Muppets Take Toyota for a JoyrideMuppets Take Toyota for a Joyride

Toyota and Walt Disney Studios’ The Muppets have teamed up to promote the new Toyota Highlander debut and the March 21 feature film premiere of Muppets Most Wanted, in a series of on-air and in-theater activations that will launch with a Super Bowl commercial.

The Muppets gang will hit the road with former NFL player and star of TV series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” Terry Crews, in a new Highlander commercial called “Joyride” that will make its broadcast debut during Super Bowl XLVIII, Feb. 2. (Get a sneak peek of the ad at the bottom of this article.) The Muppets will teach Crews’ character about “unborifying” his lifestyle as they “borrow” a Toyota Highlander.

In addition to the commercial, The Muppets will provide real-time updates as they travel to the big game in their Toyota Highlander on game day.

“Our game-day spot shows how Toyota Highlander puts the ‘fun' in function,” says Jack Hollis, vice president, Toyota division marketing, Toyota Motor Sales USA. “Toyota vehicles are built to last and can even endure the most boisterous Muppets, a former NFL player as well as a center console full of chickens.”

Beyond the Super Bowl, the Toyota and Disney collaboration will see the Highlander co-star with The Muppets in an ongoing advertising campaign.

“We’re excited to work with Toyota for the first time,” says Don Gross, vice president, promotions, Walt Disney Studios. “The Muppets’ classic mix of high energy and heart matches perfectly with Toyota’s spirit of adventure, and Kermit, Gonzo and the whole gang look forward to many zany road trips.”