Entertainment

Twitter Is Digging Childish Gambino's New Playmoji Dance Commercial

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The Grammys aren't exactly known for its commercials, but one ad break during this year's ceremony was definitely worthy of airtime. Childish Gambino appeared in a commercial for a concept that has Twitter shook. What is Playmoji? Anyone with a Pixel device is in for a special treat.

Debuting within the first hour of the Grammys broadcast, the Playmoji ad featured hip-hop star Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, participating in a dance battle with what initially looked like his mirror image. Spoiler alert: As the commercial continued, it was clear that the Childish Gambino doppelgänger was an animated version of himself. The cartoon version of the actor/singer copied moves perfectly. The video then explained the twinning action with a specific introduction of Playmoji.

So, does this mean that we can all befriend cartoon figures of ourselves by getting a Pixel phone? Well, not quite. ICYMI, Pixel users have a tool called the Playground, which provides access to a series of augmented reality figures or characters that can be inserted into your own shots. If you're such a big Childish Gambino fan that you wish you were besties, you can now download a plugin featuring his Playground figure dancing just as the performer would in a music video... but right next to your selfie.

According to Ebony.com, in a statement, Google broke down its Playmoji creation process, saying:

We worked closely with Childish Gambino and his music video choreographer, Sherrie Silver, to make sure the Playmoji’s dance moves rival those of Childish Gambino himself. By using ARCore’s motion tracking, light estimation, and ability to understand the real world, his Playmoji looks and feels lifelike, whether he’s in front of you or in a selfie next to you.

If you use the Pixel 3/XL, Pixel 2/XL, or the original Pixel /XL device, you can plop Childish Gambino into your own pics or even make the animated figure copy your facial expression in a fun selfie. You can also have the character imitate reality by dancing to the real Childish Gambino's renditions of "Redbone," "Summertime Magic," and "This is America."

Since the character's Playground debut, fans have taken to social media with their snapshots starring Childish Gambino. After the new commercial aired, more fans on Twitter tweeted about Chidlish Gambino standing out on Grammys night despite not attending the ceremony.

While he wasn't partying with other nominees at the Staples Center, Childish Gambino had more than just a hilarious emoji to celebrate. His "This Is America" swept up a Grammy for Song of the Year. Having a Grammy and an animated mini-me? What could be better?

As for what other popular characters you can find in the Playground app, the options are just as fun as a dance-off with Childish Gambino. Figures of pets and sports-themed actions are available, and back in October 2018, a Marvel pack of Playmojis was even promised. For now, taking selfies with Childish Gambino — well, sort of — will definitely up your photo game.