GEICO Caveman Mascot Returns in Bizarre New Ad

One of advertising's most iconic characters has returned. Saturday, a new commercial featuring Jeff Daniel Phillips' GEICO Caveman found its way online, marking the character's first appearance in over a decade. In the commercial, Phillips' character is woken from a nightmare in which he's scred of GEICO's "so easy a caveman can do it" catch phrase.

After a quick chat with his wife, the commercial ends with the character exercise as if he's preparing for something. Coincidentally enough, the biggest advertising day of the year is just a few weeks away as Super Bowl LVII is set to take place on February 11th. According to the video post on YouTube, the Caveman is set to participate in a new documentary, though further details weren't immediately available.

Phillips was one of the two actors to originate the characters of the GEICO Cavemen, the other being Coach Carter's Ben Weber. John Lehr then took over most of the Cavemen duties in the early Aughts before GEICO and ABC worked on a sitcom featuring three new versions of the characters. That series was canceled halfway through its first season.

"Back in 2004, Geico's Caveman spots broke new ground in comedic advertising by telling the story of the anti-spokesperson. The tone was dry, edgy and sometimes biting. That's part of why it stuck in people's memories," Neel Williams, group creative director at The Martin Agency, said in a new interview with Adweek.

He added, "When we dip into our own nostalgia well, we want to do it with purpose, not just because we can. This was a case where the business problem, brief and media opportunity helped lead us to the ultimate execution."

According to the magazine, the two-minute spot is part one of a two-part commercial release schedule. At two minutes long, it also happens to be the longest GEICO television commercial ever released. It's said the television commercials will be just one part of the overall campaign, which includes more online content to familiarize the masses with the characters, hinting at a potentially extended return.