A good mascot comes in different shapes and sizes and can look like an object, a person, or an animal. But who’s actually paying attention to all the product mascots we’ve been exposed to throughout the years? Do you remember all these famous product mascots that have graced supermarkets, fast food restaurants, ads, and magazines? Take this quiz and find out.
A good mascot comes in different shapes and sizes and can look like an object, a person, or an animal. But who’s actually paying attention to all the product mascots we’ve been exposed to throughout the years? Do you remember all these famous product mascots that have graced supermarkets, fast food restaurants, ads, and magazines? Take this quiz and find out.
Vlasic Stork is the mascot for one of the most famous pickle companies in the world. Back in 1937, Vlasic was offered to distribute a new home-style pickle, which went on to become fresh-packed pickles in glass jars. Then in 1974, a stork was introduced as the mascot because storks are known for bringing children into people’s homes, and pregnant women were known for having a strong craving for pickles. So, they figured clients would put two and two together.
Ann Turner Cook was the inspiration behind the Gerber baby drawing in 1928. Fremont Canning Company held a contest in the summer of that year to find a baby face that could represent their baby food products. Eventually, the Gerber Baby mascot was used on countless products. The image was first used in a baby food ad in Good Housekeeping magazine.
The Dos Equis beer brand used this man in a series of ads that went viral. He is known as “The Most Interesting Man in the World,” and uses the catchphrase, “Stay Thirsty My Friends.” The beer brand used the iconic actor Jonathan Goldsmith as the face of the Dos Equis beer brand. Goldsmith had over 500 television and movie credits under his belt. But eventually the brand replaced him with French actor Augustin Legrand.
In 1877, Quaker registered as the first trademark for a breakfast cereal. That trademark happened to be a man wearing a hat over his long white hair and he was wearing old fashioned garb. The name Quaker was picked out by original owners Henry Seymour and William Heston because they believed that it symbolized pure goodness and honest value, which they wanted their cereal to represent.
Cap’n Horatio Magellan Crunch is the mascot of the popular children’s cereal Cap’n Crunch. According to the made-up storyline, Cap’n Crunch was born on Crunch Island in the Sea of Milk, a place full of weird creatures, talking trees and a mountain named Mt. Crunchmore which is made up entirely of Cap’n Crunch cereal. The mascot is known for wearing a blue Napoleon-type hat.
Charlie the Tuna is the mascot for the Starkist tuna brand. He was created in 1961 by Tom Rogers of the Leo Burnett Agency. But although the character is one of the most recognized mascots in American advertisement, StarKist Tuna is owned by Dongwon Industries, a business based in South Korea.
In 1914, the Morton Salt Umbrella girl appeared in advertisements using the famous slogan “When it rains it pours.” The mascot shows that the girl is holding a bottle of salt in one hand and pouring salt out on the ground while she walks and holds an umbrella to keep herself dry from the rain. Of course, the girl’s dress and hair were changed over the years. She underwent her first update in 1921, followed by another update in 1933, 1941, 1956... and so on.
The iconic character made his debut in 1964 as a 2D printed character in an ad in the Sunday comics. Over the years, Lucky the Leprechaun has undergone a few revisions, but continues to spread his magic as he guides kids in commercials towards the end of the rainbow. But instead of a pot of gold, they find a pot full of Lucky Charms cereal that contain marshmallows in the shape of hearts, blue moons, clovers, and horseshoes.
Cheetos fans will recognize this mascot as Chester Cheetah, the cool creature with sunglasses that is used in Cheetos commercials. The character was designed in 1986 by Brad Morgan, an art director, and Stephen Kane, who wrote the scripts for the TV commercials that feature Chester struggling and failing to eat other people’s Cheetos.
The Keebler Company is an American cookie manufacturer that owns the animated Keebler Elves seen in their commercials and printed ads. Among those elves is Ernie Keebler, the head elf, and reportedly the friendliest among his kind. He is recognized by his white hair, green jacket, white shirt and yellow tie, a red vest and floppy shoes. But back in 1969, it was J.J. Keebler who was the elf leader. But by 1970, Ernie took over as leader.
Toucan Sam is the mascot for the famous cereal brand Froot Loops. This cartoon bird has a giant multicolored nose, which he uses to fly towards a fresh bowl of Foot Loops, which are a series of colored rings that come in all sorts of fruity flavors. In several commercials, Toucan will tell the kids to “Follow your nose! It always knows.”
