A local wahine wearing a trucker hat,
tita-girl earrings and a fabulous flower with the Taro Brand Poi logo on the petals turns to Pidgin Siri for driving directions.
“No worry. Auntie take care you,” Pidgin Siri says. “Turn left on the next street right aftah da mango tree.”
These directions, of course, are not helpful.
“Mango tree? What mango tree? Dere’s … tree mango trees!”
Siri, Apple’s disembodied and slightly smug voice of infinite information, has certainly been lampooned by many comedians. The idea of a pidgin Siri isn’t new, either. But this “Hawaiian Pidgin Siri” video racked up more than 10,000 hits in the first three days after it was released. The piece comes off as natural, but the comedic timing is perfect. This isn’t a one-take impromptu gag. It’s structured.
Pashyn Santos is the brains behind the video as well as the on-screen talent.
“I use to work for Apple and always heard about stories of how Siri doesn’t understand locals,” Santos said. “I made a video about a local mom not knowing how to use Siri about a year and a half ago. And recently I just decided to make this one. … I wrote it out first, shot it with no sound in the background and added Siri talking afterwards.”
The video clip is less than a minute long, shot on Santos’ iPhone6s and edited in iMovie.
“Hello, you mento,” Siri tells the confused driver. “You wen miss da fricken turn.”
Part of the fun, though, is that Siri and this driver are evenly matched. Pidgin Siri is sassy (as is standard English Siri, truth be told), but this driver gives it right back in equal measure, rolling her hazel eyes and not taking any Siri lip.
Santos, 29, grew up in Waianae and Hauula. She graduated from Kahuku in 2005 but lives in town now.
“I was always goofy around my family and friends, and since we were really young, my cousins and I would borrow my auntie’s camera and make funny videos,” she said. “So comedy was always in me. “
The video has one incident of profanity (but c’mon, you would swear, too, if Siri was messing with you while you’re driving). Otherwise, it’s safe for work. Some of the other videos on her Pashyn YouTube channel, including her series on “Local Mothers,” are just as funny but maybe not something you want blasting on speakers from your desk in the office.
“What I love about social media is the ability to connect with people that you would have never been able to reach without it. When you think about it, I am in everyone’s pocket,” Santos said. “People check their social media feeds more than they drink water.”
Santos has heard from fans from Waianae to Wisconsin.
“Some of the best notes are from our locals in (the) military stationed away who enjoy the laughs. And I have gotten a few comments from the kupuna that just don’t know what Siri is,” she said.
Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.