Toyota teases Muppets Super Bowl spot

Former NFL player and current "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" actor Terry Crews will appear in Toyota's Highlander-focused Super Bowl ad. The automaker released a teaser spot today, referencing the Coen Brothers and featuring the Muppets' famed dilapidated bus, a fanciful tour vehicle in the vein of Ken Kesey's Furthur or the Partridge Family's Mondrian-esque Chevy. (RIP, Dave Madden.)

It's safe to assume that some manner of madcap mayhem will ensue upon the arrival of the rest of the Muppet crew, but for now, all we get is a shot of pianist Rowlf buckling himself in sans invitation. Crews has a gift for playing a neurotic, exasperated tough guy overwhelmed by his surroundings; the Muppet antics appeal to a broad swath of the populace. Which is to say, the spot's got the potential for goodness.

Will it gel? Stay tuned for our take during our second-annual ranking of the Super Bowl automotive ads.

By Davey G. Johnson