Stacy Conradt
The Quick 10: 10 Defunct Advertising Characters
by Stacy Conradt - December 14, 2009 - 4:18 PM

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We all know that Mickey Mouse is the figurehead for the Disney company and Ronald McDonald is the recognized face of his namesake fast food chain. But it wasn’t always that way! Check out these 10 mascots that represented their companies before being replaced by the latest and greatest.

alice_wild_west1. Alice, The Walt Disney Company. Before the rodent ran rampant, Alice was queen. Not the precocious blonde girl in the blue frock from the cartoon, but a live-action Alice that starred in a bunch of comedic shorts. Alice was played by Virginia Davis.

2. Speedee, McDonald’s. Before Ray Kroc took over McDonald’s, it was owned by a pair of brothers named Dick and Mac McDonald, and they used a man with a hamburger-shaped head named Speedee as a mascot. He was supposed to represent their “Speedee Service System.” Speedee was ousted for Ronald in 1963.

3. Milton the Toaster, Pop-Tarts. In the ‘70s, Kellogg figured there was no better way to sell breakfast pastries to kids than by using a talking appliance. Thus, Milton the toaster chatted up children and told bad jokes. You can witness such jokes here. Milton hasn’t been around for quite some time now – it’s rumored that Kellogg got a flood of complaints after they featured a commercial with a little girl giving Milton the Toaster a hug. It seems that responsible parents didn’t want their kids getting quite that intimate with a hot electrical appliance. Go figure.

4. Mr. ZIP, the United States Postal Service. Some of us probably can’t remember a day before ZIP codes were the norm, but back when they were a newfangled thing, Mr. ZIP was around to convince us that using those five little numbers would help the mail get around much faster. He was unveiled in 1962 and was mostly phased out before the ‘80s, but he could still be found on the selvage of a block of stamps until about 1986.

PETE5. Pizza Hut Pete, Pizza Hut. Pete was really the first mascot for Pizza Hut. He helped build the brand throughout the 70s but was more or less wiped out during the 80s in favor of celebrity endorsement deals. Some also think the Italian stereotype probably wasn’t doing Pete any favors as we evolved into a more politically-correct society.

6. Frito Bandito, Fritos. Speaking of stereotypes, Frito Bandito was a rather offensive character used from 1967-1971. If he sounds suspiciously like Speedy Gonzales, it’s because Mel Blanc did both of their voices. Frito Lay cleaned up the Bandito’s image after the National Mexican-American Anti-Defamation Committee complained, but the character was finally laid to rest altogether in 1971 when national attention was brought to the situation via a House subcommittee hearing.

fidodido7. Fido Dido, 7up. Here’s one that’s making a comeback. Fido Dido was the mascot for 7up in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, but I can only remember Cool Spot, Fido Dido’s replacement. Just this year, Fido Dido was brought back to be PepsiCo’s mascot for Slice outside of the U.S. Maybe we’ll start seeing more of him if the campaign proves to be popular?

8. Cheetos Mouse. I’ll be honest – I’ve always found Chester Cheetah mildly irritating and slightly sleazy. Like, if he was a real person as opposed to an anthropomorphic cat, he would probably wear way too much cologne and hope that you’re the type of girl who is easily impressed by sports cars and his knock-off Ray Bans. That’s why I would have welcomed the Cheetos Mouse, who debuted in 1971 and said much cuter things such as, “Hail Chee-sar!” You can see him in action here. He was retired in the late ‘70s or so, and Chester made his debut in the mid ‘80s.

9. Duracell Bunny. I know – you’re thinking, “No, it’s the Energizer Bunny.” There were actually both. The Energizer Bunny was created to spoof the Duracell Bunny, and Energizer was smart enough to trademark the idea of a battery bunny before Duracell could stake their claim on the original idea. Duracell knew when they had been beaten at their own game and conceded the use of the bunny in the United States. However, you’ll still see the Duracell Bunny in Europe and Australia, where Energizer prefers to use a human-like battery with big muscles as its mascot.

10. Gillette – Sharpie the Parrot. Not a very creative name, when you consider that his M.O. was to chirp, “How are you fixed for blades?” over the Gillette jingle of “Look sharp! Feel sharp! Be sharp!” This repetitive little guy made his debut during the first-ever televised World Series in 1952. I’m going to admit, I kind of love this commercial:

Do you remember any other mascots that once ruled the advertising roost for their brand?

