Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
List of American advertising characters
This is a list of notable mascots and characters created specifically for advertising purposes, listed alphabetically by the product they represent.
| Product | Character | Years used | Notes |
| A&W Root Beer | The Great Root Bear | debuted 1974 | |
| AFLAC insurance | the AFLAC duck | 2000–present | voiced by Gilbert Gottfried |
| Ajax cleanser | the Ajax pixies | 1948–1950s | |
| Ajax detergent | the White Knight | debuted 1963 | |
| Alka-Seltzer | Speedy Alka-Seltzer | 1952–1964 | |
| American Tourister luggage | luggage-mauling gorilla | 1970–1980s | |
| Anderson's Soup | the Anderson's Soup twins Happy and Pee-Wee | debuted 1957 | voiced by Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding |
| Arby's | Oven Mitt | 2003–present | voiced by Tom Arnold |
| Aunt Jemima pancake mix and syrup | Aunt Jemima | 1893–present | |
| Bacardi Rum & Cola drink | Bacardi & Cola | 2003 | |
| Bardahl auto engine additive | Dirty Sludge, Sticky Valve, Gummy Ring, Blackie Carbon | 1953 | |
| Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers | Frank Bartles and Ed Jaymes | 1985–1991 | played by David Joseph Rufkahr (Bartles) and Dick Maugg (Jaymes) |
| Bob's Big Boy restaurants | Big Boy | ||
| Bonny Maid floor cover products | the Bonny Maid | 1949–1950 | played by Anne Francis |
| Boo Berry cereal | Boo Berry | ||
| Borden | Elsie the cow | 1938–present | |
| Bounty paper towels | Rosie the waitress | 1970–1990 | played by Nancy Walker |
| Bubble Yum bubble gum | Floyd D. Duck | ||
| Bud Ice beer | Bud Ice penguin | 1996 | known for ominously singing "Doo-be-doo-be-doo..." |
| Bud Light beer | Spuds McKenzie | 1987–1989 | |
| Bud Light beer | Johnny, the Bud Light guy | 1995 | known for catchphrase "I love you, ma-a-a-n!"; played by Rob Roy Fitzgerald |
| Budweiser beer | "Budweiser"-croaking frogs | 1990s | |
| Budweiser beer | Frank and Louie, lizards | 1998 | |
| Burger King restaurants | Herb | 1985 | played by John Merrick |
| Burger King restaurants | Fighting chickens Spicy and TC | 2004 | |
| California Raisin Advisory Board | the California Raisins | debuted 1987 | |
| Camel cigarettes | Joe Camel | 1987–1997 | |
| Campbell's Soup | the Campbell's Soup kids | ||
| Cap'n Crunch cereal | Cap'n Horatio Crunch | 1963–present | |
| Carling Black Label beer | Mabel the waitress | 1950s | played by Jean Goodspeed (1951 through mid-1950s) |
| Charmin bathroom tissue | Mr. Whipple | 1965–1989 | played by Dick Wilson |
| Chef Boyardee canned pastas | Chef Boyardee | based on company founder Hector Boiardi | |
| Cheetos snacks | Chester Cheetah | ||
| Chevron (Standard Oil of California) | Hy Finn | debuted 1958 | voiced by Paul Ford |
| Chevron | the Chevron cars | 1995–present | |
| Chick-fil-A | the Chick-fil-A cows | 1995–present | known for the catchphrase "Eat Mor Chikin" (sic) |
| Chicken of the Sea tuna | Chicken of the Sea mermaid | 1952–present | voiced by Darla Hood in TV commercials |
| Chiquita bananas | Miss Chiquita Banana | 1944–present | |
| Chuck E. Cheese restaurants | Chuck E. Cheese | 1977–present | |
| Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal | Wendell, the Cinnamon Toast Crunch chef | ||
| Cocoa Puffs cereal | Sonny the Cuckoo Bird | 1960s–present | |
