The two fictional time travelers are loosely inspired by the leaders of the actual Lewis and Clark Expedition. In this new series of ads, they point out the features and benefits of Portland's hometown airlines, Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines — such as providing the most flights to the most cities and having more than 2,500 employees based in the Rose City.
Horizon Air launched the Clark and Lewis ads in 1998 to emphasize its "Wings of the Great Northwest" tagline. Since then, the explorers have consistently noted the stark contrast between the pleasures of travel on Horizon Air (and now Alaska Airlines) and the hardships of their historic journey to the Pacific.
The characters have proved so popular with radio listeners that they've been brought back again and again. In 2003, they were even enlisted by the Washington State History Museum to help promote the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial.
Giving voice to the distinctive characters since the very beginning have been actors Richard Kind (Clark) and Patrick Warburton (Lewis).
There's no need to scan the radio dial to try to catch the latest installments of these mini-sitcoms. Listen to Clark and Lewis online by clicking on the links to the right.
