{"id":20029,"date":"2019-09-17T18:16:33","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T22:16:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/?p=20029"},"modified":"2026-09-17T18:25:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T22:25:44","slug":"who-was-magnolia-bulkhead-the-mermaid-that-loved-capn-crunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/news\/who-was-magnolia-bulkhead-the-mermaid-that-loved-capn-crunch\/20029\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Was Magnolia Bulkhead, The Mermaid That Loved Cap\u2019n Crunch?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Heather Taylor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Horatio Magellen Crunch has encountered more than a few unusual personalities in his time spent sailing the Milk Sea on the S.S. Guppy! The Cap\u2019n Crunch icon spent his 1960s voyages often accompanied by crew mates like Sea Dog and Crunchberry Beast. Occasional journeys included a swashbuckling showdown with the nefarious pirate Jean LaFoote<\/a> to protect boxes of Cap\u2019n Crunch cereal below deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"magnolia_bulkhead_1\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, Cap\u2019n Crunch\u2019s seafaring days would be interrupted by the siren song of a mermaid named Magnolia Bulkhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who Is Magnolia Bulkhead?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Magnolia Bulkhead debuted ahead of Jean LaFoote in Cap\u2019n Crunch commercials in the early 1960s. Bulkhead was another design creation from the creative minds of Jay Ward and Bill Scott for the Quaker Oats Company. She was beguiling, as all mermaids tend to be, when viewed from a distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"magnolia_bulkhead\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Cap\u2019n saw her brushing her hair through his binoculars. She was singing a lovely siren song about his cereal! How could he not be instantly smitten with her?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cap\u2019n Crunch orders Sea Dog to steer the S.S. Guppy closer to the mermaid\u2019s island. The Cap\u2019n is still too far away to see what the viewer sees: Magnolia Bulkhead isn\u2019t a real mermaid! She\u2019s wearing a fake fin. Her island is actually a ship designed to look like an island. Her real voice is scratchy. She has a record player playing with her siren song \u2014 and it\u2019s starting to skip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"magnolia_bulkhead_2\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A pirate named Otis is ready at the helm to sink the S.S. Guppy. Why would Magnolia want to sink Cap\u2019n Crunch\u2019s ship? It\u2019s simple. She wants his cereal! It\u2019s made of corn, oats, and always stays crunchy. The perfect breakfast in bed treat, served by the Cap\u2019n himself. (Magnolia kind of has a huge crush on Horatio Magellen Crunch. Carries a framed photo around of him and everything.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Truth About Magnolia Bulkhead, Revealed<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember that skipping record player of Magnolia singing about Cap\u2019n Crunch cereal? It\u2019s still skipping. The closer Cap\u2019n gets to Magnolia, the more he can hear it. He\u2019s been duped!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"magnolia_bulkhead_3\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cap\u2019n Crunch urges Sea Dog to turn left. Magnolia urges Otis to fire away at the S.S. Guppy. Instead, Otis accidentally fires at Magnolia\u2019s ship. One cartoonish explosion later, and the pair are ready to sink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"magnolia_bulkhead_4\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As Cap\u2019n Crunch watches Magnolia\u2019s ship start to sink, he quips that every mermaid is a bit fishy to his crew mates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who\u2019s Voicing Magnolia Bulkhead?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Loyal Cap\u2019n Crunch fans know that the voice of Cap\u2019n Crunch throughout the 1960s was voice actor Daws Butler. He provided the vocal talent for several iconic cartoons including Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound.<\/p>\n\n\n