He first appeared in a commercial on TV in 1961, and the narrator's famous catchphrase, "Sorry, Charlie," was born. (Ironically, Robert Downey, Jr. gave voice to Mr. Peanut in 2010.). Toucan Sam's famously large orange-red-pink-and-black bill has helped him sniff out his favorite fruit-flavored cereal since 1963. Kellogg's Smacks, also known as Sugar Smacks or Honey Smacks, was released in 1953. The brand created this character to portray the product's freshness and quality. And how many fictional creations are honored with a real-life, 55-foot tall statue, like the one constructed in 1979 in Blue Earth, Minnesota (via Roadside America)? Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben's, and Cream of Wheat all received backlash for their use of Black mascots. This article was originally published in 2015. But while the original character was drawn by the same artist who created the Trix Rabbit, well there's a reason the Count is lower on our list. Knasper! Jane's sketches turned into Tropic-Ana, a nonspecific island native girl whom she based on her son's friend, Christine Keston Pool, according to the Bradenton Herald. No word on where the origin of his name, but the famous mouse does have an interesting backstory, including the fact that he is an orphan who never had a birthday, so he loves celebrating others' birthdays. The mascot has a chef's hat, a scarf, two blue eyes, and a soft chuckle when poked into the stomach. The character's catchphrase is "Ho, ho, ho" yes, just like Santa Claus. Fun Fact: The Helping Hand is not shy about appearing in costume. The Pillsbury Doughboy debuted in 1965 and actually has a name: Poppin' Fresh. Dressed in a bow tie and addressed as "uncle," the character evoked a servant. Named Quicky, the bunny was introduced in the 1970s. The dog's legendary four-word catchphrase was, "Yo quiero Taco Bell! In his words, he just can't resist those fruity flavors of raspberry red, lemony lemon, orangey orange, wildberry blue, grapity purple, and watermelon. The white glove mascot featured a big smile and a red nose. Introduced in 1960 (per the Nesquik website), Quicky is instantly recognizable as the face of the brand. Although Gentile's original drawings list the character's name as Mr. P. Nut Planter, Planters revealed on Twitter that Mr. Peanut's full name is actually Bartholomew Richard Fitzgerald-Smythe. He was recently killed off and brought back to life as Baby Nut in a Super Bowl commercial. A designer from Disney, Milt Schaffer, helped bring Prez's character to life using stop-motion clay animation and Poppin' Fresh was born. +20 Fast Food Mascots Explained (Ranked) - Eggradients.com He decided to relocate to Florida where he could buy fruit directly from the growers and began shipping freshly-squeezed orange juice throughout the United States. Uncle Ben was introduced in 1946 as the Black face of a white company. 16 Famous Mascots of Popular Indian Brands - EduScoop Get ready for amazing stuff in your inbox. Evil (Mike Myers) uses a giant statue of the famous little boy as a disguised spaceship, leading to an outline of the hamburger-hoisting mascot appearing on a military radar. The woman on the box of every Land O' Lakes butter box knelt on green grass in front of bright blue water and held a box that also had the same image, so it repeated into infinity. Year Introduced: 2000. Knusper! He and the other elves' sole purpose in life is to bake cookies, crackers and cones in their magic ovens in the Hollow Tree, which exists in an undisclosed location. Regardless of whether you're chowing on children's cereal or fudge-covered cookies made in a far-off land, there's no denying that these food mascots are the most iconic of all time. This frosty, smiling pitcher has been quenching thirsts with Kool-Aid since 1954. Fun Fact: The threesome have different names in different countries. But it took him until 1956 to acquire arms and legs and until 1975 . To be honest, discovering some food mascots have actual names was a bit of a running theme in our research. A former slave named Nancy Green was hired to portray the character on the company's branding. He was soon given the boot in favor of Lucky, who to this day continues to be the spokesman for this classic cereal with marshmallows, or ", The famous Planter's character, Mr. Peanut, was the result of a nation-wide competition to create the company's new mascot. He was a real Southern businessman and honorary colonel from Henryville, Indiana, who made this fried chicken restaurant into one of the most popular fast food chains. In 1928, Gerber held a contest in search of a youngin' to represent its baby food. