Toyota Tacoma Super Bowl Ads Celebrate The “Oh S#!t Handle”

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Apparently, Toyota is the official automotive partner of the NFL, so it should not come as much of a surprise that it has produced a pair of ads for Super Bowl LVIII this Sunday. The TV spots celebrate the camaraderie that comes from an off-road adventure, and the terror that Tacoma drivers can strike into the hearts of their passengers.

The first ad will play during the third commercial break of the third quarter of the game, and is titled “Dareful Handle.” It celebrates the ceiling mounted handles that passengers tend to grab onto when they’re alarmed.

While many of us doubtless remember it as the “parent teaching us to drive” handle, it goes by many names, especially in off-roading scenarios. In the ad, the piece of interior design is at times called the “woah, woah, woah” handle, the “seriously, Rob!?” handle, and the “no me gusta” handle, depending on what the passengers are saying.

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It’s an amusing way to highlight the new Tacoma’s abilities, while tapping into a sort of proto-meme. I think we all have our own name for the handle. Such is the primordial need for an “oh s#!t” handle that the ad’s director, Tarsem Singh, said none of the actors needed much coaching.

“I thought we would need a lot of acting but the Tacoma delivered on such a level that all the reactions are pretty much live,” said Singh. “The power and performance of the Tacoma exceeded all my expectations, and I’m excited for viewers to see this truck in action.”

While the first ad is about the Tacoma’s ability to drive a wedge between the driver and their passenger, Toyota’s second is about its ability to bring people together. Set to play during the Super Bowl broadcast on Univision, the ad, dubbed “Undisclosed,” is targeted towards Hispanic viewers.

Directed by Goh Iromoto, it focuses on the more collaborative aspects of off-roading and overlanding, including helping friends gets out of jams, navigating difficult trails together, and camping under the stars.