Don't even think about it!
"Don't even think about it!" is an emphatic prohibition[1] popularized by a 1993 Pepsi commercial featuring Shaquille O'Neal, a famous basketball player.
History
[edit]
The catchphrase as used by the Pepsi ad was based upon a similar phrase, "Don't even THINK of parking here", which came into use on no parking signs in major cities such as New York City and Chicago.[2][3] The signs first appeared in New York in 1982 during Ed Koch's mayoral administration.[4][5]
Popularization
[edit]The 1993 commercial featuring O'Neal begins with him playing hoops at a street basketball court. A little kid notices him, and exclaims O'Neal's nickname, "Shaq". O'Neal, noticing that the kid has a Pepsi in his hand, walks over and says "Hey, can I have it?" He bends over, supposing that his admirer will give him the soda, but the kid refuses, saying: "Don't even think about it!" Suddenly, a sound simulating that of a scratched record is heard, and the commercial ends with the Pepsi logo and slogan.
The commercial is actually a parody of another famous one from the 1970s produced by Pepsi's rival, Coca-Cola, in which a young boy meets football player "Mean" Joe Greene as he is leaving the field after a game. The boy gives his hero a bottle of Coke and, in exchange for the drink, the football player throws his jersey to the boy, who excitedly catches the souvenir.
In a Rocko's Modern Life episode, Rocko got a traffic ticket for literally thinking of parking.
The sign is mentioned in an episode of Arthur in the backdoor pilot for Postcards from Buster.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Bruce K. Waltke (15 March 2005). The Book of Proverbs: Chapters 15-31. p. 265. ISBN 9780802827760.
- ^ E.J. Dionne (August 16, 1998). "No Go". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012.
- ^ "13 Ways to Get Message on Parking". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. March 5, 1987. p. 4. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
- ^ Ari L. Goldman (June 15, 1982). "Bus-Only Lanes to be Increased to Speed Travel". The New York Times. section A, p. 1.
- ^ Clyde Haberman and Laurie Johnston (September 4, 1982). "New York Day by Day". The New York Times. section 1, p. 24.
Further reading
[edit]- Paul Trapido, Barbara Ensor (1986). Don't Even Think of Parking Here: The New York City Guide to Parking and Driving. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-62836-4.