Sam Richardson Falls Hard for Totino's in 3 Silly Scenarios

No space aliens this time, though

Totino’s Super Bowl invader from a distant galaxy may be dead, but the brand’s trademark stupid humor and pitchman Sam Richardson are alive and well. And this time, a sassy (scary!) squirrel’s in the mix.

Richardson returns today in farcical fare from Dentsu Creative and Caviar directors Mark Potoka and Matt Starr Spicer (aka MAMA). Each spot stresses that 10 Totino’s pizza rolls cost about $1—and you can’t get much else of value for that price these days.

For example, catching a certain bushy-tailed rodent would set you back $200—or 2,000 rolls:

“One of the biggest obstacles leading up to production was figuring out how to make the squirrel feel as realistic as possible without using a real squirrel,” Dentsu ACD Matt Richter tells Muse. “With multiple puppeteers and an animatronic named Baxter, we landed a look that’s the perfect combination of authentic and erratic.”

Next, a roof patch costs at the equivalent of 3,000 rolls, which sends Sam into a downward spiral:

“Utilizing a dummy, and pre-rigged trap door, we spent a hilarious couple of hours on set breaking coffee tables until we got the shot,” Richter recalls.

FInally, HVAC service also costs 3K rolls, and that makes our hero hot under the collar:

“The art department came through, building out an entire faux wall to mount the A/C unit to, and using a dolly to send Sam’s on-screen son across the room,” Richter says.

The work will run across online video, social, digital and TV.