The MVPuppets Christmas Viral Spectacular

I dunno if anyone's been following the latest Nike campaign with the Muppet-versions of Kobe and LeBron (last year with Kobe basking in the glory of winning the championship while LeBron looks on dispassionately was hilarious), but just when you thought they were beginning to run out of gas, they topped the ad game with these two recent holiday spots about Blitzen and the rest of Santa's reindeer challenging Kobe, LeBron and, of all people, Santa himself. 

I'm looking past all of the stereotypes that these puppets project and focusing on their entertainment value and effectiveness at brand recognition.  Yeah, that all works in these segments, as they did with their introduction last year.  This is an idea that, as long as it doesn't pretend to stand in for the community it reflects, can pass itself off purely as entertainment and not social commentary.  If Avenue Q can get away with their content without nationwide panic, then I'm willing to see this for what it is: cute puppet versions of very popular icons. 

That said, here are Lebron & Kobe, voiced by Keenan Thompson and David Allen Grier respectively; also check out the vocal cameos by Lupe Fiasco as Blitzen and (guess who!) playing the Giftmaster himself (without irony, I might add)...