winds, small hail, and torrential rain, and an occasional tornado. While Florida does rank #1 in the USA in terms of tornadoes per square mile, the majority of the twisters are small, weak, and short-lived.[4] Waterspouts are relatively common in Tampa Bay and off the gulf coast during strong summer thunderstorms, occasionally moving onshore as a short-lived tornado.

text: Though the Tampa Bay area is sometimes referred to as the "Lightning Capital of the World",[5] it is more accurately called the “Lightning Capital of North America” if measured by average number of days with thunderstorm activity per year. During the summer, west-central Florida receives as much lightning as the world’s true lightning leaders such as the Lake Victoria region of Africa and the central Amazon River Basin. However, there are few thunderstorms in the Tampa Bay area from approximately October to May, decreasing the yearly average.[2]

text: Every year, Florida averages 10 deaths and 30 injuries from lightning strikes, with several of these usually occurring in or around Tampa.[6] University of Florida lightning expert Martin A. Uman has calculated that the average resident is within a half-mile of 10 to 15 lightning strikes every year.[7] TECO Energy, Tampa's electric utility, spends over millions of dollars annually to repair transformers and other equipment damaged by lightning strikes.[8]

text: Dry Season[edit]

text: The dry season often begins in early November and can last into early May. The local weather during these months is normally sunny, mild, and quite dry, with a general cooling trend through the fall and a slow increase in temperatures starting in February. Highs during the coolest part of the winter average around 70 °F (21 °C), usually with sunny skies. The occasional passage of a cold front will bring rain followed by a few days of cooler temperatures.[2] Lows rarely reach freezing 32 °F (0 °C), an occurrence which happens, on average, once every other year in areas away from the water and less frequently in areas on Tampa Bay or the Gulf of Mexico.[2] While deep freezes are very infrequent, serious cold snaps are a significant concern due to the diverse range of freeze-sensitive agriculture and aquaculture industries in the area as well as tropical landscaping such as coconut palms and royal palms.

text: Frozen precipitation is very rare in the Tampa Bay area. The only known measurable snowfall in Tampa after 1900 occurred on January 19, 1977. While the accumulation amounted to less than 0.5 inches (13 mm), the city is so unaccustomed to snow that public schools closed for the day and many businesses and roadways closed until it melted away that afternoon.[9]  Many residents of southern Pinellas County reported a light snowfall on December 23, 1989. However, no snow fell at official weather stations, and the weather record indicates that light sleet fell on St. Petersburg that day.[10]

text: The winter of 2009-2010 was one of the coldest in local history. Both Tampa and St. Petersburg set records for consecutive days in which the high temperature did not reach 60 °F (16 °C), and Tampa experienced ten consecutive days with a low temperature below freezing.[11][12] Much of the area received a "wintry mix" of rain and sleet on January 9–10.[13]

text: Tampa's all-time record low temperature is 18 °F (−8 °C) and St. Petersburg's is 20 °F (−7 °C), both occurring during the same cold snap on December 13, 1962.[14]

text: During El Niño, the Tampa Bay area receives cooler and wetter conditions during the dry season while during La Niña, the Tampa Bay area becomes drier and warmer than normal.

text: Precipitation and sunshine trends[edit]

text: Due to the frequent summer thunderstorms, Tampa has a pronounced wet season, receiving an average total of 28 inches (710 mm) of rain from June and September but only about 18 inches (460 mm) during the remaining eight months of the year combined. The historical averages during the late summer, especially September, are augmented by tropical cyclones, which can easily deposit many inches of rain in one day. Outside of the summer rainy season, most of the area's precipitation is delivered by the occasional passage of a weather front.[8]

text: Tampa's precipitation data falls near the median for the area. Nearby communities to the interior tend to receive a bit more rain every year; those closer to the coast a bit less.[15]

text: The area receives plentiful sunshine throughout the year, averaging a total of 2920 hours, or 66.7% of the possible total.[16] The daily sunshine amount is highest in May, when the sun's angle of incidence has increased the hours of daylight and the rainy season has not yet begun.[16]

text: Tropical systems[edit]

text: June through November is hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin and Caribbean Sea, with the most tropical activity occurring between mid-August to mid-October.[17] Rain dropped by tropical systems is an important component of the area's annual precipitation and is vital for replenishing the water supply of communities around Tampa Bay.[18]

text: The area is threatened by tropical systems almost every year and feels some effect from passing storms several times per decade. However, due to Tampa Bay's location on the west coast and the typical steering winds for storms, landfall in the area is very uncommon, with estimates of the probability of a hurricane making landfall in the Tampa Bay area during any given year ranging from 1 in 25 to 1 in 50.[8][19] The small village of Tampa was devastated by the Great Gale of 1848, and the area suffered major damage during the  Tampa Bay Hurricane of 1921. Since then, however, Tampa Bay has not seen the landfall of any hurricane. Manatee County, which is technically not part of the Tampa Bay area, in 1946 was the site of a Category 1 hurricane that lost hurricane strength immediately after landfall.[20]

text: On September 10, 2017, Hurricane Irma struck the Florida Keys and made landfall near Marco Island in southwest Florida as a Category 3 storm. Irma moved north up the length of the Florida peninsula and had weakened to a Category 1 storm by the time it neared central Florida. On the night of September 10 and 11, the eye passed east of Tampa through eastern Hillsborough County, bringing at least tropical storm winds to the entire Tampa Bay area. Irma caused significant damage to the region, particularly to the electrical grid.

text: The 2004 Tropical Season[edit]

text: The 2004 Atlantic Hurricane Season was historically busy for the Tampa Bay area. The region was affected by a record four hurricanes that year; Frances, Jeanne, Charley, and to a lesser extent, Ivan.[21]  Jeanne and Frances passed over Tampa as tropical storms after making their way across the state from the east coast.[22][23] Charley was forecast to make a direct hit on Tampa Bay from the south-southwest, which would have been the worst-case scenario for local storm surge flooding.[24] But the storm made a sudden and unexpected turn to the northeast and brought only tropical storm force winds to the region, devastating the Ft. Myers/Port Charlotte area instead.[25][26]  Ivan also threatened the area as it moved north up the eastern Gulf of Mexico. It remained far to the west of central Florida, however, and brought only a bit of rain and wind to Tampa Bay before eventually slamming into coastal Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.[27]

text: Tampa and St. Petersburg climate summaries[edit]

text:
hideClimate data for Tampa, Florida (Tampa Int'l), 1981−2010 normals,[a] extremes 1890−present[b]

Month

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Year

Record high °F (°C)

86 (30)

88 (31)

92 (33)

93 (34)

98 (37)

99 (37)

98 (37)

98 (37)

96 (36)

95 (35)

92 (33)

86 (30)

99 (37)

Mean maximum °F (°C)

81.1 (27.3)

82.3 (27.9)

85.2 (29.6)

88.2 (31.2)

93.3 (34.1)

94.8 (34.9)

94.8 (34.9)

94.4 (34.7)

93.5 (34.2)

90.8 (32.7)

86.2 (30.1)

82.4 (28)

96.0 (35.6)

Average high °F (°C)

69.9 (21.1)

72.5 (22.5)

76.3 (24.6)

81.0 (27.2)

87.2 (30.7)

89.6 (32)

90.1 (32.3)

90.2 (32.3)

88.9 (31.6)

84.3 (29.1)

78.0 (25.6)

72.0 (22.2)

81.7 (27.6)

Daily mean °F (°C)

60.8 (16)

63.4 (17.4)

67.3 (19.6)

72.0 (22.2)

78.4 (25.8)

82.2 (27.9)

83.0 (28.3)

83.2 (28.4)

81.7 (27.6)

76.2 (24.6)

69.1 (20.6)

63.1 (17.3)

73.4 (23)

Average low °F (°C)

51.6 (10.9)

54.4 (12.4)

58.2 (14.6)

63.0 (17.2)

69.7 (20.9)

74.8 (23.8)

75.9 (24.4)

76.2 (24.6)

74.5 (23.6)

68.0 (20)

60.3 (15.7)

54.2 (12.3)

65.1 (18.4)

Mean minimum °F (°C)

32.6 (0.3)

37.0 (2.8)

41.4 (5.2)

48.8 (9.3)

59.6 (15.3)

68.3 (20.2)

70.8 (21.6)

71.7 (22.1)

67.5 (19.7)

53.2 (11.8)

44.6 (7)

36.1 (2.3)

30.2 (−1)

Record low °F (°C)

21 (−6)

22 (−6)

29 (−2)

38 (3)

49 (9)

53 (12)

63 (17)

66 (19)

54 (12)

40 (4)

23 (−5)

18 (−8)

18 (−8)

Average rainfall inches (mm)

2.23 (56.6)

2.81 (71.4)

3.03 (77)

2.03 (51.6)

2.10 (53.3)

6.68 (169.7)

7.07 (179.6)

7.77 (197.4)

6.30 (160)

2.26 (57.4)

1.55 (39.4)

2.47 (62.7)

46.3 (1,176)

Average rainy days (≥ 0.01 inch)

6.8

6.6

6.6

4.9

5.5

12.7

15.9

16.0

12.2

6.5

5.1

5.8

104.6

Average relative humidity (%)

74.9

73.0

71.8

69.0

69.8

74.4

76.6

78.4

77.6

74.2

75.0

75.0

74.1

Mean monthly sunshine hours

199.9

202.7

267.5

299.1

314.5

277.8

265.3

249.5

223.0

233.9

201.7

191.6

2,926.5

Percent possible sunshine

61

65

72

78

75

67

62

61

60

66

62

60

66

Source: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961−1990)[28][29][30] Weather Channel[31]

text:
hideClimate data for St. Petersburg, Florida

Month

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Year

Record high °F (°C)

88 (31)

90 (32)

89 (32)

92 (33)

96 (36)

99 (37)

100 (38)

99 (37)

97 (36)

96 (36)

92 (33)

91 (33)

100 (38)

Average high °F (°C)

69.3 (20.7)

70.7 (21.5)

75.2 (24)

80 (27)

85.8 (29.9)

89.2 (31.8)

90.2 (32.3)

89.9 (32.2)

88.2 (31.2)

83 (28)

76.6 (24.8)

71.1 (21.7)

80.8 (27.1)

Daily mean °F (°C)

61.7 (16.5)

63 (17)

67.5 (19.7)

72.3 (22.4)

78.3 (25.7)

82.2 (27.9)

83.4 (28.6)

83.4 (28.6)

82 (28)

76.5 (24.7)

69.8 (21)

63.7 (17.6)

73.6 (23.1)