| Comet cleanser | Josephine the plumber | 1960s–1970s | played by Jane Withers |
| Cookie Crisp cereal | Cookie Jarvis | 1970s | |
| Cookie Crisp cereal | Officer Krum, Cookie Crisp Crook, and Chip the Cookie Hound | 1990s | |
| Cool Whip dessert topping | Sarah Tucker | 1960s | played by Marge Redmond |
| Coppertone sunscreens | the Coppertone Girl | 1959–present | |
| Count Chocula cereal | Count Chocula | ||
| Cracker Jack snacks | Sailor Jack and his dog, Bingo | 1918–present | |
| Crest toothpaste | Arthur Goodwin, pharmacist | 1970s | played by Arthur O'Connell |
| Dell computers | Steven Jackson | 2000–2003 | known for quotes like "Dude, you got a Dell"; played by Benjamin Curtis |
| Diet Coke | Diet Coke hunk | 1990s | played by Lucky Vanous |
| Domino's Pizza | The Noid | 1980s–1990s | voiced by Pons Maar |
| Doublemint gum | Doublemint Twins | ||
| Dreyfus investments | Major, the Dreyfus lion | debuted 1960s | |
| Dunkin' Donuts | Fred the baker | 1981–1997 | known for quote "Time to make the donuts"; played by Michael Vale |
| Duracell batteries | The Puttermans | 1990s | |
| Dutch Boy paint | the Dutch boy | 1907–present | |
| Energizer batteries | Energizer Bunny | 1989–present | |
| Esso Oil /Exxon | the Esso tiger/the Exxon tiger | debuted 1964 | |
| Eveready batteries | Eveready "9 lives" cat | debuted c. 1920s–1930s | |
| Excalibur Films | Virginia Beaver | Fictional spokesperson | |
| Federal Express | Mr. Spleen, fast-talking executive | 1982 | played by John Moschitta, Jr. |
| Florida Department of Citrus | Florida Orange Bird | 1970s | created by Walt Disney Productions |
| Flying "A" service stations | Axelrod the dog | 1960s | |
| Ford automobiles | the Ford dog | debuted 1952 | |
| Franken Berry cereal | Franken Berry | ||
| Fritos snacks | Frito Bandito | 1960s | voiced by Mel Blanc |
| GEICO | the GEICO gecko | 1999–present | voiced by Dave Kelly , Richard Steven Horvitz, and others; now is considered voiceless. |
| General Mills | Betty Crocker | 1921–present | |
| Gerber baby products | the Gerber baby | 1927–present | |
| Gillette Blue Blade razors | Sharpie the parrot | 1952–1960 | |
| Good & Plenty candy | Choo-Choo Charlie | 1950–1950s | |
| Green Giant vegetables | Jolly Green Giant | 1928–present | |
| Green Giant vegetables | Little Squirt | ||
| Hamburger Helper | the Helping Hand | debuted 1977 | voiced by Patrick Coyle |
| Hamm's Beer | Hamm's Beer bear | debuted 1952 | |
| Hawaiian Punch drink | Punchy (the Hawaiian Punch Guy), and Oaf/Opie | debuted 1961 | |
| The Hartford insurance | the Hartford elk | debuted 1974 | |
| Honey Nut Cheerios cereal | BuzzBee the bee | ||
| Hotpoint appliances | Happy Hotpoint | debuted 1955 | played by Mary Tyler Moore |
| Hubba Bubba bubble gum | the Hubba-Bubba Gum Fighter | debuted 1979 | |
| ICEE frozen drinks | ICEE polar bear | ||
| Ipana toothpaste | Bucky Beaver | 1950s | |
| Isuzu automobiles | Joe Isuzu | 1986–1990 | played by David Leisure |
| Italian Swiss Colony wine | Little old winemaker | 1960s | played by Ludwig Stossel , voiced by Jim Backus |
| Jack in the Box restaurants | Jack, the antenna ball-headed man | ||
| Jell-O gelatin | Chinese baby | debuted 1959 | voiced by Alan Swift |
| Keds shoes | Kedso the Clown | ||
| Keds shoes | Kolonel Keds | ||
