A person dressed as a wizard with a long white beard and pointed hat stands with arms outstretched. Two children look on with expressions of awe and excitement.

Miscellaneous: Dark Igloo create brilliant parody of the toy ads of yesteryear, complete with creepy wizard

Words: Rob Alderson
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Date: 17 December 2013; Work

Well this is just all kinds of tremendous. New York based studio Dark Igloo have created this parody advert for “the greatest game never made” and they have absolutely smashed it. Billed as “a little holiday homage to the must-have toys of our childhood” it purports to be a commercial for Bored Game a frankly baffling coming together of various toys and games you’ll recognise and many you won’t.

Created using 20 existing toys and 100 feet of car track, it’s a nonsensical world where dice are delicious and American football players smash through fields of dragons. Where it excels though is the commitment to getting the tone of these kind of adverts right – the breathless promises, the breakneck speed, the annoying kids and the creepily enthusiastic wizard. Look out as well for some lovely blink-and-you’ll-miss-them-touches; “Terrifying hand not included” is a particular favourite. Bravo Dark Igloo, bravo indeed!

A red die with the word “DELICIOUS” sits beneath a stone archway carved like a monster’s face. In the foreground, a black die shows the phrases “SEVER LIMB” and “DOUBLE DAMAGE” amidst a hazy, smoke-filled scene. — Above
Dark Igloo: Bored Game

A close-up of a plastic figure with a shocked expression, wide eyes and an open mouth. Behind them, a blurred Connect Four grid is filled with red and blue discs. — Above
Dark Igloo: Bored Game

A 3D render of a toy figure of Larry Zanders in a blue football kit, featuring large, dark dragon wings. The figure stands atop a pile of oversized white dice amidst swirling smoke. Text to the right reads “REALISTIC DRAGON DODGIN’ Larry Zanders™”, with “EVIL MIST SOLD SEPARATELY” written below. — Above
Dark Igloo: Bored Game

A child’s hand moves a Superman action figure across a Justice League playset. Batman and Robin figures sit nearby on a beige plastic structure. — Above
Dark Igloo: Bored Game

Two Transformers action figures, one red and one blue, face off in a battle pose. They are surrounded by a complex, colourful landscape of toys and model buildings under dramatic blue and red lighting. — Above
Dark Igloo: Bored Game

A collection of futuristic, white and red gaming peripherals from the 1980s. Each item is labelled with a name, including the “Battle Hat”, “Dead-Eye”, “Mega-Vest”, “Power Pistol”, “Ultra Glove” and “Warp Paddle”. A hand reaches into the frame to point at the controls. — Above
Dark Igloo: Bored Game

Further Info

www.portfolio.darkigloo.com

About the Author

Rob Alderson

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Rob Alderson is a freelance writer, editor and strategist. He was previously editor-in-chief of It’s Nice That and WePresent, and editor of Design Week. He publishes the newsletter Undo, which tries to make sense of how AI is changing design work, the design process and the design industry.

Miscellaneous: Dark Igloo create brilliant parody of the toy ads of yesteryear, complete with creepy wizard

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