12:30 made me tense up with momentary anxiety
For real. That was from a world that hadn’t experienced 9/11.
I feel like Pets.com is the canonical example of febrile late-bubble ad spend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sICSyC9u5iI
That’s a play off of Triumph the Insult Dog from the Conan O’Brien Show.
Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Good catch! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_the_Insult_Comic_Dog
In 1999, after Triumph accused Pets.com’s sock puppet mascot of being a “rip-off” of Triumph on television shows, in print media, online, and in a letter, the company sent lawsuit threats and cease and desist letters to Smigel claiming “unfair competition, dilution and potentially tortious interference with contract in violation of federal and state laws” and the following year filed a lawsuit against Late Night and Smigel. The bankruptcy and closing of the company during the dot-com bust of 2000 ended the lawsuit. Triumph humped the Pets.com dog in a bathroom during a segment of Late Night as an act of revenge.
