Crew slams pervy puppet

Staff say mascot Rico makes a mockery of safety procedures in onboard video briefings. Photo / Supplied

He's upset them with his saucy humour and now Air New Zealand staff claim the company's new mascot is "trivialising" safety messages.

Crew said Rico's ribald antics were at odds with international research highlighting the value of onboard video briefings.

One staff member was angry a pre-flight film on the airline's 777-300s featured the puppet with his oxygen mask over his ears, rather than his nose and mouth. He said research showed that in emergencies passengers relied on their recall of pre-flight demonstrations.

He also complained about a joke being made of Rico's confusion between the words brace and embrace. In the video, a crew member tells passengers how to brace themselves for a crash landing - while the randy rodent appears excited by the prospect of a hug.

And he criticised a scene in which Rico says emergency lighting on the cabin floor made the plane look like a "fancy nightclub in the air".

The employee "applauded" the airline for trying to do something different but said Rico was a missed opportunity: "I can't see in any of the demonstration where he does anything to deliver safety information. He could have been a really good tool for universal communication for all cultures but ... he is there to frustrate passenger comprehension and to embarrass crew."

A fellow employee said people with English as a second language might not realise the importance of the safety messages.

"We might be taking a first-time passenger from Shanghai to Auckland ... who doesn't understand what this talking puppet is telling them to do."

Both staff members wanted to remain anonymous because they feared disciplinary action.

Rico, who became the focus of the airline's publicity last year, was created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, the Emmy Award-winning United States company behind The Muppets and Sesame Street.

The airline has conceded the style of humour may not be to everyone's taste. But Air NZ spokesman Mark Street said the airline created "attention-grabbing" safety videos featuring body-painted staff, All Blacks and now Rico, because cabin crew complained no one paid attention to older films.

"Safety is paramount and, just like our previous safety videos, all content was checked and verified by our operations and safety teams to ensure it complied with safety regulations."

Fans

Everyone loves Rico. Well, almost everyone.

Our "win a Rico T-shirt" competition drew more than 200 entries. We had 10 T-shirts to give away and asked readers why they should win. The winners were:

Lochlan Macdonald, Palmerston North: "I am randier than Rico ... a Rico T-shirt might help me tone things down a bit."

Andrzej Sikorski, Poland: "I live in a faraway place that is depressing and grey, nothing even close to Rico's phenomenon happens here."

Fillippa Frei, Auckland: "I wanna baby with Rico."

Geoff Lowe, Auckland: "As I work for Pacific Blue, and given the marriage to Air NZ, I think it's important I get to know and support the outlaws."

David Watt, Auckland: "It would be really funny to wear a T-shirt that so many people don't like."

Other winners are Ben Rzoska; Robert Cunningham; Dave Johnston; Rachel Clark; Liz Garneau.

... and critics

But not everyone is a Rico fan. Several people entered the competition not to win, but to make their voice heard.

Jason Friend from Auckland believes that a company that "cannot conjure up a sensible/interesting/informative or even comical advertising campaign and has to resort to a campaign that's dull, unimaginative and bordering on breaching the broadcasting standards is disrespectful to staff, Kiwis and viewers".

Phil Carman of Rotorua thinks he should get a T-shirt so he can burn it: "Air NZ is showing New Zealand to the world ... as a nation of sex-crazed deviants," he says.

Ruth is "appalled. Why would anyone want a T-shirt of the sleaze? What is Air New Zealand thinking?"

Tracey Moreau of Auckland describes Rico as a "slimy little sleazeball". But the strongest reaction was from Rose-Ann Clements from Lower Hutt, who says she'd like one to "wipe my bum with".