Most Popular Brand Advertising Mascots of All Time

Mascots used in advertising over the years are the backbone of nearly all successful “image conscious” companies in the United States as well as worldwide. Mascots and icons conjure up all sorts of nostalgic images from childhood through present day. Many of the well remembered ones stood out in our minds as either funny, heartwarming, stupid, absurd or provocative. They also had another important element ….. having an identifiable character, a catchy jingle, or a cool well thought catchphrase.

Some of the best-loved ads of the 20th century have names like Charlie, Tony, Ronald, Betty and Mr. Peanut. Others, like Joe Camel, the Marlboro Man and the Kool Penguin, may not have been  as beloved, but grew to have immense worldwide impact and could instantly be identified with their respective product. Even Fred and Barney were used for advertising Winston Cigarettes at one time ….. before all the negative implications of how hazardous smoking was on our lungs and how impressionable they were on youngsters.

From frozen vegetables to packaged cake mix, from fast food to automobile tires, these well thought out, carefully drawn characters are the personifications of businesses that began small but grew to become dominant brands within their respective fields ….. thanks in large part to their famous icons.

This list below represents the majority of the most remembered, as well as successful, print and billboard ads, television commercials, product endoresements, mascots, icons and logos of all time. These have all made a powerful dent in our subconscious and made a powerful and longlasting impact in the marketplace. From the thousands of mascots and ads, these were the ones that stood out the most. The criteria used here is based upon overall effectiveness, longevity, recognizability and cultural impact.

Enjoy your trip down memory lane. Be watching for a forthcoming post featuring product catchphrases. I will have a link when the post is created.

UPDATED:  2 links have been recently added  that relate to this post – You can check them out at the bottom of this posting.

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See how many of the cereal brand mascots you remember in the collage below.

 

 

1. Mickey Mouse – Walt Disney Company/Disneyland/DisneyWorld
2. Energizer Bunny – Eveready Energizer Batteries
3. Tony The Tiger – Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Cereal
4. Charlie The Tuna – Starkist Tuna
5. Trix Rabbit – General Mill’s Trix Cereal
6. Speedy – Alka Seltzer
7. Poppin’ Fresh The Pillsbury Doughboy – Pillsbury Rolls/Products
8. Jolly Green Giant – Green Giant Vegetables
9. Nipper The Dog (fox terrier) – RCA Victor Company
10. Frito Bandito – Frito Lay Corn Chips
11. Chicken of The Sea Mermaid – Chicken of The Sea Tuna
12. Elsie The Cow – Borden Dairy Products
    
13. Miss Chiquita – Chiquita Bananas
14. Ham’s Bear – Hams Beer
15. M&M’s – M&M’s
16. Mrs. Butterworth – Mrs. Butterworth Pancake Syrup
17. Spuds McKenzie – Bud Light Beer
18. Gidget The Taco Bell Chihuahua – Taco Bell Restaurants
19. Dig ‘Em The Frog – Kellogg’s Sugar Smacks Cereal (renamed Honey Smacks)
20. Sugar Bear – Post Super Sugar Crisp (renamed Golden Crisps)
21. Snap, Crackle & Pop – Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Cereal
22. Jack – Jack-In -The-Box Restaurants
23. Marvelous Magical Burger King (the older cartoonish mascot – 2 versions) – Burger King Restaurants
24. Chef Boyardee – Chef Boyardee Canned Pasta
25. Ronald McDonald – McDonalds Restaurants (also included here could be Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese, Grimace & Birdie)
26. Kool Aid Man – Kool-Aid Drink Mix
27. Joe Camel – Camel Brand Cigarettes
28. Lucky The Leprechaun – General Mill’s Lucky Charms Cereal
29. Sonny The Cuckoo Bird – General Mill’s Cocoa Puffs Cereal
30. Toucan Sam – Kellogg’s Froot Loops Cereal
31. Martin The Gecko – Geico Auto Insurance
32. Geico Cavemen – Geico Auto Insurance
33. Morris The Cat – 9 Lives Cat Food
34. Colonel Sanders – Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurants
35. Sugar Pops Pete The Prairie Dog – Kellogg’s Sugar Pops Cereal (renamed Corn Pops)
36. Cornelius The Rooster – Kellogg’s Corn Flakes
37. Mr. Peanut – Planters Peanuts
38. Great Root Bear – A & W Root Beer & Restaurants
39. Cap’n Crunch – Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch Cereal
40. Buzz Bee – General Mill’s Honey Nut Cheerios
41. Chester Cheetah – Cheetos Crunch
42. Quiky The Bunny – Nestle’s Quik (later changed to Nesquik) Chocolate Mix
43. Mr. Clean – Mr. Clean
44. Snuggle Bear (Teddy Bear) – Snuggle Fabric Softener
45. Dutch Boy – Dutch Boy Paint
46. Mr. Rollback – Wal-Mart Stores
47. Big Boy – Big Boy Restaurants
48. Sambo & Jolly Tiger – Sambo’s Restaurants
49. Punchy – Hawaiian Punch Drink Mix
50. Choo Choo Charlie – Good & Plenty Candy
51. Count Chocula – General Mill’s Count Chocula Cereal
52. Frankey Berry – General Mill’s Franken Berry Cereal
53. Boo Berry – General Mill’s Boo Berry Cereal
54. Sailor Jack & Bingo – Cracker Jacks
55. W.C. Fritos – Frito Lay Corn Chips
56. Foster Farm Chickens – Foster Farms Chicken
57. Geoffrey The Giraffe – Toys R Us
58. Aunt Jemima – Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix & Syrup
59. Buster Brown & Tige The dog) – Buster Brown Shoes
60. Kenner Gooney Bird – Kenner’s Toy Company
61. Quisp – Quisp Cereal
62. Sun-Maid Raisins Girl – Sun-Maid Raisins
63. Granny Goose – Granny Goose Potato Chips
64. Michelin Man (aka Bibendum) – Michelin Tires
65. Bullseye (the Miniature Bull Terrier) – Target Stores
66. Kool Penguin – Kool Cigarettes
67. Exxon Tiger – Exxon Gasoline
68. Aflac Duck – Aflac Insurance
69. Chuck E. Cheese – Chuck E. Cheese Pizza (formerly Pizza Time Theater)
70. Helping Hand – Betty Crocker’s Hamburger Helper
71. Little Foster – Foster’s Freeze Restaurants
    