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. to a friend. Kaitlyn is part of the Community Team at 99designs.com. General Mills rather rotund character was created in 1954 by Marvin Plotts, who was inspired by watching his son draw on a foggy window. While a cartoon King character was briefly used in the 1970s, the current, undoubtedly creepy version has, for better or worse, left the larger cultural imprint. When CALRAB folded in the mid '90s, the California Raisins Marketing Board (CRMB) took over marketing the Raisins. The brand went through a handful of different mascots before settling on what would become their permanent spokes character, a frog name Dig 'Em. With a clown mascot that rivals Stephen King's killer clown Pennywise, it's not surprising that Sugar Rice Krinkles failed to catch on. She's all about having new experiences as often as possible! Zoo Zoo is the popular Mascot in India. In terms of sheer recognizability, Ronald McDonaldmay have a legitimate claim to the top spot on this list, so his top 10 slot was never really in doubt. Mr. Peanut. In 2016 more and more fast food chains are bringing back their mascots. to a friend. Now, he's hatless. Kelloggs kitten is the creation of Leo Burnett Co., and was one of a cast of four originally repping the brand Katy the Kangaroo, Newt the Gnu and Elmo the Elephant didnt make the cut. The smooth, sunglasses-wearing cheetah who serves as the mascot for Cheetos is named Chester Cheetah. The charming spokeselves have been with the brand from the beginning, when the breakfast food first hit shelves in 1928. The updated items are expected to hit shelves in June. After all, a group of cartoon mascots aimed at children makes sense for more sugary, teeth-rotting varieties, but not the fairly bland flavor found in Rice Krispies. Until he passed away in 2005, Thurl Ravenscroft performed Tony's voice, including his signature catchphrase, "They're GR-R-REAT!". One of the weirdest food mascots was Bigg Mixx, a Frankenstein creation of a chicken, moose, pig, and wolf. He is 8.75 inches tall with his hat and weighs 14 ounces. was sophisticated like Chester and wore a blue suit. Take a look through 15 of the most iconic mascots, and learn a bit more about when and why they came about: This gentleman legume reps Planters, was born to more humble circumstances, originating in the mind of 14 year old Antonio Gentile (he was paid $5 for the idea). There's a decent chance you've never been to an actual Bob's Big Boy restaurant, given only 74 locations (almost exclusively in the Midwest) were open as of 2022. Though the scene remains funny decades later, it can't overcome the restaurant's regional nature, hence its low ranking on our list. The white-haired, smiling man representing the breakfast brand is known by insiders as "Larry.". Hostess emerged in 2009, now called Hostess Brands, and attempted to market smaller portions, like the 100-calorie Twinkie Bites, but it was a bust, and Hostess Brands shut down in 2012. In 1916, a 14-year-old boy named Antonio Gentile sent in a. of what would become the iconic Mr. Peanut we know today and the rest is history. In the 1940s, Sicilian immigrant Anthony Rossi found success in New York City selling boxed fruit, according to The New York Times. To be perfectly honest, the number of food mascots we couldn't remember ever actually doing anything was fairly surprising like the recently retired mascot for Bumble Bee Tuna, Horatio the Bumblebee. Let's face it: the actual Burger King mascot is a disturbing creature. So . It was born in 1977, and its name is Lefty. giggle after a poke in the belly, well we may call you a liar. T he Washington Redskins lost their trademark (pending appeal) on Wednesday after a federal agency ruled that the football team's name is "disparaging to Native . Poppin' Fresh (who actually has family members, too) earns bonus points for his body positive appearances. Toucan Sam has been the spokesbird for Froot Loops since 1963. We tried to follow some ground rules during the ranking process. Rumor has it, he hasn't stopped smiling since. But snob or not, no one can pretend the walking, talking peanut mascot for Planters hasn't earned a spot just outside the top five on our list. He wasn't based on an actual person, though people think he looks like writer William Penn. Yet, we have to admit: We've never been the biggest fans of thefrozen seafood company. The company ditched the second stick and refocused its marketing efforts to target parents "to awaken the memories that most adults have of bygone summer days eating Popsicles and to transfer those memories to today's children," The New York Times continued. 