“Silly rabbit! Tricks are for kids,” is the famous tagline used by those pesky kids in the Trix cereal commercials. Why are they so mean to the Trix rabbit? Because he’s always looking for ways to get a bowl and even goes as far as to disguise himself as a human to finally achieve his goal. But the kids always catch him and take the bowl away at the last minute. But this hasn’t deterred the bunny from continuing to try.
For decades, people have put their ears to their Rice Krispies cereal to hear them snap, crackle and pop. Ironically, that’s how these three animated elves got their name. One is called Snap, the other is called Crackle, and the third is called Pop. The characters were designed by illustrator Vernon Grant in the 1930s. The original radio ad for Rice Krispies went like this: “Listen to the fairy song of health, the merry chorus sung by Kellogg's Rice Krispies as they merrily snap, crackle and pop in a bowl of milk.”
This clown may be one of the most famous red heads in the world as he is the mascot for the McDonald’s fast food chain. The origin of the clown goes back to 1963 when a local radio personality named Willard Scott performed using the tag name “Ronald McDonald, the Hamburger-Happy Clown.” From there, the rest as they say is history.
Colonel Sanders has represented Kentucky Fried Chicken for several decades. Over the years, though, advertising agencies have changed the Colonel’s appearance here and there, but for the most part, he still looks the same. Of course, he’s also based off of the appearance of the real Colonel Harland David Sanders, the American businessman and founder of the popular fast food chicken restaurant.
Mr. Peanut Is an ad mascot and logo created by Antonio Gentile for Planters, a snack-food company. Ironically, Gentile was a 14-year-old from Suffolk, Virginia, who entered a contest held by Planters Chocolate and Nut Company in 1916 to find a new peanut mascot. But over the years, Mr. Peanut has gone through some revisions. But all in all, he is essentially a peanut with arms and legs and is dressed in an old-fashioned gentleman’s jacket. He also wears a monocle, white gloves, spats and a cane.
Anyone who has bought canned vegetables or frozen vegetables at the supermarket has seen the Jolly Green Giant mascot on the labels. The character was introduced in 1903 by General Mills but is now owned by B&G Foods. Over the years, the Jolly Green Giant has appeared in commercials standing near the Minnesota River Valley around Le Sueur and using his signature tagline, “Ho, Ho, Ho.”
The mascot for the U.S. Forest Service used the tag line “Remember... Only You can prevent Forest fires. Only you.” Smokey the Bear’s primary purpose was to educate kids and hopefully some adults along the way on the dangers of forest fires. Their hope was that the mascot would remind people to be more mindful when they were out camping and put out campfires carefully to avoid causing forest fires.
Marvin Potts, the art director at a New York ad agency, was contracted by General Foods to create an image for their slogan “a 5-cent package makes two quarts.” At that point, Potts saw his son draw smiley faces on a frosted window and came up with the idea of a glass pitcher with a wide smile who ultimately became the Kool Aid Man. The mascot was later shown in commercials using the catchphrase “Oh, Yeah!”
Geico Gecko is an animated gecko used by Geico Insurance since August, 1999. The adorable reptile became a favorite among a long list of product mascots. Soon, the company started to attract more business from people desperately needing insurance. His appearance was used during the Screen Actors Guild strike which prevented the use of live actors.
Mr. Clean is a brand name and mascot owned by Procter & Gamble, a company that specializes in all-purpose cleaning products and other types of cleaning products like melamine foam abrasive sponges. The mascot was conceived of by Harry Barnhart in 1957 and then a man named Ernest C. Allen in the art department at Tatham-Laird & Kudner drew the iconic bald figure.
The Energizer Bunny is the mascot for Energizer batteries. The fluffy pink bunny is often seen sporting a pair of sunglasses while playing a giant drum. Then a voiceover actor is heard in every commercial referencing the Energizer brand’s tagline: “It keeps going and going and going...” The Energizer Bunny first appeared in 1999 and has been the brand’s mascot ever since.
The Pillsbury Doughboy, also known as Poppin’ Fresh, has been used in several Pillsbury product commercials for their famous buttermilk biscuits and croissants. One of the ways ad agencies made people fall in love with this creature was by having a human poking his stomach with one finger. Doughboy then reacted by giggling because he’s ticklish in that area.
The orange colored, black striped tiger is muscular, wears a red bandana, and has appeared on the front of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes cereal boxes for decades. Tony has also been seen in the famous cereal’s TV commercials saying the brand’s signature catchphrase “They’re Grrrrreat!” He was also used as the mascot for other cereal products such as Tony’s Cinnamon Krunchers.