72. Kernel Kleenup (aka “The Little Man”) – Western Exterminator
73. Little Miss Sunbeam – Sunbeam Bread
74. Umbrella Girl – Morton Salt
75. Tropic-Ana – Tropicana
76. Coppertone Girl – Coppertone Sunscreen
77. Pets.com Sock Puppet – Pets.com Pet Supplies
78. Reddy Kilowatt –
79. Jeff – Burger Chef Restaurants
80. Vlasic Stork – Vlasic Pickles
81. Gorton Fisherman – Gorton Seafood Company
82. Cool Spot – 7-Up Soft Drinks
83. White Knight – Ajax Laundry Detergent
84. Ajax Pixies – Ajax Cleanser
85. Betty Crocker – Betty Crocker Baking Products
86. Anderson Soup Twins – Anderson Soup
87. Campbell’s Soup Kids – Campbell’s Soup
88. Quaker Oats Man – Quaker Oats Cereal
89. Twinkie The Kid – Hostess Twinkies
90. Budweiser Frogs – Budweiser Beer
91. Brawny Lumberjack – Brawny Paper Towels
92. Brother Dominick – Xerox
93. Mr. Bluelight – K-Mart Stores
94. Carvel Ice Cream Guy – Carvel Ice Cream
95. Culligan Lady – Culligan Water Softener
96. Hy Finn – Standard Oil of California
97. Jello-O  Baby – Jell-O
98. Jared – Subway Restaurants
99. Mr. Owl – Tootsie Rolls & Tootsie Pops
100. Gerber Baby – Gerber Baby Food
101. Josephine The Plumber – Comet Cleanser
102. Juan Valdez – National Federation of Coffee Grower
103. Kedso The Clown – Ked’s Brand Sneakers
104. Mr. Bubble – Mr. Bubble Bubble Bath
105. Keebler Elves (Ernie The Elf) – Keebler Foods (Crackers)
106. California Raisins – California Raisins Advisory Board
107. Happy Cows (Talking Cows) – Real California Cheese/Milk
108. Little Caesar – Little Caesar Pizza
109. Little Old Winemaker – Italian Swiss Colony Wines
110. Madge The Manicurist – Palmolive Dish Washing Detergent
111. Marky Maypo – Maypo Cereal
112. Marlboro Man – Marlboro Cigarettes
113. Indian Maiden – Land-O-Lake Butter/Dairy Products
114. Maytag Man – Maytag Appliances
115. Little Mikey (the Freckly-faced Kid) – Life Cereal
116. Mrs. Olson – Folgers Coffee
117. Mr. Goodwin – Crest Toothpaste
118. Mr. George Whipple – Charmin Toilet Paper
119. Goodyear Blimp – Goodyear Tire Company
120. Mother Nature – Chiffon Margarine
121. Sunny – Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Cereal
122. The Noid – Domino’s Pizza
123. Orville Redenbacher – Orville Redenbacher Gourmet Popcorn
124. Popsicle Pete – Popsicle Frozen Pops
125. Polar Bear – Icee
126. Slush Puppie – Slush Puppie
127. Oscar Mayer Bologny Kid – Oscar Mayer Bologny
128. Manny, Moe & Jack – Pep Boys Auto Parts
129. Rosie The Waitress – Bounty Paper Towels
130. Ty-D-Bol Man – Ty-D-Bol Toilet Cleaner
131. Uncle Ben – Uncle Ben’s Converted Rice
132. Honeycomb Kid – Post’s Honeycomb Cereal
133. Yipes The Zebra – Fruit Stripe Gum
134. Klondike The Polar Bear – Klondike Ice Cream Bar
135. Mr. Meow – Meow Mix Cat Food
136. Scrubbing Bubbles – Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaner
137. Fruit of The Loom Guys – Fruit of The Loom Underwear/Sleepwear
138. Mario – Nintendo Entertainment System
139. Sonic The Hedgehog – Sega Video Games
140. Duke The Dog – Bush’s Baked Beans
141. Kash (with the googly eyes) – Geico Auto Insurance
142. Stay Puft Marshmallow Man – Stay Puft Marshmallow Company (actually a fictitious mascot from the movie Ghostbusters)

Below are two of my favorite current ads running that feature an ensemble cast of mascots from the past. Can you identify them all?

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PLEASE NOTE:  If you enjoyed this post of Most Popular Advertising Mascots … you may want to check out two other posts in this blog. One has over 300 of the more popular Catchphrases Expressions & Slogans of the 50’s – 60’s – 70’s -80’s – 90’s. A number of sayings and catchphrases that caught on from these advertisements will also be reflected in this post. The newest post contains TV’s Greatest Commercial Ads of Slogans, Jingles, Taglines & Catchphrases.

Simply click on the links below to continue your nostalgic journey down memory lane. 🙂

• TV Commercial Advertising: Greatest Slogans Jingles Taglines & Catchphrases of All Time

• Catchphrases Expression & Slogans of the 50’s – 60’s -70’s – 80’s – 90’s

“The Hostess Four”

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