Possibly M$ic Question ( or not...??? )

It seems to me that The Blue Men... That are often seen in commercials
for this & that...
Were originally created for a M$ Ad...
And then; Like the Geiko Cavemen, became somewhat more generic...???

What is the deal with them...???
Are they somekind of subliminal reminder or reference to M$,
Or were they always an independent entity...???

( i'm especially curious, because the ad's for The Palm Pre are
featuring them,
And i have previously thought that Palm was a very separate company
from M$... ) [ ??? }
.