WTF: Environment-Focused 'The Lorax' Pushes SUVs

So much for that liberal, pro-environment, anti-industrialist agenda Fox News accused The Lorax of pushing. In a truly WTF bit of cross-promotion, the title character of Dr. Seuss' nature-friendly fable is shilling for the 2013 Mazda CX-5. That's right: The feisty Lorax, who famously "speaks for the trees," is promoting an SUV, and not even a hybrid at that. This makes even less sense than the time China Glaze encouraged us to identify with the dangerously frivolous Capitol folks by buying Hunger Games-themed nail polish. Watch the Lorax-themed Mazda commercial after the jump.

[via Mother Jones]

To be completely fair, the CX-5 has been rated by the EPA as the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid SUV available. I can see why Mazda would be eager to play up the green angle. Still, considering that cars in general and SUVs in particular are considered to be awful for the environment, it's hard to swallow the ad's claim that the CX-5 is "Truffula tree friendly."

Sadly, this isn't the only not-so-green product the Lorax is selling — there are also Lorax-themed disposable diapers. I'm not saying people shouldn't buy SUVs or disposable diapers, but using the Lorax to promote products known for being environmentally unfriendly seems to undermine, oh, I don't know, the entire message of the tale. As Mediaite puts it, "Having The Lorax shill for a sport utility vehicle is like using clips of Requiem For A Dream to sell diet pills, it goes completely against the spirit of the source material!"

I'll stop now, because I can't do better than this Seussian critique from Jason Bittel at Fitting Group:

Whoever is in charge of branding

For the Lorax's mula-making machine -

Have you read the book you're hijacking?

Did you misinterpret what it means?

Read the rest of Bittel's poem here.