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Comments (41)

  1. spuds mackenzie 4 ever

    posted by antonio on 12-14-2009 at 4:39 pm

  2. Mr. Zip, of course, is really just a rip-off of Manic Mailman.

    posted by Eriq Jaffe on 12-14-2009 at 4:58 pm

  3. avoid the Noid!

    posted by Spanky on 12-14-2009 at 5:03 pm

  4. I’m pretty sure Mr. ZIP is still used on the USPS website.

    posted by gibbledygoop on 12-14-2009 at 5:07 pm

  5. Oh holy mackerel–

    I used to work at McDonalds, and when I was issued my first ugly uniform, there was a silk neckerchief (classy!) printed with what I now know must be Speedee. I was so alarmed/amused to see a guy with a hamburger for a head–saying “UNITED WE STAND” for some reason, what the–that when I first lost the neckerchief I was extremely upset. It was like a little piece of surrealist art.

    UNITED WE STAND, says the guy with the hamburger head.

    posted by Nicole on 12-14-2009 at 5:16 pm

  6. I remember cool spot. I had a nintendo game with him as a character.

    posted by Kels on 12-14-2009 at 5:17 pm

  7. Charlie the Tuna

    posted by PartiallyDeflected on 12-14-2009 at 5:37 pm

  8. Partially, Charlie is still around these days, so he’s not exactly defunct.

    I remember my dad griping every time a Noid commercial came on TV! He hated that guy.

    recaptcha: “$23.5-million secs” say it aloud and you’ll feel dirty…

    posted by Megan on 12-14-2009 at 5:51 pm

  9. Did anyone see the episode of family guy where chester cheetah breaks out a bag of cheetos cuts them into lines and snorts them like they’re coke, all while listening to rush’s tom sawyer?…Hilarious!

    posted by CJ on 12-14-2009 at 6:16 pm

  10. I still see Speedee at a Carson, CA McDonalds that’s stylized as a 50s diner. I think he’s cute and waayyyy less creepy.

    posted by Barbara on 12-14-2009 at 7:18 pm

  11. I remember Fido. He was used as a character for Saturday morning cartoons on ABC. Then they later modeled Pepper Ann after him.
    Eriq, awesome Simpsons referrence. Don’t forget Sarcastic Suzie!

    posted by Neisha on 12-14-2009 at 8:05 pm

  12. How bout the Exxon Tiger?
    Speedy Alka-Seltzer?
    The Ajax White Knight? (He’d charge and stab someone with his Ajax sword and suddenly their clothes would become dazzlingly white!)
    The Lincoln-Mercury Cougar?

    posted by Tex on 12-14-2009 at 9:35 pm

  13. Who was the guy in a boat in the toilet tank…was that Old Spice? I remember being a kid in the early 70s and constantly worrying about the guy in my toilet…

    And of course, all of McDonaldLand.

    posted by shirleyfeeney on 12-14-2009 at 10:27 pm

  14. i’ve answered my own question…it was tidy bowl.

    posted by shirleyfeeney on 12-14-2009 at 10:29 pm

  15. No fair not including images for all 10 characters!

    posted by George on 12-14-2009 at 10:39 pm

  16. Another Gillette mascot that has gone the way of the Do-Do: Tiger Woods.

    posted by Will on 12-14-2009 at 10:43 pm

  17. joe camel?

    posted by dan on 12-15-2009 at 12:26 am

  18. Holy crap–I remember the Pizza Hut puppet!!!! I haven’t seen that since the 80s.

    posted by L e a n n a on 12-15-2009 at 12:29 am

  19. Dannie O’Day and Farfel the dog for Nestlé’s Quik.

    reCaptcha: famine losses

    -”BB”-

    posted by Bicycle Bill on 12-15-2009 at 2:51 am

  20. Selvage – new word for me, thanks! :)
    Ah Fido Dido, I remember him! As an non-American, most of the others are beyond my ken however…

    posted by Gwan on 12-15-2009 at 6:30 am

  21. Mr. Zip is definitely on the USPS website. Go to the page with the ZIP code lookups, and you’ll find him prominently displayed at the top of the page!

    posted by Gordon Daily on 12-15-2009 at 9:07 am

  22. Shirleyfeeney: The guy in the boat was the Tidy Bowl man. Other real (human) characters that advertised things were like Mr. Whimple (Don’t Squeeze the Charmin), Josephine the Plumber (Ajax), and Madge the Manicurist (Pomolive Dish Washing Liquid).

    posted by Gordon Daily on 12-15-2009 at 9:16 am

  23. CORRECTION: Mr. WHIPPLE (not WHIMPLE)- guess I was thinking of nuns!!

    posted by Gordon Daily on 12-15-2009 at 9:18 am

  24. Speedee was on the McDonald’s sign in my town until about a year or two ago! I heard that they took it down and put it in a museum somewhere. I had no idea the hamburger head had a name. If you ever go to a McDonald’s museum and see a huge sign with Speedee, it’s probably from Huntsville, AL!

    posted by AAAKnight on 12-15-2009 at 9:40 am

  25. I remember growing up in the ’80s and Cinnamon Toast Crunch had three chefs — Wendel (the one they still use) and two others. Seems like a blatent rip on snap/crackle/pop, now that I think about it. Anyone remember the CTC trio?

