Why H. Jon Benjamin's Progressive Commercial Is So Ironic To Bob's Burgers Fans
When it comes to Progressive commercials, even Flo needs a day off. Thankfully, the insurance company has a solid slate of marketing, whether it's the NFL-inspired "Replay" ads or Parenta-Life Coach Dr. Rick. Progressive's latest commercial features two animated pigeons, one of whom is voiced by H. Jon Benjamin.
When the birds notice a Progressive billboard promising customers $750 in savings, Benjamin's enterprising pigeon begins daydreaming about how he would use the money. "Sit back, relax, maybe work on my novel," Benjamin says in his signature deadpan. "And I won't forget the little birds out there. Actually, yes I will."
Benjamin is a voice-acting veteran, and he's in fine form for Progressive. Benjamin has previously brought his droll delivery to ads for Arby's, Coke Zero, and even Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign in 2020. He's best known, however, for leading both "Archer" and "Bob's Burgers." For fans of the latter series, Benjamin's Progressive performance has another layer of humor: burger gourmand Bob Belcher is famously afraid of pigeons. Commenters on the Progressive YouTube page were quick to point out the irony. "It's funny because Bob is afraid of pigeons," wrote one user, before adding an Alfred Hitchcock-referencing quote from "Bob's Burgers." "He is Tippi Hedren."
H. Jon Benjamin is a bird lover
Now in its 14th season, "Bob's Burgers" follows the Belcher family and their humble greasy spoon. The Belchers are beset with phobias. For Gene (Eugene Mirman), it's snakes; for Louise (Kristen Schaal), it's the dentist, and for Tina (Dan Mintz), it's the crushing weight of human existence.
Bob's intense fear of pigeons comes to light in Season 6, Episode 11, titled "House of 1000 Bounces." When a pigeon flies into the restaurant, Linda and Teddy (Larry Murphy) are shocked to discover Bob's long-concealed phobia. "Pigeons aren't harmless, Lin," Bob tells his wife. "They steal french fries and they poop on everything and they attack people's faces."
The source of Bob's fear comes from a suppressed childhood memory, in which he stumbled into an upstairs room filled with menacing birds. As it turns out, Bob has internalized a specific scene from Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 horror film "The Birds." "I don't think I'm Tippi Hedren," Bob mumbles, naming the avian-averse star of the film. "Oh my god, I'm Tippi Hedren."
H. Jon Benjamin going full pigeon for Progressive is certainly ironic, but not nearly as ironic as the actor's deep love of birds. As a kid, he used to trace the illustrations in John James Audubon's "Birds of America." Benjamin is now an avid birdwatcher. "When I get up in the morning, I'll see the same birds out by the feeder, and I'm aware of all of them now," Benjamin told Audubon Magazine. "I don't know. Something about that familiarity is comforting. And they're just, they're less problematic than humans."