AW: Where did the idea for the character come from, and why is it called that?
JV: I had been chatting to my brother in the pub one evening about how great the moon is (it really is very good as you are probably aware). We went home and started jamming with a guitar, and I improvised a song, which I recorded on a camcorder. The next day I animated a couple of characters I had been playing about with in Photoshop, so they were singing the song. These characters were the Spongmonkeys.
They were called that because at the time I was a member of a creative community at b3ta.com, where the word “spong” was being used to describe the process of adding stupid eyes to an image. These guys had pretty messed-up faces, so I called them the Spongmonkeys.
AW: How did it become the mascot for Quiznos? Why does it make sense as a representation of the brand (or does it)?
JV: When I released the Spongmonkeys originally they were singing about the moon, and they had yet to discover their overwhelming love of Quiznos subs. When I was approached about doing the Quiznos commercials with them, I jumped at the chance. They realized that Quiznos subs were the only thing they actually loved more than the moon (although I want to be very clear that they still absolutely adore the moon as well) and off we all went together on this wonderful adventure.
As far as brand representation is concerned, their overwhelming love for the subs is probably the main factor here. That and the way they tend to grab attention with their debonaire looks and beautiful song. Mainly, though, this is about positivity. They seriously love those subs.
AW: Reactions to Spongmonkeys have covered the full spectrum of emotions. What’s been the most surprising to you?
JV: I was quite surprised by how much of a kerfuffle the little chaps caused when we originally put them out, as I had been living on the internet for some years and the threshold for what counts as bonkers there is probably a fair bit higher than in society at large. I don’t think the specific reactions were surprising as such, but the scale of it all was an eye-opener.
AW: During the original campaign, there were reports that Spongmonkeys made some children cry. Do you think it’s okay if a brand mascot alienates people?
In these divided times, the relentless positivity of the Spongmonkeys is an important lighthouse in this era.
Joel Veitch
JV: That probably depends on the brand to some extent, and its values. You probably don’t want to cause division if you are manufacturing baby milk, but Quiznos has always been edgy with their advertising.