This mascot is actually the Wendy’s logo. The little girl is modeled after the daughter of Dave Thomas. Thomas is the founder of Wendy’s, a fast food chain that provides burgers and fries as well as an array of other items on their menu like baked potatoes, chili, and chicken sandwiches. They even have frosted shakes for those with a sweet tooth.
This mascot belongs to the pizza fast food chain Little Caesar’s. The character is seen wearing a toga and sandals. He also wears the headdress often depicted on Julius Caesar, an emperor from Ancient Rome. Little Caesar’s is known for having some of the most affordable menu items and delicious pizza along with a variety of flavored chicken wings and their famous garlic bread known as crazy bread.
This chef is known as Chef Boyardee and he is the mascot of a product line of canned pastas. The company was founded way back in 1928 by an Italian immigrant named Ettore Boiardi. Boiardi wanted to use his original family name as the product’s name, but feared that Americans would find it too confusing to pronounce. So, he had it changed to Boyardee to make it easier for them.
He’s commonly known as the Michelin Man, but the official mascot of the Michelin tire company’s full name is Bibendum the Michelin Man. In 1898, Andre Michelin visited a talented poster artist named O’Galop who showed him a paintbrush of a round man made of tires, holding a mug with nails and pieces of glass. From there, the slogan “The tire that drinks up obstacles” was born. Of course, Bibendum has gone through many revisions over the years.
Snuggle Bear has been on practically every Snuggle fabric softener commercial since as long as most people can remember. He’s cute and cuddly and loves the feeling of soft, clean clothes on his fur. In fact, since the brand launched in 1983, Snuggle Bear has been the fabric softener line’s mascot. The puppet was originally created by Kermit Love under the hiring of Unilever. Love would later go on to work for Jim Henson on the show “Sesame Street.”
General Mills used Buzz the Bee as the mascot for their popular cereal Honey Nut Cheerios. Buzz was originally introduced in 1979 alongside the cereal, but he didn’t get his name until 2000. That’s when a fifth grader from Coolidge, Texas named Kristine Tong won a national contest to give the bee its name. She dubbed him BuzzBee, which was eventually changed to Buzz the Bee.
The RCA Dog is a mascot that represents the RCA brand. It was based off of the original painting by Francis Barraud and his dog Nipper looking into an Edison Bell cylinder phonograph. Barraud was a decorator for a London theater when the dog was born in Bristol, England. Nipper was said to have been a terrier mix and some believe he had Bull Terrier features or Jack Russell Terrier features.
Hawaiian Punch used this mascot named Punchy for their advertisements. He also went by the name the Hawaiian Punch Guy and he was drawn by an artist named Martin Mandelblatt for the ad agency Atherton-Privett. His first television appearance was way back in 1962 and he is easily recognized for having a hat of grass, a striped shirt and always carrying a glass of Hawaiian Punch.
The Hamburger Helper mascot is a left-handed glove with a big round red nose and a smile. He is generally referred to as Helping Hand or Lefty and is often seen carrying a big wooden spoon in his thumb. The character was introduced in 1971 back when meat shortages and high meat prices were common. The Hamburger Helper allowed homemakers to stretch a pound of hamburger meat into a meal for five.
She’s not a drawing or a computer-generated image. She’s a flesh and blood character named Flo, a fictional salesperson that represents Progressive insurance company. She’s been seen in over 100 television commercials. Oddly enough, the actress behind the character is none other than American comedian Stephanie Courtney who became Flo in television and radio commercials for the insurance company back in 2008.
This cartoon vampire is named Count Chocula and he has been the mascot for the chocolate flavored cereal of the same name. The mascot was first introduced back in 1971 and used the tagline “I want to eat your cereal!” Count Chocula was part of a line of monster cereals that included Franken Berry and Boo Berry.
This young boy with the slick hair is known as Big Boy. This mascot is often holding a big burger on a plate and can be seen in the form of a big statue out in front of the Big Boy restaurant chain. The mascot was modeled after Richard Woodruff, a six-year-old boy who walked into the diner Bob’s Pantry back when Bob Wian was trying to name his new burger.
