Some urban legends are so good they stand the test of time — and later become the inspiration for TV ads.
Robinsons Galleria, one of the oldest malls in Quezon City, yesterday released a video starring actress Alice Dixson. The video pokes fun at a popular urban legend, which alleges that a half-human, half-snake monster lives in the mall’s basement.
No one is quite sure when the urban legend started circulating, though one blog said it spread sometime in the late 1980s to 1990s. There are various versions of the tale, but most people are aware of the one about how the half-snake, half-man monster is the twin brother of Robina Gokongwei-Pe, the daughter of Robinsons’ owner John Gokongwei, one of the richest people in the Philippines.
The tale goes that while the monster lived in the basement, he could still see women shoppers in fitting rooms. If he wanted to eat the woman, he would flip a switch to open a hole on the floor so that his victims would end up falling into his lair.
Legend has it that Dixson, the actress featured on the new Facebook video, was one of his victims but managed to escape. The Gokongwei family allegedly paid Dixson off so she would remain quiet about what occurred — which, spoiler alert, obviously didn’t actually happen.
Dixon even had to clear that up during an interview on the show Sarap Diva in 2016.
And the Gokongweis are well aware of the story too. In 2008, Robina mentioned it during a speech at the graduation of the University of the Philippines’ School of Economics, her alma mater.
In the version she’s heard, her twin is a woman and rumored to be the source of her family’s wealth because she laid golden eggs.
ABS-CBN quoted her saying: “[S]ome people believed it and even started staring at my legs to see if there were any signs of snakeskin. A few people still ask me about it, and I have to tell them that it was turned into a handbag [that was sold] at Robinsons Department Store.”
Robinsons Galleria’s video cheekily refers to the urban legend by showing Dixson in a fitting room while hissing and rattling sounds are heard in the background. She looks around to check for the source and discovers a child wearing a costume running to his mother.
She laughs and begins a romp around the new Robinsons Galleria, which underwent massive renovations for the past few years.
Watch the video below to see how Dixson searches for the source of that sound.
Netizens loved the video so much it has gone viral. It’s been shared more than 3,500 times since it was posted.
Jellyn Alinsod joked: “Alice Dixson and the Snake in Robinsons Galleria: The Reunion.”
Paolo Barazon wrote that the copywriter (or scriptwriter) of the video deserved a raise. He said in Filipino: “It’s so good!”
Jego Araga just wanted to talk about how beautiful Dixson remains despite her age.
Dixson started her career in the 1980s as a model then transitioned into acting. She’s almost 50 years old.
Wrote Angelica Rosete: “They hired Alice as part of their marketing strategy to also kill that old aunt and uncle’s legend story (sic).”
What version of the urban legend have you heard? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @CoconutsManila.