Average low °F (°C)

54 (12)

55.2 (12.9)

59.7 (15.4)

64.6 (18.1)

70.8 (21.6)

75.2 (24)

76.6 (24.8)

76.8 (24.9)

75.8 (24.3)

70 (21)

62.9 (17.2)

56.3 (13.5)

66.5 (19.2)

Record low °F (°C)

27 (−3)

28 (−2)

30 (−1)

45 (7)

54 (12)

61 (16)

63 (17)

65 (18)

61 (16)

47 (8)

35 (2)

22 (−6)

22 (−6)

Average rainfall inches (mm)

2.76 (70.1)

2.87 (72.9)

3.29 (83.6)

1.92 (48.8)

2.80 (71.1)

6.09 (154.7)

6.72 (170.7)

8.26 (209.8)

7.59 (192.8)

2.64 (67.1)

2.04 (51.8)

2.60 (66)

49.58 (1,259.3)

Average rainy days

6.3

6.1

6.1

4.2

5

10.3

13.5

14.2

12

5.9

5

5.5

94.1

Source: NOAA [32]


document_title: The Green Mile (film)

question_text: what year was the movie the green mile set in

root

text: The Green Mile (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: In a Louisiana assisted-living home in 1999, Paul Edgecomb begins to cry while watching the film Top Hat. His companion Elaine becomes concerned, and Paul explains to her that the film reminded him of the events of 1935, which took place when he was a prison officer, in charge of death row, what they refer to as the "Green Mile".

tag: p

text: In 1935, Paul supervises officers Brutus Howell, Dean Stanton, Harry Terwilliger, and Percy Wetmore at Cold Mountain Penitentiary. Paul is suffering from a severe bladder infection and receives John Coffey, a physically imposing but mentally challenged black man, into his custody. John had been sentenced to death after being convicted of raping and murdering two white girls. One of the other inmates is a Native-American named Arlen Bitterbuck, who is charged with murder and is the first to be executed. Percy demonstrates a severe sadistic streak, but, as the nephew of Louisiana's First Lady, he cannot be held to account. He is particularly abusive with inmate Eduard Delacroix; he breaks Del's fingers with his baton, steps on a pet mouse named Mr. Jingles, which Del had adopted, repeatedly calls him by a gay slur, and ultimately sabotages his execution by failing to soak the sponge used to conduct electricity to Del's head; as a result Del suffers a much more painful and graphic death by catching fire.

text: John begins to demonstrate supernatural powers; he cures Paul's bladder infection, resurrects Mr. Jingles, and heals Melinda Moores, wife of the prison's chief warden, of a brain tumor. This last affliction he releases into Percy, who under its influence shoots another prisoner, mass murderer William Wharton, dead. Wharton had from the moment of his arrival been a troublemaker; he assaulted the guards as he was being escorted into the block, made mischief on two occasions that later caused Paul to order him restrained in the block's padded cell, groped Percy, racially insulted John, and revealed psychically to John that he is, in fact, responsible for the crime for which John was condemned. John then reveals the story psychically to Paul, and, when doing so, he also transfers a snippet of his supernatural energy into Paul. Meanwhile, Percy is committed to an insane asylum after entering a vegetative state.

text: Although distraught over the notion of being executed while innocent, John tells Paul that he does, in fact, wish to die, as he psychically experiences the humanity’s cruelty. Mentioning that he had never seen a movie before, John watches Top Hat with the other guards as a last request. John is executed that night but refuses the customary hood, as he is afraid of the dark. Paul concludes his story by telling Elaine that John's was the last execution that he and Brutus supervised; following Coffey's execution, they both took jobs in the juvenile system.

text: Elaine realizes that, since he had a grown son in 1935, Paul must be much older than he looks. Paul reveals that he is, in fact, 108 years of age. Not only is he still alive, but so is Del's mouse, Mr. Jingles. Paul continues to explain that although John never intended for it to happen, his curing of Paul has given him an extraordinary lifespan as well as outlive his family and friends, which he percives is punishment for executing him, and will also outlive Elaine. Paul later attends her funeral and muses that if John's power could make a normally short-lived mouse live for six decades as Mr. Jingles has, how much longer will he himself be required to live.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecomb
Dabbs Greer as Old Paul Edgecomb
David Morse as Brutus "Brutal" Howell
Bonnie Hunt as Jan Edgecomb
Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey
James Cromwell as Warden Hal Moores
Michael Jeter as Eduard Delacroix
Graham Greene as Arlen Bitterbuck
Doug Hutchison as Percy Wetmore
Sam Rockwell as "Wild Bill" Wharton
Barry Pepper as Dean Stanton
Jeffrey DeMunn as Harry Terwilliger
Patricia Clarkson as Melinda Moores
Harry Dean Stanton as Toot-Toot
Eve Brent as Elaine Connelly

tag: ul

text: The Detterick family, which John Coffey was wrongly convicted of victimizing, is played by William Sadler and Paula Malcomson as the parents, with young sisters Evanne and Bailey Drucker playing their murdered daughters.

text: Barry Pepper had worked with Tom Hanks in the previous year’s release, Saving Private Ryan; Hanks’ costar from Forrest Gump (1994) and Apollo 13 (1995), Gary Sinise, has a cameo as John Coffey’s former defense attorney.

text: Production[edit]

text: Darabont adapted the novel into a screenplay in under eight weeks.[3]

text: The film was shot at Warner Hollywood Studios, West Hollywood, California, and on location in Shelbyville, Tennessee and Blowing Rock, North Carolina.[4]

text: Casting[edit]

text: Hanks and Darabont met at an Academy Award luncheon in 1994. Stephen King stated he envisioned Hanks in the role and was happy when Darabont mentioned his name.[3]

text: Morse had not heard about the script until he was offered the role. He stated he was in tears by the end of it.[3] Darabont wanted Cromwell from the start, and after he read the script, Cromwell was moved and agreed.[3]

text: Duncan credited his casting to Bruce Willis, with whom he had worked on the film Armageddon one year earlier. According to Duncan, Willis introduced him to Darabont after hearing of the open call for John Coffey.[5]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: The official film soundtrack, Music from the Motion Picture The Green Mile, was released on December 19, 1999 by Warner Bros. It contains 37 tracks, primarily instrumental tracks from the film score by Thomas Newman. It also contains four vocal tracks: "Cheek to Cheek" by Fred Astaire, "I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby" by Billie Holiday, "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?" by Gene Austin, and "Charmaine" by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians.

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 80% based on 132 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The critical consensus states "Though The Green Mile is long, critics say it's an absorbing, emotionally powerful experience."[6] The film also has a score of 61 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 36 critics indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]

text:
Roger Ebert gave the film 3 and a half stars out of 4, writing "The film is a shade over three hours long. I appreciated the extra time, which allows us to feel the passage of prison months and years."[8]
Forbes commentator Dawn Mendez referred to the character of John Coffey as a "'magic Negro' figure"—a term describing a stereotypical fictional black person depicted in a fictional work as a "saintly, nonthreatening" person whose purpose in life is to solve a problem for or otherwise further the happiness of a white person.[9]

text: Awards and honors[edit]

text: 1999 Academy Awards[10][11]

text:
Nominated – Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role – Michael Clarke Duncan
Nominated – Best Picture – David Valdes, Frank Darabont
Nominated – Best Sound – Robert J. Litt, Elliot Tyson, Michael Herbick and Willie D. Burton
Nominated – Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published – Frank Darabont

text: 2000 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films

text:
Won – Best Supporting Actor – Michael Clarke Duncan
Won – Best Supporting Actress – Patricia Clarkson
Won – Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film
Nominated – Best Director – Frank Darabont
Nominated – Best Music – Thomas Newman

text: 2000 Broadcast Music Incorporated Film & TV Awards

text: Won – Film Music Award – Thomas Newman

text: 2000 Black Reel Awards

text: Won – Theatrical – Best Supporting Actor – Michael Clarke Duncan

text: 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards

text:
Won – Favorite Actor – Drama – Tom Hanks
Nominated – Favorite Supporting Actor – Drama – Michael Clarke Duncan
Nominated – Favorite Supporting Actress – Drama – Bonnie Hunt

text: 2000 Bram Stoker Awards

text: Nominated – Best Screenplay – Frank Darabont

text: 2000 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards

text:
Won – Best Screenplay, Adaptation – Frank Darabont
Won – Best Supporting Actor – Michael Clarke Duncan
Nominated – Best Film

text: 2000 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards

text:
Nominated – Best Supporting Actor – Michael Clarke Duncan
Nominated – Most Promising Actor – Michael Clarke Duncan

text: 2000 Directors Guild of America

text: Nominated – Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures – Frank Darabont

text: 2000 Golden Globe Awards

text: Nominated – Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture – Michael Clarke Duncan

text: 2000 NAACP Image Awards

text: Nominated – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Michael Clarke Duncan

text: 2000 MTV Movie Awards

text: Nominated – Best Breakthrough Male Performance – Michael Clarke Duncan

text: 2000 Motion Picture Sound Editors (Golden Reel Awards)

text:
Nominated – Best Sound Editing – Dialogue and ADR – Mark A. Mangini, Julia Evershade
Nominated – Best Sound Editing – Effects and Foley – Mark A. Mangini, Aaron Glascock, Howell Gibbens, David E. Stone, Solange S. Schwalbe

text: 2000 People's Choice Awards

text:
Won – Favorite All-Around Motion Picture
Won – Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture

text: 2001 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (Nebula Award)

text: Nominated – Best Script – Frank Darabont

text: 2000 Screen Actors Guild Awards

text:
Nominated – Outstanding Performance by a Cast
Nominated – Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – Michael Clarke Duncan


document_title: Ryan Michelle Bathe

question_text: who did ryan michelle bathe play on this is us

text: Ryan Michelle Bathe

text: Personal life[edit]

text: Bathe grew up in Stamford, Connecticut. She graduated from Stanford University, and she received a Master of Fine Arts from New York University.[1] In June 2007, Ryan Michelle Bathe married fellow actor (and Stanford alum) Sterling K. Brown. They have two sons.[2][3]

text: Career[edit]

text: Bathe has had guest starring roles in a number of television shows, include ER, Half & Half, Girlfriends, Brothers & Sisters, and How I Met Your Mother. She was regular cast member during the second season of the ABC legal drama series Boston Legal playing attorney Sara Holt.[4] From 2009 to 2010, she had a recurring role on the short-lived NBC medical drama Trauma, and in 2011 had starring role in the TV Land sitcom Retired at 35.[5] She had main roles in the independent films All About Us and April Moon.

