The story of designing a bird…

I designed a bird… and that’s not something I thought I’d be saying this year. Funny how things unfold, isn’t it? Late last year my sister and I started designing hats (WildHatDesigns on Etsy) and it’s been a thrill to come up with original artwork for each product we have. It’s also so affirming when someone believes what we offer is worth buying. Such a cool feeling! In our brainstorming, the game of Mahjong came up. Evidently it’s popular so I started researching and wow, the game sounds really fun but also complicated. Tiles and racks and dice and dragons and pushers… It’s a lot to learn, for sure. But from a design perspective, I already love the “1 Bamboo” tile because, well, I love birds and I love being a bit different. As I understand it, in more official sets this is the only tile with a bird on it. So I wondered if I could make a bird. A few days ago, I think I spent the better part of the whole day working on this bird and I loved every second of it.

In the end, the design is pretty simple so I have no idea where all the hours went when I was working on it. It doesn’t have a name and I don’t even know if it’s male or female but I love my little 1 Bamboo Bird, or 1 Bam as some experienced Mahjong players would call it. Or is it Bam Bird? Birdie Bam? One Bam Bird? Depends on where you live I guess. 😄

I’m so proud of myself for this simple, accomplished task. The icing on the cake for me is that little birdie can be part of your world, too. Want a mug with the bird on it? How about a sweatshirt? Or socks? Check out my Printify store for everything that’s available or just chirp in below to say hi to the bird!

-Out of the Wilderness

Bud Light Keg Super Bowl Commercial is Almost Great

Bud Light’s put the Dylan Mulvaney fiasco behind them, and while a lot of people aren’t running back to the stores to buy Bud again, a few people are LITERALLY running to save a keg in this 2026 Super Bowl commercial. In regards to humor and knowing their audience, I give the ad a 9/10. Watch it below then I’ll follow that up with something I wish they would’ve done to maximize the Whitney Houston moment.

Yeah, but… Good ad, isn’t it? Overall it gets high ratings from me with the exception of one moment where I think Bud Light missed the mark. It’s when Whitney delivers the big vocal crash back into the song… “AAAANNDDD IIIIIIIIII….” What I wish Bud Light had done, and they were SO CLOSE to nailing it, is this: Begin the extreme slow-motion shots right there on that drum beat of that lyrical section. It would’ve been so funny to see the keg bouncing down the hill, people flying through the air or tripping over a twig, all in super slow-mo, in that specific moment of the song/commercial. Eventually they employ the slow-motion effect but it just doesn’t hit like it would’ve if they lined it up with the iconic percussive moment.

In other news… The trio of Shane Gillis, Peyton Manning, and Post Malone was a 10/10 choice. A fine commercial from a brand that’s pretty well distanced itself from earlier marketing mistakes. I think most people have forgiven them. There are, however, beer drinkers that have a different taste and perspective. The best comment/burn/reaction from YouTube viewers comes to us from @eddieyeoman6950.

That’s deep. Alright, wrapping this up… What do you think about the commercial? On a scale of 1 to 10, has Bud Light learned from their previous marketing miscalculations?

-Out of the Wilderness

Camper Life – How May Days Without Hot Water?

While people across the country have more serious problems because of bad winter weather– power outages lasting for over a week from snow and ice storms– in my little world I haven’t had hot water in my camper for almost a week! Not from bad weather, it’s from a leaky tank. My dad and I searched quite a bit and still have no idea where the 6-gallon tank is slowly letting water out– not the pressure relief valve, any hoses, or fittings– but our best guess is that it’s somewhere in the soldering of the tank itself. We tested it a few different ways but decided it probably only dripped water when there was pressure inside, an event we couldn’t recreate with the tank propped up outside of the camper.

Eventually I had to give up on finding the precise source of the problem. I know what the results of the problem were though… water in the camper, a water pump that cycles more than it should, and tons of frustration. The solution became this: Getting rid of the tank altogether and buying a new one. I did some research and in the end I went with a tankless water heater from RecPro.

I’m excited to get this new tank installed as soon as it arrives. I ordered it last week. It was scheduled to be delivered yesterday but it’s been delayed and you might guess why. Bad weather.

-Out of the Wilderness

Crate & kids Commercial – The Secret, The Song, and More

It’s not often that I come across a commercial and have real trouble finding it online. But here we are. It’s a Crate & kids ad and I’m 99% sure I know what song they use, although it’s an instrumental version. I don’t have kids so Crate & kids as a brand was new to me. It’s an off-shoot of Crate & Barrel, another brand I’m unfamiliar with…because I’m not a woman. If you’re thinking to yourself, “Yeah, I know what kids commercial you’re talking about!” then see if this song sounds very familiar.

The Secret Sisters make great music and the addition of Ray LaMontagne is *chef’s kiss*. I love this song and you’d have a hard time convincing me this isn’t the melody in the Crate & kids commercial. I know why they used the Secret Sisters song, but why are they keeping the ad a secret? I found the video below on Instagram. I think it’s the same ad but with generic music, which makes me think they didn’t get clearance from the songwriters and/or performers to air the commercial beyond what we’ve seen on TV with the “All the Ways”.

If you know more about this ad, leave a comment and let’s get to the bottom of it!

-Out of the Wilderness

The Pepsi Polar Bear Commercial – The Choice, The Song, and More

In this corner, hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, with its mascot the mighty polar bear, it’s Coca-Cola. And in the other corner, hailing from Purchase, New York, along with its mascot— the Coca-Cola polar bear?? This is more twisted than the ending of Begonia starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons! Or was there no movie twist at all, which is a twist no one saw coming? Check out the Pepsi commercial (with a twist) below and then scroll down for more…

The Song. Taking us way back to 1984, Pepsi calls up a song from Queen called “I Want To Break Free.” Here’s the full track…

Ruthless. And at the same time, playful. For this fight between the beverage giants, we get a seat ringside– or is it more fitting to say we’re on the sidelines since this is a Super Bowl commercial? Pepsi appropriates the Coke polar bear we’ve grown to love over the years and viewers have been quick to kick while Coke is down. Remember Coke’s AI animated holiday commercial? Commenters on YouTube aren’t holding back, praising Pepsi for hiring animators and blasting Coke for the AI ads. So this commercial is a one-two punch– taking the polar bears AND using real animation, both elements that make Coke look poorly.

Pepsi delivers its final body blow of this round in the form of the top culture reference from 2025. The Coldplay Kiss Cam. Did anyone have polar bears hugging on their 2026 bingo card?

-Out of the Wilderness