_Editorial

The votes are in, the polls have closed, and Decision 2016 has been made! On Monday September 26, 2016, brand mascots celebrated Advertising Week’s 13th Annual Madison Avenue Walk of Fame — the advertising industry’s version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame — by inducting the year’s most iconic mascots and slogans.

As part of our countdown to Advertising Week 2016 in New York City and this year’s Madison Avenue Walk of Fame, we’re profiling the winners from the past 12 years; here are the winners from 2013.

Pink fur. Sunglasses. Flip flops. A drum with a mallet. And oh yes, he’s fueled by Energizer batteries. Since his 1989 debut, the Energizer Bunny has become an unexpected hero in advertising, thumping his way into the hearts of consumers in a commercial spot where he drummed away to outlast toys powered by other batteries.

In her early years as a brand mascot, Miss Chiquita found fame in the fruit aisle as an animated banana. Drawn in 1944 by cartoonist Dik Browne, creator and illustrator of Hägar the Horrible and Hi and Loiscomics, Miss Chiquita put a personal face on the United Fruit Company (now known as Chiquita Brands International). She showcased a festive and fun personality as…

Clad in a blue and white striped shirt, a stylized red straw hat, and seldom far from ocean waves, it’s impossible not to immediately recognize Punchy, the brand mascot for Hawaiian Punch fruit punch drinks.

Take a look at the opening panel of Cap’n Crunch cereal box designs below. In a sea of blue bicome hats, naval coats with gold epaulettes, and white ‘staches, you might wonder why I’m writing about a mascot’s design evolution when he appears to have looked the same for over 50 years. Look closer — when it comes to Cap’n Crunch,…

As long ago as 1490 BC, it was noted in history books that the origin of raisins came from sun-dried grapes. If you won a sporting contest in Greece or Rome, you were likely given raisins as your prize. And if you felt sick, or even afraid of aging, Roman physicians would prescribe raisins as the cure for anything that…

On Tuesday June 7th, the American Advertising Awards hailed the finest creative agencies and students in the nation in its annual presentation. For the second year in a row, Leo Burnett Chicago took home the Best of Show Gold ADDY award. This year, the award was presented in recognition for Allstate Insurance’s “Mayhem” campaign about a social savvy burglar who serves…

How do you take an unpopular software browser and make it popular enough to resonate with audiences all over again? The answer is simple: just add an animated touch.

“Ladies and gentlemen, before your very eyes the Quaker Oats Company will now introduce two new cereals!”

As a longtime Pillsbury Doughboy aficionado, nothing piques my curiosity or excitement quite like discovering more members of the pastry mascot family tree. I couldn’t be more excited to write about Janet, the mascot for the British pastry manufacturer Jus-Rol, who has a cute backstory of her own as our first featured international brand icon.

Before he was Speedy, Alka-Seltzer’s infamous baby-faced brand mascot was named Sparky. Sketched by Bob Watkins at Chicago’s Wade Agency in 1951, Sparky became “Speedy” with his trademark Alka-Seltzer tablet body, hat, and wand, popping up on television screens and advertisements everywhere with antacid relief for anyone suffering from an upset stomach or headache.

As we celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd and reflect on the ways we can give back to nature, the first brand mascot that comes to mind in that thought process is Smokey Bear. At 71, Smokey is still a familiar, reassuring symbol of protection of America’s forests from human-caused wildfires.

By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon Snap, Crackle, Pop… Pow? Yep, you read that right. In 1955, the Rice Krispies trio was a brief quartet with an additional gnome named Pow. Not much is known about Pow outside of the space helmet he wore and that his creation was solely based on sharing the nutritional value of the whole grain rice. He…