The lion might be the king of the jungle, but the gorilla has just proven to be the king of the sweet tooth, as the popular Cadbury’s Drumming Gorilla starts off his cross country tour with a stop in Galway this week.
The gorilla, who left a massive crowd screaming for more in Cois Fharraige last week as he kicked off his tour, is best known for his passionate version of Phil Collins’ 1981 hit ‘In The Air Tonight’, which generated almost three million hits on YouTube shortly after it hit national airwaves last year.
As part of Cadbury’s 2007-2008 advertising campaign, the Drumming Gorilla has quickly risen to cult-like status across Ireland and the UK, being featured during major television events such as the 2007 Rugby World Cup final. The sequel commercial, featuring Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, was broadcast this summer on Channel 4 during the Big Brother Season 9 finale.
The original advert, which is now being aired all over the world, has won a number of prestigious awards and is believed to be responsible for a noticeable improvement in the public perception of the brand in the last year.
“HMV is very much looking forward to hosting what is most likely to be one of the most popular tours of the year,” said HMV spokesperson Gennaro Castaldo.
“The Cadbury Gorilla has fast become an icon in his own right and so we are delighted that fans will have the opportunity to see him in action playing to hit tunes from acts such as Deep Purple and his more recent offering ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’.”
The Cadbury Drumming Gorilla will perform this Thursday at 12noon. Mr Castaldo is urging fans to get there early in order to beat the crowds.