Sophia Michaels
Even though it’s been 19 years since Mean Girls first premiered in theaters and entered our hearts, it doesn’t mean we’ve let go of the cast of the teen comedy. You can imagine how high my nostalgic heart soared when Lindsay Lohan and the rest of the ensemble cast reunited for a Mean Girls-themed Walmart ad filled with so many grool references.
Today is Wednesday so not only does it mean you wear pink, but you get to watch the premiere of Walmart’s new ad “Black Friday Deals| Jingle Bell Rockin’.” What makes this Walmart ad so special? Other than promoting Black Friday deals, Lindsay Lohan, Lacey Chabert, and Amanda Seyfried, and other cast members of Mean Girls reunite as their iconic characters for this commercial. Take a look at Walmart’s ad below and see if you can spot all of the grool references the former Northshore students make.
In just two minutes of Walmart’s commercial, I was already transported back to 2004. We first hear the classic narration of Cady explaining the ladies of Northshore High School still wear pink. Then, we see Gretchen Wieners reprised by Hallmark Channel queen Lacey Chabert pulling up in her silver convertible to embarrass her daughter at school. When Chabert was asked what she thought Gretchen was up to, she did say she pictured her with lots of babies. Well, this ad shows the former Plastics member has three kids. I was feeling sentimental in the ad when she told an impressed Cady she was “such a good mom.”
Speaking of Cady, Lindsay Lohan returns in her memorable role as well. Cady is now a guidance counselor at Northshore which is perfect in being able to help girls just like herself trying to battle the challenges of high school. And just like Gretchen was still trying to make her invented word “Fetch” happen, so was Cady’s “grool” phrasing. And then there’s Karen Smith reprised by Amanda Seyfried who’s still a weather girl and not the brightest crayon in the box. But we still love her. Not only are the original plastics back, but we see Daniel Franzese back as Damien and even Rajiv Surendra as Kevin Gnapoor telling his kid not to “let the haters stop you from doing your thang.” And with controversial Coach Carr thankfully out of the picture, the new gym teacher is none other than Missy Elliot who contributed to the Mean Girls soundtrack with “Pass That Dutch.” Never did I love a Black Friday deals ad so much.
It may be almost 20 years since we were first introduced to The Plastics, but this advertisement proves we don’t have to say goodbye just yet. Mariah Carey sure didn’t as the lady who penned the Mean Girls-inspired song “Obsessed” dressed up as Regina George for Halloween. See the award-winning diva’s Instagram video strutting in the Queen Bee’s signature cut-up tank top on her way to get some cheese fries down below.
Then, there’s also Mean Girls: The Musical to look forward to which will reunite Tina Fey and Tim Meadows as part of the updated Mean Girls cast. Based on the Broadway musical, we’ll be seeing the unforgettable characters we grew up with played by a new cast of actors doing some toe-tapping and showing off those vocal cords. What we also know about the upcoming adaptation is that Tina Fey will return as screenwriter which should mean those “fetch” and “grool” quotes we grew up with should find their way into the screenplay. Just like previous generations loved the Lorne Michaels-produced movie in 2004, today’s generation will have a new classic to hold onto.
Whoever wrote the ad for Walmart’s Mean Girls-inspired ad deserves an award for tying in all of the most “groolest” elements from the comedy movie that still touches our hearts. The best part is this is just one of a series of ads that we’ll be getting from the cast. Every Wednesday until Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals come on November 27th, the cast of Mean Girls will continue to make commercial appearances to deliver more nostalgic content and deals to look forward to. Maybe we’ll get a surprise cameo from Rachel McAdams this time? You can watch Mean Girls now on your Showtime and Paramount+ subscription. Make sure to add the 2024 movie release of Mean Girls: The Musical coming to theaters on January 12th.
