The Estonians Take on "The Simpsons"

So, in case you’re like us and are still harboring outdated stereotypes of an Eastern Europe filled with champion gymnasts and non-ironic mustaches (two-for-one if you’re thinking of Bela Karolyi), then we’ve got news for you: Eastern Europeans are funny. Well, at least the Estonians are.

The New York Times pointed us to the YouTube video below of a promo for an Estonian news program that plays off "The Simpsons." This video does many things to shame us into reversing our backwards ideas about Eastern Europe. First and foremost is the fact that the Estonians know people have these backwards ideas of how backwards they are. And they have a sense of humor about it!

Also, they know how to sell a show. What better way to wink at the audience than reference a show like "The Simpsons" that winks all over the place. (By the way, Estonians aren’t the only ones to catch on to the selling power of "The Simpsons." We recently wrote about the Georgian version called "The Samsonadzes" here.)

And, if you had any shred of doubt left that Estonia is just another version of Borat’s Kazakhstan, just take a glimpse at the production value. By God, the production value! It’s almost as shiny as an episode of "The Hills." Almost.

All I’m waiting for now is the Estonian version of Jersey Shore. Do you think they beat the beat in Estonia, too?

Photo courtesy tiseb via Flickr.