Feeling It. And Not Feeling It.

In case you hadn’t yet noticed, I can be a little bit quirky.

Though I am a card-carrying, Type A Control Freak when I want to be*, I have a few issues that are slightly more off-the-beaten-path, like my weird way of anthropomorphizing** cars. I’m not even talking about naming our cars. I don’t do that.

Remember when that was all the rage though, in the 1970s? I think everyone’s station wagon was named Bessie or Stella or Delores. Or something like that.

No, I don’t name our vehicles. My weird issue comes into play when we’re car shopping. I will not drive a “mean-looking” or “unhappy-looking” car. I like happy cars.

Please don’t click outta here.

I get vibes from cars. Hey, it’s not like I’m claiming to be a psychic or anything; I just don’t want to drive a car which I perceive to have bad juju. I like a car that “says”, when I look at it, “Hiya! Let’s go!”

Of course I cannot find totally excellent examples online because I’m actively looking for them, but let me try to give you an idea.

“Mad” or “Unhappy” looking cars:

Subaru Forester STi, 2005
066717.1 lg
05.dodge.magnum.500
2009 Nissan cube car pics
“Happy”-looking (or downright Smiling) cars:

DODGE NEON
mini
X37ABN
I could totally go off on another tangent right now about how I describe some cars as having “too big a butt” and that the big joke in our family when I got my Pontiac G6 was that it’s such a cute car AND it has a “cute butt that rises up to meet you” (and NO, I’m not the one who said it, but I totally agree with her), but really, you don’t need to know that. Oops. Did I just write that out loud?

Anyway, after all of the ribbing I’ve gotten around here for years about my car issues, I’ve had the last laugh recently, thanks to American Express. (Full disclosure: NO, they didn’t contact me to write about and promote them. They have no idea that I am totally using them to make myself seem more normal.)

Knowing what you now know about me and my happy/sad issues with non-humans, you can imagine how completely overjoyed I was when I saw this commercial.

Seems I’m not the only one giving inanimate objects some human characteristics!

Who’s the weird one NOW?

Okay, still me.

*haha, get it? Of course that last part was a joke.

**Definition: “giving human traits to”

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15 Comments

  • Classy Fab Sarah

    Haha I so agree that cars can look mad or happy!!

    My VW Jetta is such a happy car and I have a firm belief that the tail lights actually "smile."

    However, I do like to name my car. Daisy is a very smiley car.

    Who's weird now?

  • sandra

    i thought i was the only one who saw that!
    i totally can tell what the car would look like if it were human in my head. i've told my brothers 'look, that car looks like it has big teeth! a long nose! a wide chin!' and they never.ever.get me 🙁

    looks who is not weird alone!

  • Tara R.

    Great commercial! I think my car is a 'happy' one. I thought about 'Chick Hicks,' the 'bad-guy' in Cars. Totally 'mean' face on that one.

  • Katie

    OMG! I am so happy that you posted this because everyone always thinks I'm SOOOO weird for thinking that some cars are just downright mean looking.

    I drive a Neon, and I love it because it just looks dopey to me! LOL… and I want to own a Mini… that is my all time favourite car. It just looks so happy!

    I think I'm the weird one now! But at least I'm weird in good company.

  • WeaselMomma

    "please don't click outta here", had me falling out of my chair. You're a freak, but you're our little freak and we wouldn't want it any other way! I also must be slightly off kilter. I think you definitely have a point about the happy/sad/angry looking cars.

  • krissy knox

    Okay, I'm with you, Hon, but I think tastes vary, LOL. I like cars two and three, they are happy coral colors, LOL! Car number four is VERY unhappy and almost as ugly as sin. I saw it in a parking lot one time, and asked my husband, "What is THAT? Do they actually MAKE those cars today, or is that a car from the 40's or something?" Then I ran around to check out the date on it and it said 2009, and I was horrified when I realized they made that car unhappy on purpose like that! It is SO LOW to the ground, isn't it? Ugh. Now the last three cars are very happy, but I'm a little sick of VW's, no matter what color they are in. When I was growing up, we called them "punch buggies." If you saw a "buggy" you punched your sister or brother and yelled "punch buggy" then "pizza" or your delicacy of choice. If you were first, your sibling had to buy you the pizza or coke or whatever. You had to share it, but they had to pay. I don't know. That happy car is still to 70's for me, LOL. Or was that the 80's. I forget. Anyway, my Toyota is champagne, but is VERY happy, bc it almost NEVER breaks down.

    Anyway, if you'd like to visit my blog, it's:

    Sometimes I Think

    http://sometimesithink-krissy.blogspot.com

    krissy knox 🙂

  • surprised mom

    I never thought about cars in a happy/sad sort of way. My first thought is always "so how long am I going to be happy before I have to start repairing this thing which will make me and my checkbook said?"

  • Anonymous

    OK, we name our cars most of the time. Our Mini is Joyful. My husband (your Dad) did that, Joy is my middle name, my father named me that he said I was the Joy of his life. Can you tell I was a daddy's girl. I think my Honda is a happy car knock on wood. I don't want to put any bad vibes on it. It is paid for and has been so it is my happy car.
    Grandma W

  • CK Lunchbox

    That was clever. The Chevy HHR never seemed angry exactly, but instead, depressed, kind of like a droopy Basset hound.

    You live in Chicago? I am jealous.

  • LceeL

    I used to drive an old '63 Mercedes that I called Myrtle, my current car is a Saturn Vue which I call "BW" (which stands for Bun Warmer – because my heated driver's seat stays on HIGH all. winter. long.), and I see faces in things ALL THE TIME – and the American Express commercial is such a relief because now I know I'm not crazy – other people see that too.

  • NYC Girl

    You post totally makes sense to me! I would never drive one of your unhappy cars at all!

    And I know you totally get me when I say my Saturn LS 200 is named Sebastian Saturn and he has big ass!

    Now he belongs to my sister and I miss him terribly and drive him any chance I get.

    My dad's car is Harry Hyundai and he's a SUV and has a little ass.

    Ok I thing I'm done 🙂

  • Michelle

    So with you. That's one of the reasons I hate car shopping. I LIKE my car(s). And my Pilot is a happy car.

    That commercial though? LOVE it. Ditto with the dishwasher one.

  • DaddysFishBowl

    LMAO, I totally see angry & happy faces on those cars now. Never in a million years would I have made that connection. The last one of the unhappy cars is the absolute worst. I saw it for the first time a few weeks ago and it took the ugly car award hands down.