_Editorial

James Wahlberg wants you to know that he’s more than The Smurfs. Wahlberg’s animation background is the stuff of creative dreams. His early years were spent as an artist and performer, where his combined talents allowed him to tap into the animation field. “I was initially concerned about what to do for a living,” Wahlberg admits, “Animation was perfect. It’s…

By Heather Taylor Elsie the Cow, the beloved bovine spokescow for Borden Dairy, is back with a whole new look! This January, Borden teased announcements that a revamped version of Elsie was on her way. Now, the modern Elsie is back in the spotlight with a milk glass that’s half-full with optimism. The Origin Story Of Elsie The Cow Elsie…

By Heather Taylor Do not let this pleasant image starring Blue fool you. Something seriously awful has happened to the new M&M’S spokescandy icon, Hazelnut. New Spokescandy The latest M&M’S spot, “New Spokescandy,” from BBDO opens on a promising note. The candy industry is about to be introduced to a brand new M&M spokescandy. He’s Hazelnut, named after the delicious…

By Heather Taylor Why would a lobster voluntarily decide to submerge itself in a bubbling hot tub? “Lobster Hot Tub Party,” the latest GEICO commercial in the “Believe It” campaign from The Martin Agency, reveals that certain crustaceans keep their cool in hot water. Babe… There’s A Lobster In The Hot Tub… The commercial opens with a newlywed couple on…

By Heather Taylor We’re bananas for Miss Chiquita! The iconic spokeswoman for Chiquita bananas picked up her first-ever PopIcon International Achievement Award at Advertising Week’s LATAM 2019. Held in Mexico City, the big win for Chiquita was part of Advertising Week’s Discovery Awards 2019 event. “Mexico City is a truly world class city,” Matt Scheckner, CEO at Advertising Week says,…

By Heather Taylor It’s crunch time — again — for Mr. Peanut! Planters fans may already be familiar with the dapper legume’s need for speed. Earlier this year during Super Bowl LIII, Mr. Peanut zigged and zagged in his iconic NUTmobile through a suburban neighborhood. As Mötley Crüe’s “Kickstart My Heart” blasted on the speakers, the commercial revealed Mr. Peanut…

By Heather Taylor Who among us hasn’t used a BIC brand ballpoint pen to write with at some point in our lives? From stationery to shavers, BIC’s packaging has featured a unique character for nearly 60 years. Resembling a small child dressed for school with a most unusual ballpoint head, he is simply known as the BIC Boy. The Characters…

By Heather Taylor Move over, Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket. Our favorite “magically delicious” mascot Lucky the Leprechaun is giving away 15,000 boxes of Lucky Charms Rainbow And Unicorn Marshmallows cereal! Lucky Charms Marshmallow Only Returns With A Twist Lucky the Leprechaun only gave away 10 boxes of his cereal the first time the Lucky Charms Marshmallow Only promotion ran in…

By Heather Taylor Have you ever wondered how the PEEPS Chick celebrates Easter? Let’s quickly back up to where we last spotted this bright yellow icon. On December 31st, the PEEPS Chick participated in the 10th Annual PEEPS Chick Drop in his hometown Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. An illuminated, 400-pound PEEPS Chick descended upon the city and welcomed 2019. Last October, the…

By Heather Taylor Have you ever wondered what an alternate Game of Thrones universe might look like starring the Kool-Aid Man? Last year, we watched the Kool-Aid Man drop a lit holiday single with Lil Jon for just in time for Christmas. Fans thirsty for more of the spokespitcher’s antics get to watch him invade the realm and crash through…

By Heather Taylor Ronald McDonald isn’t the only clown in McDonaldland! In 1989, the creatives at Leo Burnett dreamed up a new 0:15 second McDonald’s commercial called “Clowning Around” starring Ronald and a few new McDonaldland clowns. “Clowning Around” Ronald stops by to hang out with the Happy Meal Guys. He taps on the lid of the box the Chicken…

By Heather Taylor McGruff the Crime Dog, icon for the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), is turning 39 in 2019. For nearly four decades, he has encouraged Americans to “take a bite out of crime” through crime prevention take-charge advice provided in his popular public service advertising campaigns. Americans in the early 1970s couldn’t tell you how to prevent crime.…

By Heather Taylor Most brand mascots are known for having a defining signature. The Pillsbury Doughboy loves to giggle, Ronald McDonald wears big red clown shoes, and the GEICO Gecko has a refined accent. When was the last time we looked at a character and saw their signature reflected in their eyes? There are some icons for which that may…

By Heather Taylor Spring break is right around the corner, which can only mean one thing. Brand mascots are cutting loose, especially Ronald McDonald and the McDonaldland crew who are beach bound! “Beach” McDonald’s debuted the :60 second commercial “Beach” in 1977. Directed by Howie Morris, the commercial featured beloved McDonaldland characters heading on location to a beach in California.…

By Heather Taylor There were four types of commercials that Gregg Victor always wanted to create featuring brand mascots in the advertising space. He wanted to make a cereal commercial that took place during nighttime, create an original character, give an iconic character the chance to cry, and do something, anything, involving Godzilla. Even though nobody thought he would, the…

By Heather Taylor Lucky the Leprechaun has finally been cornered by the kids. The kids make their final demand for our icon’s Lucky Charms cereal filled with unicorn marshmallows. Lucky is trapped in a barn, atop a unicorn. Will they get a bowl of his Lucky Charms, or does Lucky have a bit of magic up his sleeve to get…

By Heather Taylor In June 2018, ice cream shop Carvel made waves with the launch of Fudgie the Beer, a beer created for a whale of a mascot the beloved Fudgie the Whale. Now, Carvel is back at the brewery — none other than the Captain Lawrence Brewing Company — to launch two new beers. Who’s the star this time…

By Heather Taylor Happy National Cereal Day! One of cereal’s gr-r-reat(est) icons, Tony the Tiger of Frosted Flakes fame, is celebrating with a brand new Tony the Tiger capsule t-shirt collection. The seven-shirt collection gives us a look back at Tony’s design evolution through the decades. Tony The Tiger Through The Decades One year after the introduction of Kellogg’s Sugar…

By Heather Taylor Comedians, Reba McEntire, and a bear-shaped honey bottle called ‘Colonel Bear’ have all played the role of Colonel Sanders. Now, KFC’s icon is getting the silver screen treatment. Colonel Sanders has transformed into Colonel RoboCop. (Pro tip for all of our younger readers: that’s a reference to the hero in the 1987 action cult classic RoboCop.) ‘Countdown’…