From Sketch Cartoon to Brand Mascot: How Fido Dido Became the Face of 7UP
By Heather Taylor
Ad agency Coup Creative will be heading the ultimate throwback by bringing back six old school designs and featuring them on 7UP packaging, including ‘90s fan favorite Fido Dido.
Before the laidback icon was a mascot for 7UP, he was a cartoon illustration. Created by Joanna Ferrone and Sue Rose, Fido Dido was doodled by Rose on a cocktail napkin in 1985. Then and now, he had a triangular face, two dots for eyes, and a few squiggly lines for hair.
Ferrone, who thought up the character’s name on her way to work the next day, decided that Fido Dido was meant to have wisdom beyond his years. In an era of cultural shifts, Fido Dido was ageless, thoughtful, chill, and compassionate towards one and all. The Fido Dido philosophy, as Ferrone put it in a later interview, is that “You are what you are and what you are is okay.”
His look caught the attention of Patricia Field, a costume designer and stylist who famously dressed the four leading ladies in the TV series “Sex and the City.” Once Field started printing images of the illustration on her t-shirts, Fido Dido fever took off.
PepsiCo (now the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group) approached Ferrone in 1988 about using the image of Fido Dido as 7UP’s mascot. The signed contract was initially just for five years, but due to the respect that the brand showed for the character, Ferrone continued the relationship together.
Since then, Fido Dido has been featured in 7UP ad campaigns throughout the world including commercials airing in Australia, the Philippines, the Netherlands, and India. Despite his global fame, Fido Dido remains unfazed by celebrity. He still dresses in his t-shirt, long shorts, and sneakers, and remains just as cool and relaxed now as he was back in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
You May Also Like
What the Dashboard Can’t Tell You About People Featuring Kerel Cooper of MarketCast
Joining us is Kerel Cooper, Chief Marketing Officer at MarketCast. Kerel shares why he believes marketers can learn from the strongest consumer brands and how human judgment should guide the use of AI in creative work.
Would You Share It If You Didn’t Work Here? Featuring Ty Stafford of Hello Party
Joining us is Ty Stafford, Founder and CEO of Hello Party, whose experience spans making YouTube videos in his dorm room and working at Red Bull Media House.
From the Conference Floor to the Boardroom: How Kindle Scribe Is Changing the Way Executives Capture Ideas
At Advertising Week New York 2026, Amazon’s Kindle Scribe offers a glimpse into how business leaders are combining the familiarity of handwritten notes with the convenience of digital technology to make the most of an increasingly demanding professional world.