text: In 2012, Bathe co-starred opposite Katherine Heigl in the crime comedy film One for the Money. Later that year, she had a recurring role opposite her real life husband Sterling K. Brown in the Lifetime drama series Army Wives.[6] In 2014, she was a female lead opposite Kevin Hart in the ABC comedy pilot Keep It Together.[7] In 2016, Bathe was cast in a recurring role in the NBC drama series, This Is Us, also starring Brown.[8]

text: Selected filmography[edit]

text:
This Is Us as Yvette (Season 1) (2016)
Army Wives as Charlie (Season 6 recurring character) (2012)
One for the Money as Jackie (hooker) (2011)
Retired at 35 as Jessica (Season 1 main cast member) (2011)
Private Practice (2010)
Trauma (2009)
Leaving Barstow (2008)
How I Met Your Mother (April 2008) as Lily's friend Michelle
Boston Legal as Sara Holt (2005–2006)
Good Fences (2003)
Bones (2009)


document_title: Despicable Me

question_text: what are the characters in despicable me called

text: Despicable Me

text: Plot[edit]

text: Gru, a supervillain, is disheartened when an unknown supervillain steals the Great Pyramid of Giza. Gru, with the assistance of his colleague Dr. Nefario and his Minions, resolves to one-up this mystery rival by shrinking and stealing the Moon. As it would be costly to steal the moon, Gru seeks a loan from the Bank of Evil. Bank president Mr. Perkins is impressed by the plan but will provide the money only if Gru can obtain the necessary shrink ray first. Upon learning that an up-and-coming villain named Vector was responsible for the pyramid theft, Gru starts a rivalry with him.

text: Gru and the Minions steal the shrink ray from a secret base in East Asia, but Vector intercepts them and steals it for himself. Gru attempts to break into Vector's fortress to recover the shrink ray but is defeated by numerous booby traps. However, he notices three orphan girls, Margo, Edith, and Agnes, who are able to easily walk into the base because they are selling cookies. Gru disguises himself and adopts the girls, planning on using them to infiltrate Vector's base so he can get the shrink ray back. However, Gru has trouble nurturing them properly due to their rambunctiousness, their ballet classes, and his own ineptitude as a parent.

text: Eventually, Gru and the girls arrive at Vector's fortress, and Gru steals the shrink ray. The girls then suggest a day at a theme park; Gru agrees, believing he can abandon the girls there, but instead he warms up to them. Later, Gru contacts Perkins via video chat, stating that he finally has the shrink ray. Margo, Edith, and Agnes interrupt the meeting, and Perkins announces that he has lost confidence in Gru and will no longer fund his operations. As Gru tells the Minions he can no longer pay them for their services, the girls offer the contents of their piggy bank. Gru, inspired, sells parts of his lair to construct a spacecraft. Gru plans to steal the Moon when it is nearest the Earth, but this is the same day as the girls' ballet recital. Gru becomes conflicted, and Dr. Nefario, seeing the recital as interfering with the plan, arranges for the girls to be returned to the orphanage. At the same time, Perkins informs Vector, revealed to be Perkins' son, of Gru's possession of the shrink ray and the adoption of the three girls, encouraging Vector to act.

text: Gru successfully shrinks and steals the Moon, and rushes back to Earth to attend the recital—only to find a ransom note from Vector, who has kidnapped the girls. After arriving at Vector's headquarters, Gru surrenders the Moon, but Vector reneges on the deal, flying off with the girls and the Moon. Meanwhile, Dr. Nefario has discovered that the effects of the shrink ray are temporary; the bigger the object's original size, the faster the shrinkage will wear off. As the Moon starts to expand in Vector's ship, Gru, Dr. Nefario, and the Minions execute a daring mid-air rescue of the girls just as the Moon explodes out of Vector's ship and launches itself back into orbit, with Vector trapped on it.

text: Sometime later, Gru has returned the Great Pyramid and re-adopted the girls, writing them a bedtime storybook framed around his own experience. The film ends with the girls performing their own ballet recital for Gru, his mother Marlena, Dr. Nefario, and the Minions.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Steve Carell as Gru, a mean supervillain
Jason Segel as Victor "Vector" Perkins, Mr. Perkins' son and Gru's rival
Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario, Gru's elderly gadget man and a friendly scientist
Miranda Cosgrove as Margo, the oldest of the three girls
Dana Gaier as Edith, the middle sister of the three girls
Elsie Fisher as Agnes, the youngest of the three girls
Will Arnett as Mr. Perkins, the President of the Bank of Evil and Vector's father
Kristen Wiig as Miss Hattie, owner of the orphanage Miss Hattie's Home for Girls
Julie Andrews as Marlena, Gru's mother
Pierre Coffin as Kevin,Tim, Bob, Mark, Phil and Stuart, six of Gru's Minions
Chris Renaud as Dave, one of Gru's Minions
Jemaine Clement as Jerry, one of Gru's Minions
Jack McBrayer as a carnival barker/tourist Father
Danny McBride as Fred McDade, Gru's neighbor
Mindy Kaling as a tourist mother, Justin's mother
Rob Huebel as an anchorman[9]
Ken Daurio as an Egyptian guard[9]
Ken Jeong as a talk-show host[9]

text: Production[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2014)

tag: table

text: Despicable Me was initially developed by Sergio Pablos under the original title Evil Me. He later participated in development during the early stages of the production and took the package unsolicited to Universal Pictures where he became the first of several screenwriters on the project as well as executive producer.[10]In November 2008, Illumination Entertainment announced the beginning of the development on its first CGI animated film Despicable Me.[11]

text: Music[edit]

text: Despicable Me: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the film of the same name, and it was released on July 6, 2010.[12] It featured new songs from the film written and performed by Pharrell Williams, and performances by Destinee & Paris, The Sylvers, Robin Thicke and the Bee Gees.[12]

text: Release[edit]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: NBC (which is owned by Universal) had an extensive marketing campaign leading up to the film's release. Sneak peeks were shown in episodes of The Biggest Loser.[13] Despicable Me was also featured on Last Comic Standing when Gru comes in to audition.[13] IHOP restaurants promoted the film by introducing three new menu items, a kids' breakfast meal, and a drink all having the word "minion" in them.[14] Best Buy released a free smartphone application called "Best Buy Movie Mode", which translated what the Minions were saying during the end credits of the 3D theatrical release.[15] For the home media release of the film, the application was updated to translate the Minions' language throughout the entire film.[15]

text: Books[edit]

text: In May 2010, three books related to the movie were published, as well as the children's puppet book featured in the film. The first, My Dad the Super Villain (ISBN 0-316-08382-8), was rated as a preschool book.[16] The second, Despicable Me: The Junior Novel (ISBN 0-316-08380-1), was rated as being a Junior Reader for ages 8 to 12.[17] The third, Despicable Me: The World's Greatest Villain (ISBN 0-316-08377-1), was rated for ages 3–6 years.[18] The puppet book Sleepy Kittens (ISBN 0-316-08381-X) was written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio and illustrated by Eric Guillon.[19]

text: Video games[edit]

text: A video game titled Despicable Me: The Game was released for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Wii.[20] A Nintendo DS version was released under the name Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem.[21] Namco also released a version for the iPhone and iPad platform entitled Despicable Me: Minion Mania, developed by Anino Games.[22] An application for iOS and Androids was also released under the name Despicable Me: Minion Rush. It was developed by Gameloft and made available to the public in 2013.[23]

text: Home media[edit]

text: Despicable Me was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray 3D on December 14, 2010. The release included three new short films, titled Home Makeover, Orientation Day and Banana.[24] The film was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray on June 6, 2017.[25]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives a rating of 81% based on 192 reviews and an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Borrowing heavily (and intelligently) from Pixar and Looney Tunes, Despicable Me is a surprisingly thoughtful, family-friendly treat with a few surprises of its own."[26] Metacritic, another review aggregation website, assigned the film a score of 72 out of 100 based on 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[27]

text: Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film three out of four stars, saying the directors were skilled at "springing surprises" from the writers' "ingenious" screenplay.[28] Peter Debruge of Variety wrote, "Since villains so often steal the show in animation, Despicable Me smartly turns the whole operation over to megalomaniacal rogue Gru."[29] Robert Wilonsky of The Village Voice wrote, "The result is pleasant and diverting, if ultimately forgettable, and it's one of the rare instances in the recent history of 3-D's resurrection as The Savior of Cinema in which the technology doesn't dim the screen or distract the focus."[30] Keith Uhlich of Time Out New York gave the film three out of five stars, saying, "The setup is pure Looney Tunes, and indeed, Despicable Me is at its best when trading in the anything-for-a-laugh prankery that was a specialty of the Termite Terrace crowd."[31] Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "Despicable Me is a 3D cartoon comedy of whiplash-quick laughs, funny punch lines and a wickedly gimmicky appreciation for 3D."[32] Christy Lemire of the Associated Press wrote, "Kids will dig it, adults will smile with amusement, and no one will be any different afterward than they were walking into the theater."[33] Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic gave the film three and a half stars out of five, saying, "Neither as rich in story nor stunning in animation as Pixar offerings, Despicable Me instead settles for simply being goofy good fun, and it hardly seems like settling at all."[34]

text: Carrie Rickey of The Philadelphia Inquirer gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying, "Short, sweet-and-sour, and amusing rather than funny, Despicable Me can't help but be likable."[35] Colin Covert of the Star Tribune gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "You'll probably leave the theater smiling, but don't expect to be emotionally engaged, Pixar-style. You'll be tickled, not touched."[36] Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "A whip-smart family movie that makes inventive use of the summer's ubiquitous 3-D technology is something worth cheering."[37] Tom Keogh of The Seattle Times gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Despicable Me appeals both to our innocence and our glee over cartoon anarchy."[38] Jason Anderson of the Toronto Star gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "Despicable Me may not match the stratospherically high standards set by Up and WALL-E but that hardly matters when it’s this much fun."[39] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "Despicable Me has enough visual novelty and high spirits to keep the kiddies diverted and just enough wit to placate the parents."[40] Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "The film is funny, energetic, teeth-gnashingly venomous and animated with an eye to exploiting the 3-D process with such sure-fire techniques as a visit to an amusement park."[41] Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying, "By taking the "heart" part just seriously enough, and in the nick of time, the movie saves itself from itself."[42]

