Doug the Puppet, Official Spokesperson of the 2012 Ford Focus

Ford is really keen to promote the all-new 2012 Focus. Thus, the American carmaking giant has decided on an official spokesperson that will travel the country, explaining the interesting features of the car, such as the built-in ejector seat, missile launcher and revolving number plate. At first glance, this talkative hand-puppet doesn’t seem at all qualified for the job, but his enthusiasm could compensate for this.

Jokes aside for a moment, Ford has launched a set of commercials featuring Doug. While there isn’t a quick punch line, it’s still funny enough to spill your morning coffee onto your computer while laughing. It’s not easy to make a puppet funny in this day and age, when computer animation is redily available, but Ford managed to pull it off, thanks to Doug’s flirtatious behavior.

It’s not accidental humor, as the clips were directed by Paul Feig, who has written for Freaks and Geeks and has directed episodes of The Office, Parks and Recreation, Weeds, 30 Rock and Arrested Development. The team that backs him up has an even more impressive resume, as the writers have worked on The Simpsons, Borat, Reno 911 and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

The first clip is shows Ford officials announcing the controversial decision of Doug investment with the spokesperson role. John Ross Bowie, writer for the ad campaign, plays the role of his handler, who has the job of keeping him away from a beautiful female journalist (who is playing hard to get).

In the second one, the orange puppet takes a tour of the exterior of the car, making fun at how serious the Ford official is. With lines like “May I smell your fingers?” and “Than would anyone like to smell my finger?”, its hard not to laugh.

Doug, we thank you for a well done job!