“YOU like the EDF Blob better than me,” complained my girlfriend the other day, as I commented on his cuteness following 13 consecutive days of failing to complement her.
“It’s possible,” I said. “He’s cute and he doesn’t have a mouth,” I continued, digging myself in deeper.
“It’s probably EDF Blob, then you, then the Birds Eye bear,” I concluded, in a stunningly naïve outpouring of honesty.
I’m still working my way back from that one.
Anyway, for those of you not familiar with the chubby little orange character, have a look at his head bobbing antics on Youtube.
I’ve been calling him Blob as the French gas and leccy merchants have never given him a name.
While I’m not here to promote particular utility companies, I have to admit when it comes to the EDF Blob, it was love and first sight.
As soon as I saw his chubby little face head banging along to Phil Oakley’s Together In Electric Dreams, I was hooked.
Usually I avoid adverts, but every now and then advertising agencies come up with addictive concepts that you just can’t get enough of.
A few years ago it was Volvic water’s Tyrannosaurus Alan and his mate George the volcano, who had me chuckling.
Everyone loves Compare the Meerkats and more lately it’s the hilariously dead pan Bird’s Eye polar bear, Clarence (Leave me, go to the peas), that has had me reaching for the re-wind button.
Now it’s the EDF Blob.
It’s just five months since Blob burst into my life, bobbing along to the Human League frontman’s tune whilst riding on top of various energy hungry white goods, but it feels like the chemistry was instant.
When a number of mail shot images of Blob came through my letter box a few weeks later my connection with him only grew.
Pictures of friends and family were cast aside and replaced with Blob.
There was one on the fridge, one on the mantelpiece, and one at the girlfriend’s house – just in case I needed cheering up.
Whenever I’m feeling down I just have to look at his cheeky quiff, his big doe eyes and his rotund little body and I suddenly feel like everything’s going to be okay.
If you’re thinking “this guy is weird” you should know there’s more Blob lovers out there.
There’s been more than one million views of the advert on Youtube and if you drive down to the foot of Bradley Road you will see two households that clearly share my obsession with the cuddly character, have stuck pictures of the Blob in their front windows.
I’ve also seen one secured to the back window of a car.
Yes, we’re hopelessly infatuated with an emotionless, orange robot, designed to sell energy deals, but we don’t care.
Sadly, the Blob is no longer on our screens.
I don’t know why he’s gone?
While we’ve been stuck with Churchill the bulldog's “Oh yes” for what seems like decades, we’re being deprived of happy-go-lucky Blob action all too soon.
It seems, unlike with the meerkats, the company behind this phenomenon hasn’t realised what a gem it’s created.
There were just three versions of the advert and there are no EDF Blob soft toys or key rings for us to purchase or be rewarded with for our loyalty.
Amazon is awash with unofficial t-shirt designs but none of them look right.
A bit of crafty Googling has revealed the official Blob was created by American robotics experts BeatBots.
The Californian geniuses have named him Zingy – but I really don’t think it suits him.
Sadly, it says on their website that Zingy is not commercially available.
So it seems my unrequited love may be lost forever.
Do you think if I frame one of my pictures of him that’s going too far...or maybe a tattoo?