text: Kim Newman of Empire gave the film three out of five stars, saying, "It's no first-rank CGI cartoon, but shows how Pixar's quality over crass is inspiring the mid-list. Fun, with teary bits, for kids; fresh and smart for adults."[43] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying, "The film throws so much ersatz cleverness and overdone emotion at the audience that we end up more worn out than entertained."[44] Stephen Whitty of the Newark Star-Ledger gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying, "Unfortunately Despicable Me is just, predictably -- eh. And the one thing the larcenous Gru never steals is our heart."[45] Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News gave the film three out of five stars, saying, "Right now, any excuse for air conditioning will do. So it's a happy bonus to find that Despicable Me is more than just a heat-busting baby-sitter."[46] James Berardinelli of ReelViews gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "This is a smartly written comedy with a soft emotional core."[47] Kyle Smith of the New York Post gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "Despicable Me may not be the most sophisticated kids movie ever, but it stacks up against recent animated fare like How To Train Your Dragon the way The New York Review of Books compares to USA Today."[48] Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "An improbably heartwarming, not to mention visually delightful, diversion."[49] Rick Groen of The Globe and Mail gave the film four out of four stars, saying, "This animated thing pretty near out-Pixars Pixar."[50] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film two out of four stars, saying, "When compared with the ambition and achievement of recent animated films, such as Coraline and Toy Story 3, Despicable Me hardly seems to have been worth making, and it's barely worth watching."[51]

text: Bob Mondello of NPR gave the film an eight out of ten, saying, "It's all thoroughly adorable, and with an overlay that's nearly as odd as Carell's accent: Despicable Me looks a lot like other computer-animated pictures."[52] Mary F. Pols of MSN Movies gave the film four out of five stars, saying, "The movie finishes strong, managing to be sweet without being saccharine. It's no Toy Story 3, but Despicable Me is a solid alternative."[53] A. O. Scott of The New York Times gave the film two out of five stars, saying, "So much is going on in this movie that, while there's nothing worth despising, there's not much to remember either."[54] Laremy Legel of Film.com gave the film an A-, saying, "Despicable Me is darned cute. I know cute isn't to the lofty level of "message storytelling" but it can be entertaining to watch when done correctly."[55] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Despicable doesn't measure up to Pixar at its best. Nonetheless, it's funny, clever and warmly animated with memorable characters."[56] Steve Persall of the Tampa Bay Times gave the film a B, saying, "Directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud craft a fun stretch run, wrapping the story with warm, fuzzy funnies and nothing to suggest a sequel, which is probably wise."[57] Tasha Robinson of The A.V. Club gave the film a B, saying, "Until the "creep + orphans = happy family" formula starts demanding abrupt, unconvincing character mutations, Despicable Me is a giddy joy."[58] Marjorie Baumgarten of The Austin Chronicle gave the film three out of five stars, saying, "Everyone knows that the villains are usually the most interesting characters in any movie. So the makers of Despicable Me were wise to cut to the chase and make the megalomaniacal Gru the central character in this animated film."[59]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Released on July 9, 2010, in the United States, Despicable Me opened at the number one spot at the box office and pulled in $56.3 million, making it the third-biggest opening grossing for an animated film in 2010 behind Toy Story 3 and Shrek Forever After.[60] In its second weekend, the film dipped 42% to second place behind Inception with $32.8 million earned. The film then had another drop of 27% in its third weekend and finished in third place with $23.8 million. On August 5, 2010, the film crossed the $200 million mark, becoming the first Universal film to reach the milestone since 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum.[61]

text: On the weekend lasting from September 3–5, 2010, it surpassed Shrek Forever After to become the second-highest-grossing animated film of 2010 in the United States and Canada, behind Toy Story 3.[62] It was also the highest-grossing non-DreamWorks/non-Disney·Pixar animated film of all time in these territories, since overtaken by its sequel.[62] The film has made $251,513,985 in the United States and Canada as well as an estimated $291.6 million internationally for a worldwide total of $546,010,705, against its $69 million budget.[5] This film is also Universal's sixth-highest-grossing film (unadjusted for inflation)[63] and the tenth-highest-grossing animated feature of all time in North America.[64] In worldwide earnings, it is the sixth-biggest film of Universal Studios,[65] the fourth-highest-grossing animated film of 2010 trailing Toy Story 3, Shrek Forever After, and Tangled, the 25th-highest-grossing animated film of all time and the 9th-highest-grossing film of 2010.[66]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
Award
Category/Recipient(s)
Result

Annie Awards[67]
Best Animated Feature
Nominated

Voice Acting in a Feature Production (Steve Carell)

Character Design In an Animated Film (Carter Goodrich)

Directing in a Feature Production (Pierre Coffin)

Music in a Feature Production (Pharrell Williams and Heitor Pereira)

Production Design in a Feature Production (Yarrow Cheny and Eric Guillon)

Alliance of Women Film Journalists[68]
Best Animated Feature

Best Animated Female (Miranda Cosgrove as Margo, Dana Gaier as Edith, and Elsie Fisher as Agnes)

BAFTA Awards[69]
Best Animated Film

Critics' Choice Movie Awards[70]
Best Animated Film

Golden Globe Awards[71]
Best Animated Feature Film

Heartland Film Festival 2010[72]
Truly Moving Picture Award
Won

Kids Choice Awards[73]
Favorite Animated Movie
Won

Favorite Buttkicker (Steve Carell)
Nominated

Peoples Choice Awards[74]
Favorite Family Movie

Satellite Awards[75]
Best Animated or Mixed Media Film

Saturn Awards
Best Animated Film[76]

Teen Choice Awards[77]
Choice Summer: Movie

Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards[78]
Best Animated film

Women Film Critics Circle[79]
Best Animated Females
Won

text: Sequels[edit]

text: A sequel, titled Despicable Me 2, was released on July 3, 2013. It is produced by the same team that was behind the first film—along with directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, and writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. Steve Carell, Russell Brand, and Miranda Cosgrove reprise their roles; Kristen Wiig and Ken Jeong returned but voiced new characters (Lucy Wilde and Floyd Eagle-san). New cast members include Benjamin Bratt as Eduardo, Gru's nemesis, and Steve Coogan as Silas Ramsbottom.[80]

text: Another sequel, titled Despicable Me 3, was released on June 30, 2017.[81]

text: Prequel[edit]

text: A prequel feature film titled Minions, featuring the Minions as the main characters, was released on July 10, 2015.[82] Written by Brian Lynch, it is directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, and produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healey.[82] The film, set in the 1960s, focuses on the Minions before they met Gru, where they compete for the right to become henchmen of an ambitious villain, Scarlet Overkill, voiced by Sandra Bullock.[83]


document_title: GEICO advertising campaigns

question_text: who provided the voice of the geico insurance

question_tokens: who provided the voice of the geico insurance

text: GEICO advertising campaigns

text: Animated advertisements[edit]

text: Animated advertisements were part of the early GEICO Direct ads as well as the "Dumb Things" campaign. The 15-second long commercials, animated by Bill Plympton, featured a curious little man walking up to an object and eventually getting hurt due to his curiosity of the object.[6] One of the commercials, for example, involved him finding a cannon and pressing a button, causing a resulting cannonball to fire out and stick to his face. The original saying in the commercial was "You could still save money on car insurance. Even if you made a few mistakes."; later modified to "We all do dumb things. Paying too much for car insurance doesn't have to be one of them."[7]

text: The Gecko[edit]

text: The company's ads sometimes focus on its reptilian mascot, The Gecko, an anthropomorphic Day Gecko created by The Martin Agency, modified in 2005 to a CGI character by Animation Director David Hulin and his team at Framestore. The gecko first appeared in 1999, during the Screen Actors Guild strike that prevented the use of live actors.[8] The original commercial features the Gecko, voiced by actor Kelsey Grammer, who climbs onto a microphone on a podium and utters "This is my final plea: I am a gecko, not to be confused with GEICO, which could save you hundreds on car insurance. So, STOP CALLING ME!", before licking his eye. Later "wrong number" ads used Dave Kelly as the voice of the gecko. In the subsequent commercials with Jake Wood[9] (which portray him as a representative of the company), the gecko speaks with a British Cockney accent, because it would be unexpected, according to Martin Agency's Steve Bassett. In 2010s commercials, the gecko's accent is more working-class, perhaps in an effort to further "humanize" him.[10] "As computer animation got better and as we got to know the character better, we did a few things," says Steve Bassett, creative director at The Martin Agency. "We wanted to make him a little more guy-next-door. And he looks a lot more real than he's looked before."[8] Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former president Bill Clinton and then-Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, interviewed the Geico Gecko in April 2013.[11] He had since became GEICO's longest-running mascot, appearing in more than 150 commercials as of 2017.

text: Maxwell the pig[edit]

text: Maxwell is an anthropomorphic talking pig and recurring character in GEICO advertisements. Maxwell debuted in an installment of the Rhetorical Questions campaign as the "little piggy who cried 'wee wee wee' all the way home" (referencing the famous nursery rhyme "This Little Piggy") being driven home by a friend's mother, squealing along the way. While Maxwell was originally intended as a one-time character, the popularity of his debut commercial resulted in him being spun off into his own series of commercials which usually feature him as a tech-savvy, informative pig who is most concerned with his GEICO-related objects.

text: Cavemen[edit]

text: A popular series of well-received advertisements uses cavemen as pitchmen. Also developed by the Martin Agency, the ads center on Neanderthal-like cavemen, no different from modern-day individuals (outside of somewhat prehistoric facial features), encountering either an ad or commercial with the tagline "GEICO: so easy a caveman could do it," followed by their disgust with the supposed stereotype of caveman stupidity. The ads posit a world where cavemen are still alive and active members of society in the present day, behaving and living nothing at all like the stereotypical caveman. The main characters presented in the ads are affluent, educated, and cultured, eating at fancy restaurants, going to exclusive parties, and seeing their therapists (portrayed in the commercials by two-time Oscar-nominated actress Talia Shire). The humor revolves around the relative normality of the cavemen's presence and their reactions to the stereotype represented in the ads, and their attempts at defending themselves from the stereotype.

text: The ads were so successful that the commercial actors are appearing in a successful series of interactive websites written and produced by GEICO's in-house creative team at Caveman's Crib and most recently, iHeartcavemen. A spin-off TV series, titled Cavemen and starring new actors, debuted on ABC in October 2007[12] to overwhelmingly negative critical reaction. It was canceled after only six episodes were aired.

text: Parodies[edit]

text: Another common theme is misdirection, in which the commercial appears to be about an unrelated product (or, in fact, may not even be a commercial), suddenly changing to become a plug for GEICO. The commercials use a variety of fictional characters such as Speed Racer, Chatty Cathy, Jed Clampett, and Bill Dutchess. Other commercials relate to a hair loss doctor who has saved by switching to GEICO, a nature show about a fish, workout with Tony Little, and a soap opera of a couple who are breaking up. Another set of GEICO ads involved a fictional reality show called "Tiny House" in which contestants were forced to live in a half-scale house.