    Recaptcha: “reposing arbor” – how Christmas tree appropriate!

    posted by OkieMelissa on 12-15-2009 at 10:38 am

  26. RE: The Tidy Bowl man

    When I was about 8 or 9 years old, my aunt and uncle took me to an amusement park. I was really scared of one of the water rides we had decided to ride because it had a big drop. So we’re in our little boat at the top of this ride and my aunt says to me, “Don’t worry, It’ll be just like we’re the Tidy Bowl man!” Somehow this was not reassuring.

    posted by Kate on 12-15-2009 at 10:46 am

  27. Virginia Davis died earlier this year, on August 15. After she finished making the Alice films, she worked for Disney for several years in the ink and paint department. She also did voice work for Pinocchio.

    posted by Steven on 12-15-2009 at 10:50 am

  28. Eriq:

    Nice one! I love that episode!

    posted by Stacy the Amazing on 12-15-2009 at 11:11 am

  29. When I worked at McDonald’s in the 90s, we had a generic sandwich wrapper that contained an image of Speedee, including his name. We would use the wrappers for items such as toasted cheese sandwiches or biscuits, etc.

    posted by Mike on 12-15-2009 at 12:14 pm

  30. Uni, Roy and Al – the woman and two men dressed in white racing suits who represented Uniroyal Tires

    posted by DDSwaby on 12-15-2009 at 1:07 pm

  31. Speedy Alka Seltzer
    I think Kelloggs had a number of characters over the years if anyone can remember their names.

    posted by Alan on 12-15-2009 at 1:10 pm

  32. OkieMelissa- I remember the chefs! What about McGruff? Haven’t seen him in a while.

    posted by Sara in AL on 12-15-2009 at 2:22 pm

  33. did anyone mention Bud Man (Budweiser) yet? He predates Spuds Mackenzie.

    posted by kir on 12-15-2009 at 3:58 pm

  34. I miss the Chuck Wagon the dog chased in their commercials.

    posted by robnj on 12-15-2009 at 4:09 pm

  35. Here in NYC we had Jerry Rosenberg, owner of JGE Appliances in the early 70′s. His TV commercials opened with him wearing a construction hard hat and someone would ask “Hey Jerry, what’s the story”? He would go into his sales pitch for his electronics store and at the end lift his arms, his big belly sticking out and he’d say “That’s the story”.

    We also had Crazy Eddie’s, another electronics store in the tri-state area. Their tag line was “Crazy Eddie, his prices are IN-SA-A-A-A-A-ANE!”

    I’m sure commercials for both can be found on YouTube.

    And don’t forget Clara Peller – Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef?” lady

    posted by Sue on 12-19-2009 at 7:59 pm

  36. Am I the only MC Donald’s kid who remembers “the fry guys,” the “Hamburglar,” “Grimace,” “Mayor McCheese,” and the Irish “Uncle O’Grimacey”? The nuggests also had a little puppety incarnation, right?

    posted by Erin on 12-20-2009 at 4:21 pm

  37. What about that doofy looking coca cola guy (coke fairy?)from the 1950s with the funky white hair and a coke bottle cap for a hat? I always see him in old advertisements posted on the walls of 50s nostalgia diners. What’s his story anyway?

    posted by Shannon on 12-20-2009 at 6:50 pm

  38. spuds mackenzie, I still have a ceramic coin holder, btw how sad is that that a beer mascot for a coin holder, totaly for kids right. the Noid & the California raisins

    posted by chris on 1-2-2010 at 5:02 am

  39. And I forgot wasn’t the Camel cigarette cartoon camel named Smoking Joe Cool? Probably good the government got rid of him.

    posted by chris on 1-2-2010 at 5:04 am

  40. The Budwesier Frogs. Although I never drank beer I always loved when those frogs say Bud wes ier. Don’t know why.

    posted by Kari on 10-28-2010 at 11:47 am

  41. I loved Mr. Peanut’s antics and lately I can’t find the original Dry Roasted Peanuts especially in the small snack packs- only Honey-Roasted and other weird flavors!

    posted by Diana Hilderbrand on 10-29-2010 at 6:25 pm

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