| Keebler snacks | Ernie Keebler and the Keebler elves | 1968–present | |
| Kellogg's Froot Loops cereal | Toucan Sam | 1952–present | |
| Kellogg's Frosted Flakes cereal | Tony the Tiger | voiced by Dallas McKennon , Thurl Ravenscroft | |
| Kellogg's Pop-Tarts | Milton the Toaster | 1970s–1980s | voiced by William Schallert |
| Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal | Snap, Crackle and Pop | 1928–present | |
| Kellogg's Smacks cereal | Dig 'Em Frog | 1972–present | |
| Kellogg's Sugar Pops cereal | Sugar Pops Pete | 1950s | |
| KFC restaurants | Colonel Sanders | Col. Harland Sanders founded Kentucky Fried Chicken and eventually became its mascot; a later cartoon version was voiced by Randy Quaid | |
| Kleenex table napkins | Manners the butler | 1957–1950s | played by Richard Cutting |
| Kools cigarettes | Willie the Kool penguin | debuted 1930s | Has a wife named Millie |
| Kool-Aid drink mix | Kool-Aid Man | 1975–present | |
| Kraft Singles cheese | Dairy Fairy | debuted 1980s | |
| Lee dungarees | Buddy Lee doll | 1998–present | based on the Buddy Lee character who debuted in 1921 |
| Life | Mikey, the freckled-face kid | 1972–1981 | played by John Gilchrist |
| Little Caesar's pizza | Little Caesar | ||
| Lucky Charms cereal | Lucky the leprechaun | ||
| M&M's candy | Red and Yellow M&M's characters | 1996–present | |
| M&M's candy | Blue and Green M&M's characters | 1997–present | |
| M&M's candy | Orange M&M's character | 1998–present | |
| Mad magazine | Alfred E. Newman | 1954–present | |
| Marlboro cigarettes | the Marlboro Man | debuted 1954 | |
| Mattel toys | Matty Mattel | ||
| Maypo | Marky Maypo | 1950s | |
| Maytag appliances | Ol' Lonely, the Maytag repairman | debuted 1967 | played by Jesse White (1967–1988), Gordon Jump (1988–2003), Hardy Rawls (2003–present) |
| McDonald's | Ronald McDonald | 1963–present | |
| Meow Mix cat food | Meow Mix Cat | 1972–present |   |
| Merrill Lynch | Merrill the bull | ||
| Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Leo the lion | ||
| Michelin | Bibendum (the Michelin Man) | 1898–present | |
| Mobil | Pegasus | 1911–present | |
| Morton Salt | the Morton Salt Girl | 1914–present | |
| Mr. Clean cleaning products | Mr. Clean | 1958–present | first live-action Mr. Clean played by House Peters, Jr. |
| Mrs. Butterworth's syrup | Mrs. Butterworth | ||
| National Crime Prevention Council | McGruff the Crime Dog | 1978–present | |
| National Federation of Coffee Growers | Juan Valdez | 1959–present | played by José F. Duval (1959–1969, Carlos Sánchez (1969–present) |
| National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | Vince and Larry, the crash test dummies | 1985–1999 | |
| NBC | NBC peacock | 1956–1975, 1979-present | First appeared in 1956. Debuted as animated logo in 1957 |
| Nestlé Quik/NesQuik | the Quik Bunny/NesQuik Bunny | 1973–present | |
| 9 Lives cat food | Morris the Cat | 1968–present | voiced by John Irwin |
| Old Milwaukee beer | the Swedish Bikini Team | 1991 | |
| Old Spice cologne and aftershave | the Old Spice sailor | 1970s–1980s | played by John Perry |
| Palmolive dish detergent | Madge the manicurist | 1966–1992 | played by Jan Miner |
| Pep Boys auto parts stores | Manny, Moe, and Jack | ||
| Pets.com | Pets.com Sock Puppet | originally performed by Michael Ian Black; now mascot for auto loan company Bar None | |