text: An additional commercial theme is the promotion of fictional products. In 2006 parody ads featured such products as long distance phone service, tomato soda, fast-food, a reality TV show, dolls, and even poking fun at the Old Navy commercials – in all cases, the parody portion of the ad ends with "but it won't save you any money on car insurance." After the GEICO slogan is heard, the commercials end with "Why haven't you called GEICO?" Including Wonder Glue.

text: The parody pitch crossed over to the Caveman campaign in 2007, in a 10-second spot that appears to be a talking heads news interview, but features the popular caveman.

text: In response to some of the parody ads, Seth Green and Matthew Senreich wrote a sketch using the character C in a parody of one of the celebrity ads for their second Robot Chicken Star Wars special.

text: MADtv also made a sketch parodying these ads using characters of Elmo (who was performed by Frank Caeti) and Carlos Mencia (who was played by Johnny Sanchez).

text: Actor Scott Whyte has made a series of commercial parodies, calling the company, "Schmeiko", while performing a series of impressions.

text: "I've got good news"[edit]

text: In another ad campaign, a character would be breaking bad news to another (such as a baseball manager replacing a struggling pitcher with a reliever), but then offers helpfully, "I've got good news: I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to GEICO!" That news, of course, is of no immediate use at all to the other character(s). Some of the ads were parodies and/or featured celebrities including, for example, Esteban; one featured the popular anime character Speed Racer. The exchange became parodied for a time while the ads were popular. One of the most watched "I've got good news" spots was a soap opera parody featuring television actor Sebastian Siegel.

text: Bland salesman[edit]

text: In another series of ads, a GEICO pitchman is played by actor Jerry Lambert in an extremely bland and understated way, parodying the stereotype of an insurance man, such as reading to a group of uninterested children from a book of fairy tales about insurance, watching a view of cats in the living room where a gecko is standing on the couch, relaxing on a hot tub with a couple, and a flashback about "Honk If You Like". In one segment, he reads a supposed e-mail from a viewer saying it would be "da bomb" (i.e., something good), if the Gecko would do a dance called "The Robot". Cut to the Gecko doing that dance smoothly and gracefully (to the tune of a not-for-public-sale melody called "Sweet World" by a group called Omega Men,[13] which was used in the arcade video game In the Groove 2) and then back to the insurance salesman attempting to do the same dance, seemingly more stiffly than an actual robot would. The newest commercial featuring the GEICO gecko depicts the Gecko receiving a business suit from the salesman, in order to present a more professional appearance, but he declines.

text: "Real service, real savings"[edit]

text: In this campaign, a real GEICO customer would present his/her testimonials, while a celebrity standing next to, or behind, the customer uses his/her signature styles to help get the customer's word across.

text: Some of these celebrities included:

text:
Peter Graves (1926–2010)
Peter Frampton
Burt Bacharach
Little Richard
Mrs. Butterworth
Joan Rivers (1933–2014)
The Pips (1952–1989)
Charo
James Lipton
Michael Winslow
Verne Troyer
Don LaFontaine (1940–2008)

text: The slogan exclusive to this campaign is "GEICO: Real service, real savings".

text: My Great Rides[edit]

text: In 2007, GEICO also launched a social networking site, My Great Rides, for motorcycle owners. My Great Rides is a place for cycle owners to share stories about trips they have taken on their bikes, as well as post pictures of their motorcycles, and comment on other members' stories and pictures. My Great Rides was taken down on 27 February 2012.[14]

text: GEICO Racing[edit]

text: The number 7 car of the NASCAR Nationwide Series is driven by Mike Wallace and was sponsored by GEICO prior to 2009.[15][16] Commercials involving the race team are of a memorably disdainful young boy, played by actor Eddie Heffernan claiming to be a relative of Mike Wallace and being a better driver.[17] The boy says, "When people see Mike Wallace and the GEICO number 7 doing well, they'll think of saving a bunch of money on car insurance. But when they see me, they'll say, 'There goes Lauren Wallace; the greatest thing to ever climb into a race car.'"[18]

text: The commercials are sometimes presented in an interview fashion, where an unseen narrator speaks to the ambitious go-kart driver. "What do you think of Mike Wallace?" the child is asked, to which he responds, "Whatever, he's out there selling car insurance, I'm out there to win." When questioned on his relation to the NASCAR driver, Lauren shakes his head and concludes, "I didn't say I wouldn't go fishing with the man, all I'm saying is if he comes near me, I'll put him in the wall." To which the narrator questions him, "You don't race in the Busch Series." Lauren replies "Listen, go-kart track, grocery store, those remote controlled boats; when it comes to Mike Wallace the story ends with me putting him in the wall."

text: New ads in this lineup include Lauren referring to himself as being, "100 miles away and ready to strike," and "lightning in a bottle."

text: The success of those ads resulted in the launch of an interactive website written and produced by GEICO's in-house creative team at GEICO Garage. The site includes cameo appearances by Lauren Wallace and drivers Mike Wallace, his daughter Chrissy Wallace, Speed TV's Tommy Kendall, Paul Tracy, Christian Fittipaldi and Max Papis.

text: TRS: The Real Scoop[edit]

text: Introduced in 2 August 2007, this series of ads features an E! True Hollywood Story-type show about famed fictional characters such as Fred Flintstone, Jed Clampett, and even a Cabbage Patch Kid named Ben Winkler claiming to have their cars (the Flintmobile, Jed's 1923 Oldsmobile truck, and a Plymouth Reliant/Dodge Aries, respectively) insured by GEICO, featuring interviews with made-up investigators (however, the Ben Winkler spot does not have an interview). These commercials were voiced over by narrator David O'Brien.

text: "The money you could be saving"[edit]

text: Starting in 2008, GEICO has aired a series of TV ads featuring two paper-banded stacks of U.S. bills with a pair of big, googly eyes on top. Kash, who never says anything, just sits and stares at people (in a manner intended to be unsettling), set to a remix of a Rockwell/Michael Jackson song, "Somebody's Watching Me" by Mysto & Pizzi.

text: Rhetorical question campaign[edit]

text: Toward the end of 2009 until mid 2012, GEICO introduced another advertising campaign in which Mike McGlone walks into an empty room and queries the viewer, "Could switching to GEICO really save you 15% or more on car insurance?" After this, he pauses and then asks a rhetorical and/or obvious question which is immediately followed by a scene cut to the subject at hand. Such questions have included (in no particular order):

text: Television[edit]

text:
Is Ed "Too Tall" Jones too tall?: (Cuts to Jones in a doctor's office being measured for his height, even though he is too tall for the maximum length of the measure. The nurse then says, "I'm just gonna guesstimate.")
Does Charlie Daniels play a mean fiddle?: (Cuts to Daniels energetically playing a fiddle in a classy restaurant after taking it from a violinist. Once he finishes, he hands it back and states "That's how you do it, son".)
Does Elmer Fudd have trouble with the letter R?: (Cuts to Elmer hunting and telling the audience to be "vewy quiet" while he's "hunting wabbits", the director correcting his rhotacism to the former's frustration, and eventually stalking off the screen while muttering about how "this diwector is starting to wub (him) the wong way".)
Did The Waltons take way too long to say good night?: (Cuts to the Walton family saying "good night" to each other numerous times.)
Does a ten-pound bag of flour make a really big biscuit?: (Cuts to a child buttering an enormous biscuit on the kitchen counter humming as his mom walks in with a dismayed look upon her face.)
Did the caveman invent fire?: (Cuts to the GEICO caveman sitting in a living room on a couch with a female companion. He looks disdainfully at the camera, then activates the fireplace by remote control before scowling at the camera once more.)
Was Abe Lincoln honest?: (Cuts to an old-style black and white film of Mary Todd Lincoln asking "Does this dress make my backside look big?" After a lengthy pause and deliberation, Lincoln sheepishly responds, saying "Perhaps a ...", interrupted as she gets up and walks out perturbed.)
Is having a snowball fight with pitching great Randy Johnson a bad idea?: (Cuts to Johnson helping a man to his feet, the latter with a hole in the arm of his jacket, in a snowy street. After lamenting the heavily damaged garage door behind them, they agree to go sledding instead.)
Is a bird in the hand worth two in the bush?: (Cuts to an Antiques Roadshow appraiser examining a small statue of a human hand holding a bird. He tells the statue's owner that it is indeed worth at least two in the bush.)
Can fútbol announcer Andrés Cantor make any sport exciting?: (Cuts to Cantor loudly and energetically calling a slow-paced chess match. When one player makes a move, he yells his trademark "GOOAAALLL!" much to the players' annoyance)
Does a former drill sergeant make a terrible therapist?: (Cuts to R. Lee Ermey talking to a man on a psychiatrist's couch, then abruptly yelling at him for crying and then throws a box of tissues at him, calling him a crybaby.)
Do woodchucks chuck wood?: (Cuts to a jovial pair of woodchucks throwing chopped logs into a pond and being admonished by the farmer who chopped them.)
Did the little piggy cry 'wee wee wee' all the way home?? (Cuts to a pig named Maxwell riding in the back seat of an SUV holding pinwheels, yelling "wee wee wee" out the window, before being dropped off at his house by his friend's exasperated mother.) (See section Maxwell the Pig)
Does it take two to tango?: (Cuts to a man and woman dancing the tango while another man tries to dance with them.)
What, do you live under a rock?: (Cuts to a man living underground who moves a rock so he can raise his head above ground to see outside, and then gets excited when he sees a GEICO billboard and invites his friend Rick to move his own rock and take a peek.)
Does the buck stop here?; (The camera zooms out as a deer walks onto the soundstage and stops next to McGlone, who then shrugs his shoulders.)
Do dogs chase cats?: (Cuts to a dog and cat engaged in a Bullitt-style car chase.)
Would Foghorn Leghorn make a really bad book narrator?: (Cuts to a recording studio where Foghorn is reading A Tale of Two Cities – his ad-libbing and talking over the director cause an exasperated Henery Hawk to get up from the control panel and whack him with a club.)
Is the pen mightier than the sword?: (Cuts to a ninja menacingly demonstrating his swordsmanship to his opponent, who countermaneuvers by using a pen to sign for the delivery of his new taser, with which he promptly dispatches the ninja.)
Do people use smartphones to do dumb things?: (Cuts to three office workers using very silly smartphone apps to help celebrate the end of the workweek.)

