Mountain Dew launched their new commercial during the Super Bowl on Feb. 9 and surprised viewers by recruiting singers Becky G and Seal to star in it. But it was Seal’s cameo that stole most of the attention, for better or worse.
In the 79 second ad, the “Fly Like an Eagle” singer turns into a seal — an obvious play off of his name. His face appeared to be edited on the body of a seal. But the transformation left fans scratching their heads.
The video starts with the brand’s spokes character Mountain Dude sliding in to distract Becky G from her phone, by handing her a Mountain Dew Baja Blast. The singer takes a sip and is transported onto a moving speedboat with Mountain Dude and other passengers.
Suddenly they approach a rock full of singing seals, with Seal, also in the animated form of the animal, on the top of a rock singing a rendition of his 1994 song “Kiss from a Rose.” The original lyrics of the song were re-written to apply to the Mountain Dew drink.
He even sings about his animalistic transformation.
“The more I think of it, it’s strange. I’m a seal, yeah. My flippers can’t hold Mountain Dew. It slips right on through what a shame,” he belts.
After wrapping up his song, Becky G reacts saying “Well this is the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.” It ends with Seal popping up on the back of the boat in his human form and saying, “Good looking seal.”
But fans seemingly found the Seal mutation to be disturbing. Many questioned why the singer would agree to do the commercial. The popular question most wondered is if Seal was struggling for money.
One person asked, “Does Seal need money this bad? If I was him and somebody from pepsico came to me and asked me to be in this superbowl commercial i would probably commit seppuku.”
Someone else said, “Yall buy a Seal album. That commercial was deeply unsettling. Another joked, “LISTEN! I said wtf is this???…..baby seal must be MC Hammer broke.”
MC Hammer, also known for hits like “U Can’t Touch This” and “2 Legit to Quit,” went from having a net worth of nearly $70 million dollars to $13 million in debt and filing for bankruptcy.
Others on Mountain Dew’s YouTube channel praised Seal’s appearance in the commercial.
One person said, “Seal needs a grammy for this alone” and someone else wrote, “Favorite commercial of the Super Bowl so far. This has my Seal of approval.”
As for the UK singer, it didn’t take much to get him to agree to be in this Mountain Dew commercial.
In an interview with Us Weekly he said, “It was fun, and I like and drink Mountain Dew Baja Blast, and therefore it seemed like a no-brainer. Again, it’s all done with a touch of humor. It’s meant to be entertainment. It’s meant to be funny. It gives me a chance to poke fun at myself. And laughter is a valuable commodity these days.”
He also said as far as his transformation, “It wasn’t a difficult transition.”
“It is not the first time I’ve heard that joke, but it was fun. As long as it makes people laugh and makes me laugh,” he shared.
Seal earned three Grammy awards for “Kiss From a Rose,” including Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