| Piels beer | Bert and Harry, the Piels brothers | 1955–1960 | voiced by Bob Elliott (Harry) and Ray Goulding (Bert) |
| Pillsbury | Poppin' Fresh, the Pillsbury Doughboy | ||
| Planters peanuts and snacks | Mr. Peanut | 1916–present | |
| Popsicle ice pops | Popsicle Pete | 1940s–1995 | |
| Post Sugar Crisp cereal | Sugar Bear | voiced by Sterling Holloway | |
| Qantas Airlines | Qantas koala bear | debuted 1967 | |
| Quaker Oats | the Quaker Oats man | 1877–present | |
| Quaker Quake cereal | Quake | 1965–1970s | |
| Quaker Quisp cereal | Quisp | 1965–1970s | |
| Quizno's | Spongmonkey | 2003–2004 | characters originated on an internet blog |
| Quizno's | Baby Bob | 2005–present | character originated on an internet blog, and had a short-lived CBS show; currently voiced by Ken Hudson Campbell |
| Raid insecticides | Raid bugs | 1956–present | |
| RCA | Nipper the dog | ||
| RCA | Chipper | debuted 1990s | |
| Robert Hall clothing stores | Robert Hall birds | 1950s | |
| Savarin coffee | El Exigente | 1960s–1970s | played by Carlos Montalbán |
| Schlitz Malt Liquor | Schlitz Malt Liquor bull | ||
| ScotTowels paper towels | Aunt Bluebelle | 1970s | voiced by Mae Questel |
| Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner | Scrubbing Bubbles | ||
| Serta mattresses | Serta Counting Sheep | ||
| 7up soda | Freshup Freddie | 1950s | |
| 7up soda | The 7Up Spot | 1987–1995 | |
| Snuggle fabric softener | Snuggle Bear | ||
| Star-Kist tuna | Charlie the Tuna | debuted 1961 | voiced by Herschel Bernardi |
| Starbucks coffee | the Starbucks melusine | ||
| Taco Bell | the Taco Bell chihuahua | 1997–2000 | voiced by Carlos Alazraqui |
| Taster's Choice coffee | Taster's Choice couple | debuted 1987 in Britain, 1990 in U.S. | played by Anthony Stewart Head and Sharon Maughan |
| Toys "R" Us stores | Geoffrey the giraffe | 1970s–present | animatronic Geoffrey voiced by Jim Hanks |
| Travelocity | the roaming garden gnome | debuted 2003 | |
| Trix cereal | Trix rabbit | ||
| Trojan condoms | Trojan Man | ||
| Twinkies snacks | Twinkie the Kid | ||
| Ty-D-Bowl toilet cleaners | the Ty-D-Bowl Man | played by Mark Matheisen , Fred Miltonberg , Larry Sprinkle | |
| Uncle Ben's rice | Uncle Ben | Named after an actual Texas rice grower named Uncle Ben from years earlier | |
| United States Forest Service | Smokey Bear | 1944–present | |
| United States Forest Service | Woodsy Owl | 1970–present | |
| United States Post Office Department / United States Postal Service | Mr. ZIP | 1960s–1970s | |
| Vlasic pickles | the Vlasic stork | ||
| Wendy's Restaurants | Mr. Wendy | debuted 2004 | played by Roger Eschbacher |
| Western Airlines | Wally the bird | debuted 1955 | |
| Xerox copiers | Brother Dominick | debuted 1975 | played by Jack Eagle |
| various advertisers | Ernest P. Worrell | debuted 1980s | played by Jim Varney |
See also
- List of European and British advertising characters
- List of Australian and New Zealand advertising characters
External links
- Advertising Age: Top 10 Advertising Icons of the Century
- Red-faced with the Coppertone girl Interview with original model, history, etc.
- Lileks.com: The Orphanage of Cast-Off Mascots
Last updated: 08-23-2005 07:00:13
10-26-2009 08:16:03
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details