text: Radio[edit]

text:
Would helium make opera sound less stuffy?: (Cuts to male opera singer singing in a deep voice, then inhaling helium, and continuing in a high-pitched voice.)
Do mimes make even less sense when you can't see them?: (Cuts to a narrator describing a mime pretending to be inside an invisible box.)
Is sneaking out of a really boring meeting while wearing tap shoes a bad idea?: (Cuts to a boring meeting with tap shoes in the background, until the boss catches on.)
Does a rolling stone gather no moss?: (Cuts to the sound of a boulder rolling through various things until it crashes to a stop, with McGlone then saying, "No moss – you're gonna have to trust me on this one.")
Do only dogs hear dog whistles?: (Cuts to the sound of someone breathing in, then blowing in a dog whistle a few times, before being interrupted by several barking dogs.)
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a noise?: (Cuts to the sound of a tree falling and crashing, with McGlone then saying, "Yep.")
Is texting getting way out of hand?: (McGlone then begins to elaborate, but is interrupted and distracted by several incoming texts, ultimately responding to one message with "LOL, UR my BFF.")

text: Short Stories and Tall Tales[edit]

text: Starting in 2010, there have been TV commercials in which a nursery rhyme, being read to the audience from an illustrated book entitled Short Stories and Tall Tales, turns into an ad for GEICO homeowner's and renters insurance:

text:
In one, the cow who jumped over the moon crashes down through someone's roof; luckily, the owner was insured with GEICO.
In another, Jack Be Nimble accidentally knocked over a candlestick onto the shagged carpeting and insured with GEICO because of his flaming pants, his new pants are bought from Banana Republic.
In another, Baa Baa Black Sheep got three bags of wool taken and insured GEICO, but the hooligan down the lane is caught, selling the stolen goods online.
In another, the Itsy Bitsy Spider's home is flooded as a result of a clogged downspout, and his mattress is ruined; thanks to GEICO, he now has a "Sleep Number" bed. His sleep number is 25.
Little Jack Horner sat in a corner on a department and insured GEICO with renters insurance, it turns out Little Jack Horner got his stomach pumped because of eating a 6-month-old Christmas pie.
Little Bo Peep accidentally broke into her apartment and got her sheep stolen.
A burglar breaks into Little Miss Muffet's house and steals her tuffets, which were fortunately insured. The burglar was later caught, given away by a whey stain.
Goldilocks breaks into the home of the Three Bears, eats some porridge, breaks a chair, and steals their laptop. Thanks to GEICO insurance, the Bears are able to replace their things, including a new chair from Crate & Barrel.
After his straw house is blown away by the Big Bad Wolf, the Little Pig is able to build a more elaborate straw house thanks to GEICO homeowner's insurance. The Wolf then gets a job blowing at a wind farm.
Hansel and Gretel broke outside the Gingerbread house and ate the whole roof, then GEICO Homeowners Insurance gets the roof covered for the witch. Hansel and Gretel are sent through the candy cane forest.
An old woman who lived in a shoe buys groceries when burglars broke into her shoe and avoids stolen things with juice press for GEICO Homeowners Insurance, then gets a job for the Mountain Bike Juice Delivery Service.
Mary and her lamb turned out her dress is ruined by an electrical fire and takes a hobby at Bloomingdale's for her new dress and exclusively for little lambs after using GEICO Renters Insurance.
Jack and Jill are about to fetch water from a well until an overflowing kitchen sink sprung a leak, and they use GEICO Homeowners Insurance, and they went to fetch lattes and almond milk instead of just water.

text: Xtranormal[edit]

text: Near the end of 2010, a new advertising campaign began made up of amateurish computer animated advertisements, supposedly made in 15 minutes, created with the computer software program Xtranormal.[19]

text: "Easier Way to Save"[edit]

text: Starting in the summer of 2011, a new series of advertising involved people discovering unusual ways to save money.

text: Television[edit]

text:
A couple teaching their 6-year-old son how to dunk a basketball in order to help him get a scholarship, with him getting stuck on the basket.
A dog and a cockatoo playing A-Ha's "Take on Me" because their owner can't afford to keep downloading music.
A sea captain living as a roommate, rehearsing "Major-General's Song."
A woman turning her daughter's pet fish into her husband's meal.
Robots hired in a daycare center because they "work for free".
Three guinea pigs rowing their boat to produce electricity for their owner's computer.
A couple adopting a black rescue panther who can protect their house.
A man singing a personal ad to the tune of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" because dating websites cost too much money.
Three middle school girls criticize on what the man is eating, only to watch his weight.
A family forming their own theme park.
Boy Scouts using paintball guns to decorate a couple's living room.
A man adopting a pet possum for his kids, as a cheaper alternative to a puppy.

text: Radio commercials[edit]

text:
A man who tries to cut his wife's hair, while she sleeps, instead of going to the hairstylist.
A man who can only rely on toll-free numbers.
A man consolidating his 5 daughters' weddings into one day.
A woman carpooling with her daughter's school bus.
An umpire who cannot pay for his contacts, using the lost pair of eyeglasses he found.
A man turning his bathroom shower into an amusement attraction, instead of taking his family to an amusement park.
A man using carrier pigeons to send letters because of the high cost of postage stamps.
A man who can't spend money on the Internet for his home, thus using his neighbor's unprotected connection.
A woman who is dreaming of being in Machu Picchu because she cannot buy airline tickets.

text: "Brighter side"[edit]

text: This campaign shows two people in a sticky situation. One of them is not as worried as the other, explaining "I'm looking on the brighter side. I save over 15% on my car insurance by switching to GEICO." Commercials from this campaign include:

text:
A magician feels guilty for sawing his assistant in half.
A woman and her neighbor observe a fallen giant in the middle of her garden.
Two fisherman are being abducted by aliens and fear what the aliens are going to do with them.
Divers have been swallowed by a whale.

text: "Get Happy, Get GEICO"[edit]

text: From early-2012 to early 2013, GEICO had a family of commercials where bluegrass pickers named Ronnie (played by director/musician Alex Harvey) and Jimmy (played by actor/comedian Timothy Ryan Cole) talk about how happy saving money on insurance can make someone do certain things intended to be humorous:

text:
Happier than Gallagher at a Farmer's market: Gallagher runs amok at a farmer's market, smashing watermelons with a huge mallet and laughing maniacally.[20]
Happier than a Bodybuilder Directing Traffic: A smiling bodybuilder is standing in an intersection and directing traffic while striking poses.[21] This was the last commercial from the Get Happy, Get GEICO series to ever come on TV, having last aired on 19 March 2016.[22]
Happier than Christopher Columbus with Speedboats: Christopher Columbus is shown on a speeding motoboat, accompanied by two other boats, while a crew member looks seasick.[23]
Happier than Eddie Money running a travel agency: A family is shown sitting in front of a desk in an office. An excited Eddie Money is then shown behind the desk holding airline tickets, where he begins singing (a cappella), "Two Tickets to Paradise" while the family appears increasingly annoyed.[24]
Happier than a Witch at a Broom Factory: A witch is seen flying around on a broom inside of a broom factory. She lands and demands another broom from one of the employees and begins flying again, laughing and having fun.[25]
Happier than a Slinky on an Escalator: A Slinky is seen stepping backwards on an up escalator. While the Slinky goes backwards, others try to avoid it as they go to work and the slinky says "This is Awesome!"[26]
Happier than an Antelope with Nightvision Goggles: Two antelopes are seen watching a lion through nightvision goggles. The two are secretly laughing at the lion and his poor stealth skills (they incorrectly and sarcastically label the lion as "king of the jungle" – the correct term is "king of beasts").[27]
Happier than Dikembe Mutombo Blocking a Shot: Dikembe Mutombo appears blocking various things that people throw, such as a crumpled piece of paper, a pile of laundry, and a box of cereal. The GEICO Logo then appears and Mutombo knocks off the "G". It's "EICO" now.[28]
Happier than Paul Revere with a Cell phone: Paul Revere who is inside a home in Concord, Massachusetts, notices a bell ringing from a church. As he looks out the window, he calls on his cell phone and warns that the British are coming. Afterwards, he returns to his guests and plays charades.[29]
Happier than Dracula Volunteering at a Blood Drive: At a blood drive, Dracula Actor Frankie Ray asks a man his blood type and what he ate today. The man replies either A or B positive and that he ate Lebanese food. Dracula says that he loves the Lebanese. He then excitedly decides to skip the formalities and "get started". He is then seen following the man out at the end.[30]
Happier than the Pillsbury Doughboy on his way to a Baking Convention: At an airport, the Pillsbury Doughboy is going through airport security, but every time the security guard tries to pat him down, he is easily tickled. He promises to hold it together, but keeps failing. Once he gets on his way, the Doughboy sings along as Ronny and Jimmy continue playing the guitar.[31]
Happier than a Camel on Wednesday/Hump Day[32]: At an office, a camel asks workers what day it is. A woman (originally named Leslie) tells him that it is Hump day. The camel whoops with excitement.[33] This commercial soon received over 22 million views on YouTube and inspired a popular Internet meme. The camel appeared in the pregame show of Super Bowl XLVIII where he was named Caleb. Caleb also appeared with the Gecko in a crossover ad with M&M's.[34]

text: Museum of Modern Insurance[edit]

text: This campaign involves paintings in a museum encouraging their fellow paintings to switch to GEICO.

text:
A mountain climber in an "ACHIEVEMENT" motivational picture feels accomplished for climbing the mountain. The cat in the painting beneath says he saved hundreds on car insurance with GEICO, and draws a question mark next to "ACHIEVEMENT".
An excited cat tells a mouse on a teeter-totter that he saved a bunch on car insurance with GEICO, and that they should celebrate. The mouse thinks this is a bad idea. The cat launches the mouse into the air and prepares to eat him, but is beaten to it by an eagle in the motivational picture above.
A teacher asks his student to fill in the blank: "Fifteen Minutes could save you [blank] on car insurance." The student answers 9%, which the teacher says is incorrect and asks his pterodactyls, Steve and Rick, to "go to work," to which the student replies "Not again!".
A painting of Washington crossing the Delaware River notices a cat in front of them, and proceeds to ask the cat to get out of the way, claiming he doesn't want her to scratch the vessel, "for [he is] drifting, uninsured." She tells him that he needs to get insured right "meow," via calling GEICO. Her torso then falls off the painting to reveal a phone keypad, and one of the rowers pushes the buttons with his oar.
Dogs player poker ask for their friend called Rudy/Mr.Tickles, who is in a photo of him and his owner. The owner saved so much money by switching to GEICO that he wanted a photo to commemorate the occasion.
Uncle Sam talks to a family of people wearing "mom jeans".
A little girl asks her mother where babies come from, and in return the mother asks if her daughter knew that GEICO was saving people money for over 75 years. The mother then shouts "DINNER!" before the daughter can ask her question again.
Two 1980s valley girls fall for a band student whose grandparents have been saving money with GEICO for more than 75 years. The photo for the band student is the same photo used for the meme "PTSD Clarinet Boy".

