Forget Sex, Crudeness Sells

Advertising execs usually like spokesmen to be safe, wholesome, family-friendly figures. So why the heck are the Griffins their new darlings? From Coca-Cola to Subway, everyone seems to be tapping the "Family Guy" clan, despite the show’s tendency to joke about sex, religion, AIDS, and other wholesome, family-friendly topics. It seems crude is “in,” the New York Times reports.

Advertisers like the demographics that "Family Guy" hits, and note that cartoon characters can’t get in off-screen trouble the way real actors can. But there were still “folks who thought it was a little controversial,” said one Subway executive. Of the six scripts submitted for commercials, “four, we couldn’t use,” he said with a laugh. “We’re still a family restaurant.” (More Family Guy stories.)