7. Raks! Yet, we'd be remiss in assembling a list of iconic food mascots if we didn't include the titular royal figure from the fast food chain, even in last place. It wasn't until 1979 that the company would coin its famous tagline, "Pizza! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. He has a human body but the head of a toy clown. Top 10 Best Food Mascots Ever | BabbleTop Pizza!". Post relaunched its Sugar Rice Krinkles as Sugar Sparkled Rice Krinkles (alternately Sugar Coated Rice Krinkles) in 1959. More than 85% of the Western population is right-handed, according to MedlinePlus, soany time the world's oft-neglected left-handed folks are spotlighted, we like to take note. In a tweet, MinnesotaLieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan thanked the brand "for making this important and needed change.". Dubbed by BuzzFeed as "the most terrifying cereal mascot ever," Krinkles the Clown first appeared in 1956 on the box of Post's then-new cereal, Sugar Rice Krinkles, essentially a hybrid of Rice Krispies and Frosted Flakes. This is just about all you need to know: Quaker Oats Horatio Magellan Crunch captains a ship called the Guppy, and was born on Crunch Island in the Sea of Milk a magical place with talking trees, crazy creatures and a whole mountain (Mt. It's unclear where his first name, Horatio, comes from, but his middle name, Magellan, makes perfect sense. Frankly, we can't quite comprehend the corporate strategy behind Chuck E. Cheese's depressing backstory. Originally created in 1933 by artist Vernon Grant, Snap, Crackle, and Pop first appeared only in advertisements for the toasted rice cereal. But in less than a decade as the mascot for (you guessed it) California raisin growers, the claymation version of dried grapes that sang and danced left a monumental mark on pop culture. General Mills claims that Boo Berry was the first blueberry-flavored cereal. Fun Fact: In 1986, Kellogg's retired Dig 'Em from Honey Smacks packaging, but consumer outcry prompted his triumphant return one year later. Our newsletter is only for the coolest kids. The first mascot for Cheerios, then Cheerioats, was a girl named Cheeri O'Leary, who appeared from 1942 to 1946. This mouse mascot may share a name with the pizza and arcade chain but his full name is actually Charles Entertainment Cheese. But when tasked with thinking about a fishing professional along the New England coast, the image of Gorton's famous mascot almost instantly comes to mind. White hair and a white goatee, white double-breasted suits and black string ties. The food mascot whose real name is, almost unbelievably, Horatio Magellan Crunch (via Today) may not have a catchy slogan. As Mental Floss mused, So-Hi "spouted charmingly pronoun-less phrases with a few 'Ah-so's' thrown in for good measure.". Charles Entertainment Cheese was orphaned as a small mouse, and no one knew when his birthday was, so he never had a birthday party. And then there are the cows first seen in 1995 which are usually shown holding the ad slogan, "Eat Mor Chikin. He has captained the S.S. Guppy since 1963. He was replaced briefly with a new mascot named Wally Bear until fans of Dig 'Em overwhelmed Kellogg's with request to bring the frog back. Big Boy is the mascot of a fast food chain by the same name. Of course, the CGI Polar Bears that most modern consumers know and love were first introduced in 1993, as a pack of bears enjoyingAurora Borealis while sipping Coke. Today, he's a life-size dude with a massive plastic head. In the end, though, it doesn't really matter, and Ronald McDonald's legend is secure either way. Animals and Pets Anime Art Cars and Motor Vehicles Crafts and DIY Culture, Race, and Ethnicity Ethics and Philosophy Fashion Food and Drink History Hobbies Law Learning and Education Military Movies Music Place Podcasts and Streamers Politics Programming Reading, . To emphasize how delicious the cereal is, they are often shown licking cinnamon dust off of and eating the others. In 2017, the internet freaked out over the revelation that the Cap'n Crunch mascot's real name is actually Horatio Magellan Crunch. And so, in 1994, the California Raisins officially retired. He would eventually be called Lefty due to the fact that he is a left hand. Whatever the reason, we're confident the pizza chain's mascot (first used in 1962, according to the website) deserves his spot as the 10th best food mascot of all time. Charlie's line was, "Tell 'em, uh, Charlie sent ya," in a smooth Brooklyn accent. When he first debuted on the cereal box, he was