But they're getting a new look.
Kia and ad agency David & Goliath have the hamsters elliptical, spin, and jump rope to Lady Gaga all for the sake of losing weight. Gone are the pudgy break dancers, in are the disturbingly skinny personified rodents with hipster hairstyles. (Kia is able to get other branded content in the ad by having them read Wired, Men's Health, and Rolling Stone when they get their hair done.)
Here's a before:
Here's an after:
Kia
This isn't the first ad with a weight loss focus. Volkswagen's highly anticipated 2012 Super Bowl spot, following its instant "Little Darth" 2011 classic, starred a comically obese golden retriever losing weight in order to run alongside a VW. That one had a cuter tone than the Kia ad.
Other brands have spokescharacters lose weight behind closed doors. Quaker Oats gave its Quaker Man a "lighter" image when the logo was redesigned in February 2012.
Tell us what you think of the Kia 2014 Soul ad, called "Totally Transformed," below: