Guanabee Talks To Toy Myhren, The Man Behind The Obama-McCain Race Switcheroo

We just got in touch with Tor Myhren the guy who designed the race switching election poster that makes John McCain look like he rolled around in chocolate Quick! and Barack Obama like he fell head first into a vat of Grecian Formula. We almost did some falling over of our own last night when we saw it featured on CNN considering just 24 hours earlier one of Toy’s employees was asking us to help spread it around. And now it’s all over France! Since it’s clearly gotten a hold of people’s imaginations, we thought it might be fun to find out just what Tor was thinking when he came up with it. Follow us to the other side for some election day coffee talk, wontcha? Yes, you can.

Guanabee: Hi, Tor. Congratulations on the poster. You’re huge in France. So, What inspired you to create it?

Tor Myhren: Though race was being danced around for months in this election, it’s clearly going to be the elephant in the voting booth. And I really wanted to hit the race issue head on.

Guanabee: Looks like you hit it head on with a giant powder puff full of bronzer. So, does the poster have a name besides the headline? (If not, our favorite optional title is from a French blog that called it Obama Jackson et John Mc Cosby.)

Tor Myhren: The image doesn’t have a name. I like the French one.

Guanabee: Some people are saying that Obama looks like he has John Edwards hair and that McCain looks like he was dipped in marzapan. How long did it take you to create the transformation?

Tor Myhren: This ad went from concept to fully finished in less than two days. We had the idea on Thursday, and knew we needed to get it out to the world before the election. It was finished on Saturday morning, and had millions of views online by the end of the day. Somebody told me it’s been seen by at least 10 million people by now. And it’s only been out in the ether for 72 hours.

Guanabee: The internet is scary that way. But, does the poster actually leave the viewer to “let the issues be the issue” as the headline suggests? Doesn’t it bring the issue of race to the fore?

Tor Myhren: This is a non-partisan ad. Many Republicans think it is pro-Obama. It isn’t. It is speaking to anyone who is determining who to vote for based on the color of the candidates skin. There are plenty of people voting for McCain only because he’s white. And many others voting for Obama solely because he’s black. They’re not looking at the issues and the policies and the plans. This image asks a simple question: If Obama was white, and McCain was black, would it change the way you viewed them? It’s really meant to provoke discussion. In fact, many public schools in New York, Chicago, Denver have already started using it in their classes.

Guanabee: So, do you think people would be more accepting of Obama if he were white? And do you think Republicans would have nominated McCain if he were black?

Tor Myhren: I think the election would be totally different if their races were reversed. It would be difficult for Obama to have caused the cultural impact he has caused if he were white. And his candidacy would be much less newsworthy. And I don’t think McCain would be a Republican presidential candidate if he were black.

Guanabee: He might be a gingerbread man, though. Look at those tasty looking cheeks! But seriously Tor, since you didn’t have this idea until last week, do you think it will have any affect on voters?

Tor Myhren: I do think it will force people to consider their vote a little more closely.

Guanabee: It’s forced us to contemplate the use of fake tanner more closely. Hey, by the way, who are you voting for this election day?

Tor Myhren: Obama.

Guanabee: You east-coast, liberal, media elites with your dusted cocoa marzipan. Thanks for talking to us, Tor.

Earlier: Two Election Posters We Love: Obama Changes Race For Halloween