“It’s pretty much my favourite animal. It’s like a lion and a tiger mixed… bred for its skills in magic.”
If you're struggling to choose just one archetype for your brand, read on. Today, we're shining a light on Napoleon Dynamite: the Creator brand archetype and the Hero brand archetype.
Growing up in small-town Preston, Idaho with his llama-owning, quad-biking grandmother, 80's-trapped Uncle and deeply delusional brother, it's little wonder this inventor of the "Liger" assumed the attributes of a 'Creator' (Crayola, Sony) brand archetype. His vivid and unlimited imagination was a salve for the relentless bullying and a means of escape to his own version of sanity. Whilst not a classical Creator archetype, Napoleon Dynamite was expressive in his own understated, monotone way and was certainly original in thought and practice.
In this cult classic, our quiet cheering for Napoleon took on a deafening roar when he stepped up to support his best friend, Pedro with an impromptu dance number. In one heroic gesture, he somehow managed to deflect the jeering from the unforgiving crowd by showcasing some moves that surpassed his sweet nunchuck skills - all without moving a facial muscle.
In this sweet ending to a sweet film, Napoleon became 'The Hero' (Nike, RSPCA) because he had the courage to defend his friend while "being so sweaty" mastering his victorious dance moves. His determination to put the bullies in their place was a victory for underdogs everywhere. And it set him up to continue "doing whatever he felt like he wanted to do", on his own terms. Gosh!