Raccoons To Reposition Recliners?

Ranger Rick would be proud of Wendall and Al.

They’re the loquacious raccoons that La-Z-Boy has entrusted with a weighty mission: to reposition and revitalize the nation’s largest maker of upholstered furniture and reclining chairs.

Monroe, Mich.-based La-Z-Boy will launch an advertising campaign next week starring the naughty nocturnal partners who yearn for a comfy place in which to stretch their paws. The commercials feature critters who jimmy a window and lounge on plush sofas and chairs, all made by La-Z-Boy. A raccoon named Wendall is puzzled at the wide variety of La-Z-Boy furniture; he thought La-Z-Boy made only recliners.

“It’s a common misconception among raccoons,” says Al, Wendall’s partner in crime and his intellectual superior.

“We think this commercial will be a ‘water-cooler spot,’ said John Case, La-Z-Boy vice president of marketing. “We want it to amaze and mystify people, so when they go to the office water cooler the next morning, they talk about the spot.”