Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen for June 19, 2008

Good morning, everybody!

We’re here bright and early, to post our comments on

the June 19th  2018 “CLEO and COMPANY” 

And we’ve already read it, on Sherpa!

http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/feature?uc_comic=cscwy

I love the morning….

I remember being up before dawn, driving 40 miles to sell at a flea market where you had to get in line, in your car, by about 4 am to get a spot.

I remember running at dawn, when I used to run….

I remember the sounds and the smells and the soft early light.

It made me feel like celebrating, just like Graham.

Penning an ode to Aten, or Ra… or maybe Helios, or Apollo…

Eos, the dawn goddess….

or maybe to Coffee…. great Mother of the sacred Caffeine.

That usually provides the dawn of my energy.

I know!

There are tables in my pie shop…. every kind of pie…. and good coffee, and tea, juice, or milk….and it’s right next door to the Tiki.

Shall we go there to discuss Cleo this time? My treat!

Graham…. would you like to come along?

You have your breakfast right there?

Oh, I see it… yes, I know they call those “graham” crackers…

but you’re not meant to live on them.

Up to you, of course.

Ah… the morning air…. (sniff)….

let’s get to the pie shop and talk about Cleo…

and then I’ll go home to bed.

What?

You didn’t think I actually got up this early, did you?

No…. these days, I go to bed this late.

Graham spent the rest of the day (and night) in the ICU after that freak thunderstorm.

Then are we supposed to assume that Graham’s head gear is designed to, {ahem} attract ……………. something?

Cleo makes a fabulous canine stand-in for Flo. She’s a natural with that blue whatever-it’s-called on top of her noggin. She’ll really draw in the pet insurance market, for sure. You know, medical, dental, home. And just imagine the life insurance sales to cats!

Cleo seems to be assisting Flo here, rather than taking on the same role, as she often does in the movies….

then again, since, as we know, the basset movies we’ve seen actually pre-date (of course) the human versions, the human actresses can only copy Cleo.

In this case, Flo was already on the job…. she’s immensely popular….

and with about 100 commercials to her credit, maybe even to the point of being overworked.

But Progressive says they have no plans to drop her, even though they have run some new spots without her.

You never know, though, whether hiring the multi-talented Cleo Clifford as her perky basset assistant is a just a ploy….

perhaps by autumn or winter, Flo will have been slowly eased out….

and “Flo Basset” (aka Cleo) will be the new spokesperson….. er… spokes dog… for the company.

She’s at least equally cute and perky…. and a dog, to boot…. so I’m sure it would be a big win for the company….

and quite progressive!

Sorry, but I don’t really watch TV, and while I’ve seen Flo, this particular commercial is unfamiliar….

so I to have to ask…. what is Cleo holding?

I can’t quite make it out.

For a second, I though Cleo & Co. had gone commercial.

ᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛs

WHAT IS CLEO HOLDING?

   1.  Portable Portal of Forgetfulness

   2.  Flux Capacitor

   3.  SusanSunshine™ Flea Transportation System

   4.  Handbell (once used by Barkie Howladay in The Bells of St. Cleo)

   5.  Name Your Own Price Tool

   9.  Nighthawks Model 9 Whoosh! Detector

See? How do I compete with THAT!?

We DVR just about everything we watch. Why? So we can zap through all those pesky commercials!!! And Flo is one of the most annoying! But, maybe I’d even watch it if FloBasset was the star! She’s so adorable in her blue headband.

I think Cleo might like working with Mayhem.

Cleo is doing her hair in honor of Kate Spade.

By the way, this picture was among the first that I did for C&C way back when, and this is a commercial still that I used:http://www.humantim.com/flobot.png

Ok…. once again, in case you don’t read all the replies … and why not, btw?….

I accidentally posted a comment to everybody as a reply to Liverlips’ question about Graham’s head gear.

So I’ll repeat, just the welcome to Grayhame… And also, welcome Deeceewye…. Great to see you both!

And great to see you, too, Stel!

Ah…. the Name Your Own Price tool…. it’s a price tag printing gun. Now I see.

Stel, your picture worked fine on my tablet. I didn’t know they had previously tried with a robot Flo…

Or a Flobot. Cleo would, of course, be orders of magnitude better.

The blue headband is just like what Flo and the Flobot are both wearing.

Isn’t Cleo uncomfortable with the wig over her ears?

I don’t know what the Mayhem is… not a capitalised one, anyway.

I’ll have to look.

Steve…. your Studebaker could time travel?