text: "Did You Know?"[edit]

text: From mid-June 2013 to late 2014, a family of TV ads came on where one person reads a GEICO ad, which has the well-known tagline (often with the Gecko in it as well) and a second person says "Everybody knows that." to which the first person says, "Well, did you know ..." followed by an amusing (and fictional) "fact" which is then illustrated in a cutaway scene.[35] Prior to Did You Know Pinocchio Was a Bad Motivational Speaker?, the closing line was temporarily changed to "GEICO: 15 minutes could save you... well, you know."

text:
Did You Know That Some Owls Aren't That Wise?: A female owl is talking to her owl husband about having lunch with her co-worker Meghan, and the husband owl constantly responds "Who?"[36]
Did You Know Old MacDonald Was a Really Bad Speller?: Old MacDonald is a contestant in a spelling bee, and is asked to spell "cow". He spells it "C-O-W, E-I-E-I-O." The buzzer goes off, indicating that he's wrong, and he exclaims, "Dangnabbit" and exits the stage, exasperated (the "Dangnabbit" line would since then evolve into a viral quote).[37]
Did you know the Ancient Pyramids were actually a mistake?: An overseer is monitoring the construction of the Pyramids when he looks at the blueprints and sees that they were supposed to be cubes. He then says, "Uh-oh."[38]
Did you know that when a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, it does make a sound?: An anthropomorphized tree starts to tip, leading the tree to start shouting that it's going to fall. As it falls, the tree screams until it hits the ground. The tree then asks, "A little help?"[39]
Did You Know That Houdini Couldn't Escape from Everything?: Houdini comes up with something stuck in between his fingers and can't escape from them. He says to his mom, "Help, you gotta get me out of this!"[40]
Did You Know There Is an Oldest Trick in the Book?: In the Medieval era, an old man reads to a young apprentice from a large book: "Trick Number One ... Lookest over there." The apprentice looks in the direction indicated, and the old man says, "Ha-ha! Made-est thou look. So end-eth the trick."[41]
Did You Know Auctioneers Make Bad Grocery store Clerks?: A cashier in a grocery store tells a customer what the total of her purchase is, then starts rapidly "auctioning" it, taking bids from the woman and the man in line behind her.[42]
Did You Know Pinocchio Was a Bad Motivational Speaker?: A life-size Pinocchio gives a speech about noticing untapped potential. He points to a select few saying, "You have potential", but his nose grows every time, shocking the audience and indicating that he was lying.[43] An extended version of this commercial was posted on YouTube. In it, Pinocchio begins feeling stressed out from his book failing, ultimately he decides to write a new book.
Did You Know Bad News Doesn't Always Travel Fast?: A boss, personified as a snail, fires one of his employees, Todd. He then says, "Well, gotta run", and slowly crawls away.[44]
Did You Know Game Show Hosts Should Only Host Game Shows?: A game show host delivers the wedding vows at a wedding, but he asks the bride if she takes her husband or a new sports car, at which point the camera cuts to the car being given away as a prize. She dumps her husband for the car right there at the altar.[45]
Did You Know Playing Cards with Kenny Rogers Gets Old Pretty Fast?: Rogers plays poker while singing the lyrics from "The Gambler", which annoys the others.[46] This was the last commercial from the Did You Know? series to ever be played on TV, having last aired on 30 November 2015.[47]
Did You Know Words Really Can Hurt You?: A cowboy breaks up with his girlfriend, and rides off into the sunset, but when the words "The End" appear, he crashes into the "E" in "End" and is knocked off his horse.[48]
Did You Know the Great Wall of China Wasn't Always So Great?: An army of Mongols ride up to a fence-sized Wall of China. After a few moments of contemplation, they simply step over it and proceed on their way.[49]
Did You Know Former Pro Football Player Ickey Woods Will Celebrate Almost Anything?: Woods is seen at a deli counter and does his touchdown dance, the Ickey Shuffle, and yells out, "Gonna get some cold cuts today!" when his number 44 is called.[50]
Did You Know Certain Cartoon Characters Should Never Have an Energy Drink?: A commercial for an energy drink is being filmed, starring the Tasmanian Devil; after drinking the product, he spins out of control and leaves the set. The GEICO ad appears to be over as an entirely different commercial in another room advertises the "Birds of America collection" (50 state bird hand-painted china plate collection). It is then promptly given a "bull in a china shop" treatment when Taz bursts through the wall from the other commercial and demolishes the plates and displays.[51]
Did You Know Genies Can Be Really Literal?: A man finds a genie in a lamp and wishes for "a million bucks", clearly meaning "$1 million". The genie proceeds to grant him a million male deers.[52] This bit was extended into a web series.

text: "It's what you do"[edit]

text: From late 2014 to 2017, a family of commercials featured people doing irrelevant or weird actions, while in the end the long-time endboard narrator says, "If (you're) [. . .], you [. . .]. It's what you do. If you want to save 15% or more on car insurance, you switch to GEICO. It's what you do." When the ads appear in a movie theater before the previews start, the second line would be replaced with, "If you're in the movie theater, you silence your cell phone. It's what you do."

text:
If You're in a Horror Movie, You Make Poor Decisions: Four teenagers representing characters in a generic horror movie are running from a madman near an eerie farmhouse. They argue about whether to hide in the basement or the attic of the house, and when one girl suggests they get into the conveniently running car just behind them, the others call her crazy. Someone else suggests they go into the barn filled with chainsaws, and as they hide there the madman lurking behind them takes off his mask and shakes his head at their stupidity. The advertisement ends with the teenagers running from the madman toward the cemetery.
If You're Salt-N-Pepa, You Tell People to Push It - Salt-N-Pepa sing "Push It" to various people, including a businessman at the entrance doors, a woman on an elevator, a pregnant woman practicing the Lamaze technique, football players pushing against tackling dummies, and a man mowing his front lawn.
If You're a Camel, You Put Up with This All the Time - In reference to the viral "Hump Day" ad, a bunch of people at the zoo quote the ad to the camels, who are annoyed by it. One camel, named Phil, even complains that it is not even Wednesday.
If Something Goes Wrong, You Find a Scapegoat - At a peanut butter factory, the machines act haywire. The boss asks who is to blame, and a worker points to a goat named Rick, who then screams.
If You're a Free Range Chicken, You Roam Free: A chicken travels the world and texts selfie MMS's to its owners while "Ride Away" by Roy Orbison plays.
If You're a Cat, You Ignore People: A guy out in the desert falls into some quicksand, sees a cat and asks it for help, but the cat just stands there.
If You're Dora the Explorer, You Explore: A group of people struggle against harsh polar conditions to travel to the South Pole, but just as they're about to plant their flag to stake their claim, they find that Dora the Explorer and Boots are already there to greet them. The travelers walk away while Dora and Boots do a dance and say, "You did it! Yay!"
If You're a Fisherman, You Tell Tales: A fisherman exaggerates the day he caught a small fish.
If Your Boss Stops By, You Act Like You're Working: In medieval times, a group of armored knights led by an imposing leader enter a room lit only by torches. He's come to check on the progress of his men with their interrogation of a prisoner who is strapped to a large table. The two men sternly reply that the prisoner will tell them everything very shortly as they each hold a sharp, pointy weapon. As soon as the leader and his entourage take off, however, a bunch of other men emerge from their hiding spots and the group resumes their ping-pong match on the table. As it turns out, the prisoner is acting as their net and keeping score the entire time.
If You're the Guy from the Operation Game, You Get Operated On: A patient is rushed into an operating room; he's said to have several foreign objects in his body. The surgeon tries to remove one with tweezers, and a buzzer sounds. The patient turns out to be Cavity Sam.
If You're a Golf Commentator, You Whisper: Commentators are quietly describing the action during a golf tournament, when a kraken suddenly reaches out of the water hazard and grabs the golfer and some other people. The commentators continue to describe the scene, calmly and quietly.
If You're the Band Europe, You Love a Final Countdown: In a company break room, an employee cooks a burrito in a microwave oven; suddenly, the rock band Europe is in the room with him, singing "The Final Countdown" while the timer on the microwave counts down.
If You're Peter Pan, You Stay Young Forever: Peter flies in at a high school reunion that shows people who graduated in 1965 at their 50th class reunion.
If You're a Mom, You Call at the Worst Time – An action movie hero is saving the day when a call from his mother inconveniences him.
If You're a Couple, You Fight Over Directions – Tarzan and Jane are lost. Tarzan is confident about his way, but Jane asks Cheeta for directions.
If You Have Alligator Arms, You Avoid Picking up the Check – A group of people at a Chinese restaurant are given their bill, and a talking alligator suggests he take care of it, but he cannot reach it because of his tiny arms.
If You Sit on Your Phone, You Butt Dial People – A man is about to propose to his girlfriend, but her brother calls her. She answers, but it turns out to be a pocket dial from him at a sporting event.
If You're a Parrot, You Repeat Things – A parrot on a pirate's shoulder repeats everything the pirate said privately to everyone, causing the crew to mutiny against him. The parrot even repeats the voiceover's GEICO slogan "It's What You Do".
If You Want Someone to Leave You Alone, You Pretend Like You're Sleeping – Prince Charming attempts to awaken Sleeping Beauty from her slumber, but fails. After he leaves, Sleeping Beauty reveals she was faking just so she could catch up on her reality television.
If You Taste Something Bad, You Want Someone Else to Try It – Some talking raccoons are rummaging through the garbage, and one of them comes upon something foul and wants the others to taste it as well. This commercial appeared in the 2017 film The Dark Tower.
If You Walk the Walk, You Talk the Talk – A western sheriff confronts the villains and tells them to vamoose, and speaks his every move every time he walks.
If You're a Stuntman, You Cheat Death – A stunt man and the Grim Reaper compete in a 10K, but neither play fair.
If You're Boyz II Men, You'd Make Anything Sound Good – At a pharmacy, the Grammy-winning R&B group sing the possible side effects of a drug.
If You're a Ref, You Way Over-explain Things – A referee yells his order to a waiter at a restaurant.

