words // Zack Schlemmer
Like the "Bo Knows" commercial last week, Lil' Penny is another one of the Nike ad campaigns that transcended advertisement and became a part of pop culture. Voiced by Chris Rock, Lil' Penny was everyone's favorite puppet in the mid 90's appearing in some of Nike's most memorable commercials. He also appeared in an ESPN commercial with Gheorghe Muresan and even in the NBA on NBC intro for the 1996 Bulls vs. Magic Playoff series.
Among the many great Lil' Penny ads available to watch on YouTube, this one features Lil' Penny and Spike Lee courtside at a Knicks vs. Magic game. While discussing possible movie options, we get a look at the orginal all black Air Penny on the feet of both Lil' Penny and Spike Lee. Of the three original colorways (Black "Away", White "Home", and "Orlando") this is the most uncommon. While we've gotten a retro release of the Orlando colorway a couple of times now, Nike has never re-released the other two original colorways of the Air Penny that many of us would love to have.
