Who Are The Actors In The Goldfish Mega Bites Commercial?
Pepperidge Farm, which is the company that manufactures Goldfish crackers, recently unveiled a new product line called Goldfish Mega Bites. As suggested by their name, the biggest difference between the new Mega Bites and regular Goldfish is their size. A marketing campaign for the newer, larger crackers specifically describes them as intended for adults, presumably because the smaller form factor of the original Goldfish is more befitting of a child's hands and/or appetite.
In a recent commercial for Goldfish Mega Bites, two similar-looking actors sit next to one another in folding chairs on the set of what appears to be a sci-fi movie. The actor on the left describes the Goldfish Mega Bites as "technically a reboot" of a "childhood icon." His companion replies, "We're childhood icons. Will they reboot us?" just before the two of them are replaced with muscular lookalikes.
While the second line of dialogue in the commercial makes clear the fact that these actors were famous during their childhood, those watching this commercial without a working knowledge of 90s film and TV may not realize that the featured performers are brothers, each known for a separate, iconic TV role.
The Goldfish Mega Bites commercial features the Savage brothers
The text description accompanying this recent Goldfish Mega Bites ad on YouTube refers to its two central actors as the Savage brothers. Those familiar with their prior work should recognize them as Fred and Ben Savage, both of whom are arguably best-known for their work in the 90s as child actors.
Fred Savage — the older brother, and the first of the two to speak — is, for better or for worse, inseparable to many from his role as young Kevin Arnold in "The Wonder Years." In fact, the extent to which he's associated with that role has seemingly made it difficult for him to find acting work during his adulthood. Also as a child, Fred Savage portrayed the kid featured in the framing segments of "The Princess Bride," in which he hears the film's story read to him by his grandfather.
Ben Savage, meanwhile, is similarly defined in large part by his role in "Boy Meets World." For seven seasons and over 150 episodes, viewers witnessed him portray the show's central character, Cory Matthews, starting in sixth grade and ending in his college years. Like his brother, the extent to which he's associated with this role continues to define his career today — including, of course, in this Goldfish Mega Bites commercial written to highlight the fact that the brothers are most well-known for being, in their own words, childhood icons.