wearing a big hat made out of fruit. Per The New York Times, Aunt Jemima was dubbed "the cook whose cabin became more famous than Uncle Tom's.". We tried to follow some ground rules during the ranking process. No one "digs" anything anymore. In 2020, parent companyDreyer's Grand Ice Creamacknowledged the problematic name and imagery. His formal name is L.C. Over the years, this talented pitcher-about-town has surfed, jet-skiied, played guitar, and starred in his own comic book series and a computer game. Crackle! Snap! Leprechaun, but fans today know him simply as Lucky. Thats how powerful a commercial tool mascots really are. 6. We often enjoy the world's more offbeat creations, yet we can't push Twinkie the Kid any higher in our rankings. Of course, the Taco Bell chihuahua's short time as the corporate torchbearer handicaps it in our rankings. Sure, the cartoon mascot, first seen in 1963 (via Today), has been imploring consumers to follow his lead to a bowl of Froot Loops by encouraging you to "follow your nose" for decades. His name was Hector Boiardi, and he was born in Italy in 1897. Pum! Other Keebler characters include Ernie's mom Ma Keebler, the elf in charge of wrapping named Fast Eddie, the elf who splashes chocolate on the cookies named Buckets, and the fudge shoppe foreman named Zack. Always one to help busy moms with their dinner dilemmas, the Helping Hand was introduced as part of an advertising campaign called, "When You Need a Helping Hand." The advertising agency responsible for the ad campaign hired Tex Avery the famous cartoonist who created Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig to bring the Frito Bandito to life. The cereal box design featured Bigg Mixx and hisclever origin story. Sometimes, though, they were just plain creepy, like Quizno's Spongmonkeys, Burger King's lasciviously grinning king, or many of McDonald's horrifyingmascots (and, for many people, that includes Ronald McDonald). These are some branding decisions for which food companies have come under fire. Green passed away in 1926, but the Aunt Jemima character persisted, most notably on Quaker Oats' pancake boxes and syrup bottles. But when Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash before the Super Bowl, Business Insider reported that VaynerMedia temporarily suspended part of the campaign. "Since then, there have been countless other sightings in the woods, at shopping malls, and even once on a subway in New York City (unconfirmed)," read the box. The famed trio of mascots representing Rice Krispies Snap, Crackle, and Pop feel like a bit of an anomaly when it comes to cereal mascots. Popsicle Pete appeared in newspaper ads, Popsicle wrappers, and promotional giveaways, like the Popsicle Pete Fun Book, which contributed to the character's popularity and longevity. Hawaiian Punch's spokes character, Punchy, made his television debut in 1962. The famous Planter's character, Mr. Peanut, was the result of a nation-wide competition to create the company's new mascot. In the 1950s, marketers added a fourth elf, Pow, a family friend who appeared in two commercials before he was scrapped. Animator Will Vinton brought the raisins to life using Claymation and on September 14, 1986, the first commercial featuringThe California Raisinsaired. Planters ran a trademark contest in 1916, and teenager Antonio Gentile won. Waldo's interpretation of Lucky's famous catchphrase "They're magically delicious," was "ibbledebibbledelicious." A History of the Most Iconic Brand Mascots Since 1877 - Erin Sweeney Design But it wasnt always this way there was a simpler time back in the Mad-Men era of advertising discovery and even many decades before that, when companies were on the search for something to help connect consumers to their brand. Though many guesses have been made as to who he is modeled after, the company claims the mascot is just a gentleman dressed in traditional Quaker attire. Many of these changes came on the heels of the Black Lives Matter movement which put a huge spotlight . Marketing hasn't always been spot-on when it comes to food branding. But with no name and, well, being the mascot for a pickle company, of all foods we had to keep him closer to the bottom of our list. Learn the real story behind these famous faces, from Ronald McDonald and the Kool-Aid Man to the Trix Rabbit. Honey Nut Cheerios anthropomorphized Honey Bee has been trying to woo customers into enjoying a big bowl of cereal in years of TV commercials. Raisin sales increased by 20 percent following the first commercial, according toMental Floss. was Rudy Prez, a copywriter who worked for a Chicago-based ad agency in the 1960s. Mashed did some digging and uncovered the real reason many iconicfood mascots went away. His signature look? Julius Pringles. Ultimately, in June 2020, Quaker Oats announced, "We recognize Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype." Brand Mascots: Benefits, Tips, and Famous Examples His look would go through a variety of changes throughout the years, including a color change from pink to brown and the addition of a blue "N" to his chest. In 1987, designers ditched the banana for a sketch of a woman. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Google Terms of Service apply. His famous tagline is "I'm cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!" In the 1950s, marketers added a fourth elf, Pow, a family friend who appeared in two commercials before he was scrapped. Perhaps inspired by his success, Post took another stab at using a slightly less homicidal clown as their brand mascot in 1968 but the results were much the same as before. Kellogg's Smacks, also known as Sugar Smacks or Honey Smacks, was released in 1953. For a brief time in the 1970s, Lucky was replaced in New England by a since-forgotten mascot, Waldo the Wizard. The loveable striped wild cat won, obviously, and he's been the cat's meow ever since. The National Mexican-American Anti-Defamation Committee (NMAADC) and Mexican-Americans in Gainful Endeavors (IMAGE) threatened organized boycotts of Frito-Lay products until the company ceased using what they considered to be a negative depiction. The Sun-Maid Girl was real, and her name was Lorraine Collett Petersen. If you look at a box today, you'll find a handful of Crazy Squares looking at one another hungrily. Green's recipe for self-rising pancakes were favorites of the Chicago family children and family friends. Many of your favorite fast food and store-bought eats have a brand mascot, which is typically some sort of cartoon character or other fictional being, like a leprechaun, elf or talking hamburger. Quiky the Nesquik Bunny has been a favorite mascot of children worldwide since the late 1940's. Representing the Nestl Nesquik brand of both the breakfast cereal and the flavor mix for your milk; this popular mascot has donned the face of the Nesquik line up of products for years. VaynerMedia heavily promoted Mr. Peanut's funeral, scheduled for the third quarter of the Super Bowl. Still, the mascot's globe-headed, kiddie-clown aesthetic contrasting his alleged CEO role is undoubtedly amusing, and also universally known. Oftentimes, the recipient of that question was another character named Opie, who would say, "Sure," and then Punchy would punch him. Did you know the Taco Bell chihuahua was actually a female named Gidget (via CNN)? The Madison Avenue Walk of Fame was created in 2004 to honor that history, and to recognize the greatest mascots in advertising each year. Although Chester is now synonymous with Cheetos, the brand once used a mouse mascot to promote the cheese snacks. Eventually, Snap would begin to appear on the side of the Rice Krispies box itself. These marketing tools are worth the money spent on them because they build brand . In 1971, the company ended the campaign after people threatened to boycott the brand. Add in the interesting tidbit that Tony beat out two other potential mascots upon arrival to become the face of Frosted Flakes in 1953 (via Kellogg's), and we think it's crystal clear why the Tiger ranks as the third best food mascot. In 2011, the cartoon mascot got a 3D animation. Why? It could only rise so far. Regardless, with longevity and memorability to her credit she was named by all three people we informally polled for this countdown, after all the Umbrella Girl is an undeniably iconic food mascot. Cheesasaurus Rex. It falls apart, it's messy.". Like so many other cereal mascots, Lucky is known for his distinctly insatiable appetite for a product in this case, Lucky Charms. After modeling for the brand in her early years, she worked as a nurse until her death at age 90. Of all the things you didn't know about Kool-Aid, you may not know the Kool-Aid Man wasn't featured in ads until 1975. With people seeking out healthier food options in the1980s and 1990s, though,snack cakes began to fall out of favor. "Though new to store shelves, Pearl Milling Company was founded in 1888 in St. Joseph, Missouri, and was the originator of the iconic self-rising pancake mix that would later become known as Aunt Jemima," the company said in a press release. Any number of food mascots could make a legitimate claim to this spot.
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