text: "Unskippable" freeze frames[edit]

text: Debuted in 2015, these ads employ a satire of the technique of frame freezing, by showing live actors attempting to mimic a freeze-frame, often in awkward positions and sometimes assisted by intentionally visible stunt tools, such as suspension cords when paused in mid-air. The premise is that when viewing ads on sites like YouTube, usually a viewer cannot skip the ad until 5 seconds in then the commercial announcer saying "You can't skip this GEICO ad because it's already over" then the commercial announcer saying the GEICO slogan. If a user watches the entire video, events turn disastrous.

text:
Family: At the dinner table, a mother tells her family that they can "thank the savings". During the freeze-frame, the family dog starts eating from the father's plate.
High Five: Two friends celebrate saving money by performing a jumping high-five. During the freeze-frame, the stunt wires become visible and one of the actors' feet catches fire.
Cleaning Crew: A janitor mishears a businessman saying "savings". He loses control of the vacuum cleaner which runs over the cord and causes the electricity to short out.
Elevator: Two businessmen shake hands in an elevator. A woman enters the elevator asking to get off at the second floor, but the men are in a freeze-frame so she must press the button herself.

text:
Preceded by
The Epic Split feat. Jean-Claude Van Damme and Sorry, I Spent It on Myself
Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix Winner
2015
Succeeded by
Love freebies? Get them legally aka Shoplifters

text: Fast Forward[edit]

text: Debuted in 2016, these ads show the beginning portion of a 45–90-second ad before a blue screen disclaimer appears telling the viewers that the ad is being fast forward to the end portion so that they can get to their video faster. If an extended version of the ad or just the regular 15-second ad is shown on sites like YouTube, the viewer is usually welcome to skip the ad when 5 seconds have been used.

text:
Forest: In the lodge in the forest, two brothers were sawing a log when they were talking about savings from GEICO until a disclaimer appears skipping to one of the brothers hugging a bear thinking that "he's my brother".
Hike: Two hikers were walking a mountain telling that GEICO has been around for a very long time until a disclaimer appears skipping to the hikers being taken by an eagle while one of them holds a saxophone claiming that "not everyone likes smooth jazz!"
Lake: Two fishermen were talking in the canoe in the lake talking about 24/7 claims from GEICO until a disclaimer appears skipping to the fishermen being hung as plaques in a fish's house calling each other "gullible".
Going up: Almost similar to the "Unskippable" version of "Elevator", two women and a man discuss about their savings from GEICO until a disclaimer appears skipping two bald women coming out from the elevator leaving the man behind and declaring that they are "taking the stairs" next time.

text: Surprising[edit]

text: Debuted in 2016, these ads depict celebrities or historical figures in outlandish situations.

text: TV[edit]

text:
Playing Marco Polo with Marco Polo: Two kids play Marco Polo in their pool to the confusion of the historical Marco Polo, who eventually joins them in playing.
Ice-T at a Lemonade Stand: The famous American rapper runs a lemonade stand with two young boys but gets frustrated when customers repeatedly ask "Is that Ice T (iced tea) and yells that it's lemonade.
A Sumo Wrestler Figure skating: A Sumo Wrestler skates around and does some silly moves, including his signature "Flying Dutchman" only to get an applause from the crowd.
Tiki Barber Running a Barber Shop: Another barber says football plays before giving a buzzer to Tiki Barber, who sprints to each client and shaves a large part of their hair off. Once Tiki is done, he starts to celebrate and a person waiting leaves when he asks "Who's next?"
Ordering a Getaway Car with an App: A group of robbers escape with valuables but get upset when they find out their getaway car they ordered on a rideshare app is late. One remains optimistic and comments on how the driver's name, Randy, is trustworthy, but when the car comes, the police catch up to them.
Caesar on a Caesar Salad: A man portraying as Julius Caesar stands on top of a Caesar salad on the table in a restaurant.
Runway models on a runway: A group of notorious models delay a flight to hold a fashion show on an airport runway.
The Running of the Bulldogs: A runner trips in the Running of the Bulls race and faces imminent danger from...bulldogs.
A Triangle solo: An orchestra is performing Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, when the trianglist begins stealing the spotlight. (Side note: None of the Brandenburg Concertos call for a triangle.)
Casual Fridays at Buckingham Palace - A British royal guard slacker takes the place of a formal royal guard.
Randy Jackson Judging a Dog Show - The ex-American Idol judge gives his trademark critiques to a dog show.
Washington Crossing the Delaware Turnpike - The general holds up traffic by having his men drag his boat across the turnpike.
Manatees in Novelty Tees - A family at an aquarium visits the manatee exhibit, and sees that all the manatees are wearing T-shirts with slogans on them like "Come at Me, Bro" and "I'm with Stupid".

text: Radio[edit]

text: A Computer with a Virus: A computer suddenly comes down with a (literal) virus, admitting he ate

text: spoiled Oysters Rockefeller.

text:
A Really Charming Snake Charmer:
A Fortune Bank Teller: A man goes to the bank, but the teller is a gypsy woman who tells him his future.
Supermarket Beatboxing: A bored supermarket employee, told cleanup is needed in one of the aisles, begins beatboxing the announcement, and then continues the beatboxing with various other announcements (such as informing shoppers of a parked minivan with its headlights on). The spot won the Westwood One Sports Sounds Awards Media Choice Award for best commercial heard during the radio network's coverage of Super Bowl LII. [53]
The Wicked Witch of the West on the Water Slide:
An Emotional Rollercoaster:

text: Great Answer[edit]

text: These ads show a person seemingly in trouble, until they state that switching to GEICO could save you money on car insurance; at which point this unrelated answer is accepted as a great answer.

text:
Courtroom: A defendant in court is accused of robbing a safe. The prosecution has fingerprint evidence, photo evidence, and even a Twitter post using #JustRobbedTheSafe. The defendant's response is to tell everyone that switching to GEICO could save them money on car insurance, at which point he is dismissed.
Undercover: An undercover agent, wearing a disguise, is caught. When forced to explain himself, he says that you can save money on car insurance, at which point the people he was spying on let him go.
Meteor: After it is discovered that a meteor is heading toward earth, one of the people in the room tells everybody that switching to GEICO could save them money.
Adrift and Hungry: There are three men in a lifeboat, starving when one of them notices cheese on one of the men's beard. The man simply mentions that switching to GEICO could save them money. At the end, a fish jumps into their raft and they fight over it.
He-Man vs. Skeletor: He-Man and his posse are about to defeat Skeletor, until Skeletor tells them they should switch to GEICO and makes his escape.

text: Radio[edit]

text:
Painting: A man is showing a woman his new painting and asks for her opinion. Instead, she tells him that switching to GEICO could save money on car insurance.
Call-in Show: A woman is hosting a talk radio show, until the guy she once dated calls in asking why she never called back, so she says switching to GEICO could save hundreds on car insurance.
Trivia Contest: The question being asked is "What color is the White House?" When the contestant does not know the answer to this simple question, he says that switching to GEICO could save money on car insurance.
Love Advice:

text: Take a Closer Look[edit]

text: Since late 2016, a series of TV ads shows two people talking about GEICO, and one of them saying he/she should "take a closer look" at it; the camera then focuses on an inanimate object or animal in the background, which starts talking about the insurance company.

text: Plate: In this ad, painted figures on a decorative plate – a woman on a balcony and a man with a guitar in the garden below – talk about GEICO, and then the man plays music while the woman goes back inside.

text: Cuckoo clock: In this ad, moving figures on a cuckoo clock talk about GEICO and also about the futility of their repetitive actions.[54]

text: RV: Three bumper stickers on the back of a recreational vehicle talk about GEICO, and the one shaped like a moose is shocked to learn that he's not a real moose.

text:
Pigeon: A group of pigeons on a telephone wire talk about GEICO saying they have umbrella coverage, which gets one pigeon to say a person below them will wish he had an umbrella and to "fire at will." He later becomes frustrated at how none of the other pigeons understand that "fire at will" is a saying.
Fleas: Two fleas (actually two humans in badly-made flea suits) play badminton on a golden retriever until a disagreement results in the loss of a shuttlecock.

text: You Had One Job[edit]

text: Since 2017 on ESPN, the VO's tagline: "You had one job, brought to you by GEICO" and referee Shaun Irving blows his whistle to do jobs right.

text: Expect more[edit]

text: Since 2017, there have been ads in which one person is talking to another person about switching to GEICO and during each cut, the one who switched to GEICO gets more stuff.

text:
Bro - Two "bros" working out in the gym, who keep using "bro-" words ("broheem", "Teddy Brosevelt", etc.), the one who switched to GEICO keeps gaining more muscles.
Sandcastle - Two dads are building sandcastles. Every time it cuts back to the dad who switched to GEICO, his sandcastle gets bigger and more elaborate until it becomes an actual sand-mansion complete with a sand-fountain and sand-butler.
Christmas lights - Two guys putting up Christmas lights discuss switching to GEICO, the one who switched to GEICO's house becomes more and more elaborate, to the point where it is seen from space.
Still-life drawing - At a painting class, a man and a woman discuss switching to GEICO, while the woman's drawing becomes more detailed, and at the end, even comes to life.

text: We Interrupt Your Life[edit]

text: Since 2018, the announcer proclaims interrupting your life for multiple GEICO ads at the end of each ad and proclaims "We interrupt this message to bring you our logo."

text: Count on GEICO[edit]

text: Since 2017, there has been a new campaign in which humorous situations are presented as spokesman Steve Tom says, "As long as [such and such], you can count on GEICO saving folk money."

text:
As Long As Sloths are Slow...: A three-toed sloth is playing Pictionary with a group of humans. Of course, he only draws a single line, due to his speed, leaving the contestants to guess random things.
As Long As People Misplace Their Keys...: A space captain is about to fight a huge battle, but he ends up not being able to find his keys.
As Long AS GPS Can Still Get You Lost...: Two Emperor penguins separate from the Great Penguin Migration and use an unreliable mapping app on their phone.
As Long As Hecklers Love to Heckle...: At a jousting tournament, an audience member makes fun of one of the competitors, much to the delight of everyone else in the audience.
As Long as People Talk Baby Talk to Dogs...: McGruff the Crime Dog wants to be taken seriously in a police precinct, but the others act very condescending towards him.

text: A GEICO Commercial?[edit]

text: Since 2018, there has been a new campaign that breaks the fourth wall revealing the actors are actually in an advertisement for GEICO, as revealed by spokesman David Ebert.

text:
Weekend Gardening
Shopping Trip
Tea Time
Couple in the Park
Family Dinner
Vending Machine