This mascot is known as the Travelocity Gnome. The tag line “Where is my Gnome” was a viral marketing technique used by the company Travelocity back in 2004. The mascot is a two-foot-tall white bearded gnome with a blue coat, black boots and a red pointy hat known also as the Roaming Gnome. But the concept of the traveling gnome is believed to have been partially inspired by a prank that took place at the Interpublic Group’s Hill Holliday agency in the 1970s. At the time, someone stole a replica of the agency’s Harry Hood, a milkman like character who served as an ad mascot.
This caricature who has a mustache but no mouth is named Julius Pringles and he is also the mascot for the stackable chips called Pringles. Both the mascot and the chips were introduced back in July 1991 in Great Britain. But by 2011, Pringles were being sold in over 140 countries and are now considered one of the most popular chips around.
The Hamburglar is a McDonald’s fast food chain mascot who appears in the fantasy realm known as McDonaldland. He is best known for stealing burgers from the clown Ronald McDonald. The mascot made his first appearance in March 1971 and was one of the first villains to appear in McDonald’s commercials dressed in a black and white striped shirt and pants, a red cape and a wide-brimmed hat.
This crown wearing mascot is none other than the Burger King mascot. Back in the late 1960s to mid-1970s, Burger King began using a small animated version of the King called Kurger Bing in its children’s ads. The character was voiced by Allen Swift from 1968 to 1976. At that point, the King became the franchise’s mascot throughout the world.
This red flannel shirt wearing dude with a big smile is the mascot for Brawny Paper Towels and is known as the Brawny Guy. There have been different variations of the Brawny guy over the years. Sometimes he’s blonde and is seen sporting a mustache. Other times he’s tall, dark and handsome. But in 2017, the Brawny man was replaced by a woman in flannel for Women’s History Month.
Geoffrey the Giraffe was the official mascot for the popular toy store Toys R Us. He made his appearance in print advertisements in the 1950s under the name Dr. G. Raffe back when the toy store was called Children’s Bargintown. Eventually, he was renamed Geoffrey and was even seen as having a family complete with a wife and two kids.
He may not be Mickey Mouse, but he’s still the other popular rodent among kids. His name is Chuck E. Cheese and he is the mascot of the kid-friendly amusement center/food chain. But from 1977 to 1992, he was actually a rat. It wasn’t until 1993 that the character Nolan Bushnell created got turned into a mouse.
Cocoa the Monkey was the official mascot of Cocoa Krispies. But in 2001, he got canned and was replaced by Rice Krispies’ mascots Snap, Crackle and Pop. But this isn’t the first time the mascot was changed. In 1968, Coco was named Jose, but he was said to have been replaced by Coco the Elephant in 1960 after Mexican-Americans filed a complaint about the ethnic stereotype.
The classic board game Monopoly is represented by Rich Uncle Penny Bags—a dude in a morning suit, top hat and bowtie. But he didn’t get that name until 1946 when Parker Brothers produced the game Rich Uncle, which used the mascot’s appearances on the game's currency and box lid. It is also said that Rich Uncle was modeled after American businessman J.P. Morgan.
This bunny is named Quickie and he’s the mascot for the Nesquik brand by Nestle. He sometimes goes by the name Nesquik Bunny and he is an anthropomorphic bunny sometimes seen wearing a large red Q on a collar necklace. He made his first appearance way back in 1973 in his first TV commercial and was voiced by a voice actor named Barry Gordon.
This is Mario and he is the main character in the Super Mario Bros. video game by Nintendo. Mario is a little jumping plumber that has attracted gamers of all ages over the years. The character’s primary mission in practically every game is to travel through a series of worlds and take out many enemies as he goes in search of the princess that has been captured by the main villain.
Corn Flakes have been around since the year 1906 when the Kellogg Company first introduced the product. And today, it’s represented by its popular mascot, the green rooster named Cornelius Rooster, or Corny for short. But the mascot didn’t make his debut until 1950. After that, the character’s green body, red comb and yellow beak have graced the boxes of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes across the world.
The mascot that appears on every Captain Morgan rum bottle is none other than the handsome 17th-century privateer, Sir Henry Morgan. The company’s slogan is “Live like the Captain.” Of course, the popular alcoholic beverage itself doesn’t date that far back. It was founded in 1944 and has since become one of the world’s leading rum brands.
The beautiful blonde mermaid seen on tuna cans is known as the Chicken of the Sea Mermaid. The brand came out in the 1930s when the company’s fishermen compared the tuna’s flavor and color with that of chicken. But the mermaid mascot wasn’t created until 1952 and is said to have been inspired by actress Grace Lee Whitney, best known for her role as Yeoman Janice Rand in the original “Star Trek” series.