Dwarf Star Trek Pest Control

May 16, 2007 3:36 PM

All the ads for Hulett Environmental Services have three things in common: bizarre themes, comically low production values, and an all-dwarf cast. For 17 years, diminutive brothers Greg & John Rice have written, produced & starred in a number of insane spots for their pest control company. My personal favorite is this Star Trek themed one, but really they're all pretty awesome.
posted by jonson (15 comments total)

God bless regional local ads. As a sad footnote, John Rice passed away in Nov of 2005, but Greg isn't letting this deter him, continuing to make the spots but casting himself in multiple roles using the magic of editing.
posted by jonson at 3:36 PM on May 16, 2007 [1 favorite]

Ant Roundup
posted by taosbat at 4:25 PM on May 16, 2007

I saw one of these on a visit to Florida once, and have been trying to convince myself I didn't halucinate ever since then.

Thank you. I think.
posted by pupdog at 4:27 PM on May 16, 2007

Man, I love local advertising.
posted by cortex at 4:33 PM on May 16, 2007

It's like a mini
mall!
posted by cortex at 4:34 PM on May 16, 2007

Don't/Didn't these guys also do an informercial for real estate seminars or some other get rich quick thing a while back?

If there was a channel that showed nothing but this guy's infomercials, I would never leave the house.
posted by timsteil at 4:35 PM on May 16, 2007

Thank you! Thank you very much...
posted by taosbat at 4:41 PM on May 16, 2007

I'm fascinated with this genre of commercials, and I've actually been thinking about an AskMe post for the past few days to find out more.

In my hometown it was a used car salesman: We'll smash any price![Queue wrecking ball to fall on car in junkyard.]

We also had a guy on a horse who would scream a lot. I think he sold mattresses. Or maybe lumber.

See also: The Consumerist's Great Moments in Commercial History.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 4:46 PM on May 16, 2007

Wikipedia entry and this note in shortsupport.org: "The Rice Twins went into real estate, became millionaires, and created a multimillion-dollar motivational speaking company called Think BIG!.... In 1990, John and Greg went into the pest control business, becoming partners in Hulett Environmental Services and improved sales by 800 percent in just seven years."
posted by Tacodog at 4:49 PM on May 16, 2007

I don't find little people inherently funny, but these guys are kind of awesome as a whole package. They're clearly intelligent, good-humored individuals who know how to work themselves. Bless 'em.

Hey, did you know that Michael Anderson, The Man From Another Place on Twin Peaks and Samson from Carnivale, used to work for NASA? Now you do.
posted by Sticherbeast at 5:10 PM on May 16, 2007

And speaking of incredible commercials.
posted by Sticherbeast at 5:11 PM on May 16, 2007 [2 favorites]

Yes, but did they ever make a full length motion picture?
posted by IndigoJones at 5:21 PM on May 16, 2007

Man, sticherbeast... that's just AWESEOME. That's the best local commercial I've seen in years... surreal. Absolutely difficult to believe it's not a parody. When the clearly male voiced eagle squats & craps out an egg full of discount auto insurance, it's just sublime.
posted by jonson at 5:38 PM on May 16, 2007

"And speaking of incredible commercials."

Oh my God, what did that bird just do?! And what the fuck was that thing that popped out?


These commercials remind me, I've been meaning to take a trip down to Steven's Creek Blvd. or go across from the Dumphrey and beat down Paul from the Diamond Center.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 5:41 PM on May 16, 2007

Sticherbeast writes 'And speaking of incredible commercials.'

Don of Don's Guns is just fabulous:

"I don't want to make any money, folks. I just LOVE to rent guns. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

You'd need that Desert Eagle with a freak like him in the vicinity.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:03 AM on May 18, 2007