I Have One Big Question After Watching Pringles' New Super Bowl Commercial

Most Super Bowl commercials are relatively straightforward: there's probably some big name celebrity that appears, maybe an underlying social statement or two, and — (fingers crossed!) — there might even be a really cute puppy that teeters in at the end. And even though Pringles' Super Bowl ad was quite uncomplicated, it left one blaring question sitting on the tip of my tongue: What is the device in the Pringles Super Bowl Commercial? Apparently, it isn't what you think it is, and I am incredibly determined to find out the answer.

As you probably know by now, a number of big brands tend to release their Super Bowl commercials (or at least teasers) before the big game (because everyone loves a good spoiler, right?). Anyway, if you haven't already watched Pringles' hilarious ad, you definitely should. In the 30-second spot, two friends are sitting among several packages of Pringles. One of the guys is showing off all the cool combination "stacks" you could make using different Pringles flavors, and the other asks, "How many Pringles flavor stack combinations are there?" Then, their ambiguously branded virtual assistant — that looks kind of like an Alexa or a Google Home — has quite a hilarious response. Watch it for yourself, below.

In response to the kid's question, the virtual assistant responds that there are 318,000. She then continues with the following (slightly devastating) soliloquy:

Sadly I'll never know the joy of tasting any (Pringles). No hands to stack with, no mouth to taste with, no soul to feel with. I am at the mercy of a cruel and uncaring...

The device is then unexpectedly cut off by the other guy's request to play the classic Lipps Inc. jam, "Funky Town." It's absolutely hilarious, but if you're a low-key geek like me, you're probably wondering brand that wild device is. I — for one — am extremely curious.

OK right? Seriously, what is that thing?

The Elite Daily staff simply couldn't help themselves, and ended up caving. They reached out to the packaged snack brand to ask about the brand of the device, and the answer was pretty mind-bending. Apparently, the (seemingly very oppressed) virtual assistant in their Super Bowl commercial isn't actually a real device. That's right — it isn't a Google Home, an Echo, or some sort of off-brand Alexa. According to Pringles, the device in their Super Bowl ad was simply custom-made for the commercial.

Pringles divulged to Elite Daily that they decided to use an unbranded smart device, created by the Pringles team from scratch. Then, to play "Funkytown," they added their own disco lights. If you ask me, that's some hardcore commitment right there. I honestly love it.

So, there you have it. The device in the Pringles ad isn't even real — they built it themselves. That is some diehard dedication to the joke — if you ask me — and TBH I'm very impressed. My next question, though: Is anyone going to free that virtual assistant? She sounded a little, um, sad? Keep me updated.