A wacky new product shakes TV viewers' couches while they watch hockey to simulate the big hits.
Too Many Cooks? Pfft. That was soooo last week, you guys.
This video from 4D Sports is almost as weird, with one crucial difference: it's not a parody. This is an actual product you can buy, on purpose. You can give it to another human as a gift. The product's simple, tantalizing premise: it attaches to the bottom of your couch and, while you watch the game, wireless data feeds it information and it shakes whenever bone-crunching action happens on screen. So when Niklas Kronwall blows a guy up, THE COUCH BLOWS YOU UP. You shake and your popcorn goes everywhere, bro. See for yourself:
The poor saps, who appear to be roommates and are tragically old for that, get solidly jostled around in their green-screen couch adventure. Then again, the commercial is a dramatization. Here's some live footage of the core product, the Buttkicker, in action. The Buttkicker has existed for several years for use in home theatres and movie watching.
If you want to "make" someone's holiday season and buy the Buttkicker for your favorite hockey fan, have at it right here.
Matt Larkin is an associate editor at The Hockey News and a regular contributor to the thn.com Post-To-Post blog. For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, subscribe to The Hockey News magazine. Follow Matt Larkin on Twitter at @THNMattLarkin