H. Jon Benjamin at Comic-con

TV NEWS

Why H. Jon Benjamin's Progressive Commercial Is So Ironic To Bob's Burgers Fans
By JULIA SELINGER

Progressive's latest commercial features two animated pigeons, one of whom is voiced by H. Jon Benjamin, who notices a Progressive billboard promising customers $750 in savings.

Benjamin's deadpan bird daydreams about how he would use the money, "Sit back, relax, maybe work on my novel. And I won't forget the little birds out there. Actually, yes I will."

For fans of "Bob's Burgers," Benjamin's Progressive performance has another layer of humor: burger gourmand Bob Belcher, also played by Benjamin, is afraid of pigeons.

In Season 6, Episode 11, Bob says, "Pigeons aren't harmless, Lin. They steal french fries and they poop on everything and they attack people's faces."

As it turns out, Bob has internalized a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 horror film "The Birds." He mumbles, "I don't think I'm Tippi Hedren [...] Oh my god, I'm Tippi Hedren."

YouTube commenters quickly pointed out the commercial’s irony. "It's funny because Bob is afraid of pigeons," wrote one user, before adding the quote, "He is Tippi Hedren."