Squashing those flat buns

Teachers can't take a joke. The Carl's Jr. marketing folks just wanted to reach out to 18-34 year-old males who happen to be the biggest consumers of fast-food burgers. What’s wrong with that? So they come up with a Patty Melt commercial titled "Flat Buns." It shows a leggy blond teacher - with glasses - walking past a couple of rap star wannabee students who get a good look at her tush. Suddenly, the guys in hoodies break into song: "I like them really hot, I like them really flat, I like them just like a pancake stack..." By this time, the teacher jumps on top of her desk and starts gyrating in the class of teenage boys. (By the way, OC Register reporter Nancy Luna doesn't think that tush is exactly flat. I'll abstain.)

When the Register first reported the story, a spokesman for CKE Restaurants, parent of Carl's, said that "like many of our ads, this new ad is intended to be comical and edgy and is not intended to be taken literally. Nor was it our intention to offend any group of people.” Well, the spot has been on YouTube for a while, and it’s gotten a bunch of teachers groups in a dither - so much so that it’s been re-edited by Mendelsohn/Zien, the L.A. ad agency that's behind all of Carl’s drippy, sex-infused ads. In the new version, the teacher is gone (off to be a contestant on "The Bachelor," no doubt). "The new ad," reports Luna, "was essentially cut in half, stripped of any reference to the sexy dancing teacher. However, the rap song does refer to her flat buns, and includes a chalkboard 'booty' photo depicting a flat butt." Shucks. Here's the original ad, which has 287,000 views so far, and here's the Register story.