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Once ubiquitous faces of some of your favorite brands, these mascots ruled the advertising world but have since vanished from our screens and shelves. From quirky pizza slices to smooth-talking crooners, we’re diving into memorable marketing characters that simply don’t make appearances anymore. Get ready to revisit iconic mascots whose time in the spotlight has sadly come to an end.
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00:01Psst!
00:02Yo quiero Taco Bell.
00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at non-sports mascots for brands that were once at the forefront
00:09of their marketing.
00:11For one reason or another, though, they're rarely, if ever, seen nowadays.
00:14Say, did you bring the Wilkins coffee?
00:16No, I forgot!
00:18When you come back up, don't forget the Wilkins!
00:22Number 20. Pizza Head, Pizza Hut.
00:24Imagine Mr. Bill, but in pizza form.
00:26You'd get Pizza Head, who actually shares the same creator as Mr. Bill, Walter Williams.
00:31It's Party Guy Steve!
00:32Well, I didn't invite him!
00:33Sure you did!
00:34And he says this party needs some real music.
00:36Uh-oh, Mr. Neighbor would like this!
00:39A staple of Pizza Hut's advertising throughout the 90s, this sentient pizza slice was apparently intended to draw in younger
00:45patrons.
00:46That's ironic, as the Pizza Head show is among the most twistedly violent campaigns of the era.
00:50Yeah, they technically weren't gory, but the creative ways that the unseen announcer and slicer Steve found to torment the
00:56good-natured protagonist could be equated to a pizza snuff film.
00:59It was demented, but also pretty hilarious.
01:02First, Stevini will cut you in half.
01:04Uh-oh!
01:04Woo, that's cold!
01:06Ta-da!
01:06Okay, you can put me back together now!
01:08Okay, Pizza Head, a layer of magic cheese, and great Cresto!
01:11You're just like the triple-decker pizza at Pizza Hut!
01:13Just as Domino's sporadically brought back the Noid, we'd like to see a Pizza Head comeback.
01:18For the sake of his health, though, maybe he's better off retired.
01:21Number 19.
01:21Cookie Crook and Cookie Cop, Cookie Crisp
01:24Cookie Crisp cereal has gone through a few mascots, starting with Cookie Jarvis, the wizard.
01:28Our favorite era of ads centered on Cookie Crook and Cookie Cop, AKA Officer Crump.
01:33Me and Jeff made it because it made you look more like the Cookie Crisp wizard!
01:37Which is not even a reference I get because the Cookie Crisp mascot wasn't a wizard when
01:42I was a kid.
01:43It was a burglar!
01:44Cookie Crook is far from the first cereal mascot who has resorted to extreme measures to get
01:49his hands on a box.
01:50Yet he's among the few that's treated as a criminal, with Cookie Cop inevitably showing
01:54up to prevent his thievery.
01:56Well, Cookie Crook, it's time you started a new career.
02:00Yeah, this one's definitely winding down.
02:02Eventually, Cookie Crook was given a canine partner in crime, Chip the Dog.
02:06Chip would overshadow the cop and robber, taking center stage until getting a hit makeover,
02:10as Chip the Wolf.
02:12We would've stuck with the crook and cop angle, but we guess that's just the way the
02:15cookie crumbles.
02:16Number 18.
02:17Aaron E-surance
02:17E-surance
02:18Spy Fiction saw something of a resurgence in the 2000s, the show Alias being one example.
02:24Aaron E-surance of Starfleet was the eponymous insurance company's answer to Sidney Bristow.
02:29I need a car.
02:30Now.
02:31Sure, but you'll need insurance.
02:33No problem.
02:34I'm going to E-surance.
02:35I can buy my policy online instantly.
02:37Cute.
02:38Like Sidney, Aaron was cool, witty, and could rock a colorful hairstyle.
02:41In Aaron's case though, pink was supposedly her natural hair color.
02:45A secret agent who also essentially acted as an insurance agent.
02:48Aaron was there to save the day.
02:49Although her slickly animated ads performed well at first, Aaron was given her pink slip
02:53by the 2010s.
02:54Maybe this was due to declining popularity, maybe it was because of an Allstate acquisition,
02:58or perhaps Aaron's online fan base made things too weirdly kinky.
03:01In any case, we'd gladly accept another mission with Aaron.
03:04It also pays to shop online.
03:06You get E-surance's Fast Five discount just for getting an instant online quote.
03:10Thanks, professor.
03:11Don't forget the good student discount.
03:13Number 17.
03:14Kid Vid.
03:15Burger King.
03:16In the 90s, Burger King introduced the Kids Club, a diverse group of children who could
03:19be mistaken for the gangs from Recess or the Magic School Bus.
03:22By far the most memorable member was Kid Vid, the quintessential cool 90s kid.
03:26Or at least what marketing executives thought was cool during that era.
03:37From the blue visor to his totally tubular voice.
03:40To the sideways red hat that screams anti-authority.
03:43Kid Vid might have been a product of his time, but we can't help but look back at him
03:46with fond nostalgia.
03:48That said, when the 90s ended, Kid Vid seemed to zap out with the decade.
03:51To Burger King gang, and make it snappy!
03:54Yet we're still envious of this tech-savvy kid's futuristic gadgets, which now, ironically,
03:59look kinda retro.
04:00Number 16.
04:01Spot.
04:027-Up.
04:02While we vaguely recall his commercials that started in the late 80s, this 7-Up mascot truly
04:07left his mark in video games.
04:09Especially the 1993 platformer Cool Spot.
04:16You wouldn't think a game based on a soda mascot would be anything special.
04:20Like Chex Quest and MC Kids, though, the blatant product placement didn't get in the
04:24way of a surprisingly fun experience.
04:26Speaking of MC Kids, the game was basically reused as a template for Spot the Cool Adventure
04:30on the Game Boy.
04:31With sunglasses, gloves, and bottle cap shaped bod, Spot's design was as simple as it gets.
04:35Yet that reflects the simple charm found in a can of 7-Up or old school gaming.
04:39This little guy hit the spot.
04:48Number 15.
04:49Clip.
04:49AMC Theatres.
04:50Before AMC forced us to sit through a minute-long Nicole Kidman monologue, they had Clip, a mascot
04:55composed of film strips.
04:56Hitting the screen in 1991, Clip didn't speak, which was appropriate for the Silence is Golden
05:01Program.
05:11Although Clip's body was technically flat, his promos were three-dimensional, showcasing
05:15an animation style that's everywhere now, but wasn't especially common in the early 90s.
05:19His bumpers were brief, yet they brought out the magic of the movies, getting us pumped
05:22for the feature presentation.
05:36When AMC cut Clip, it seemed to inadvertently reflect the changing cinematic landscape where
05:41fewer movies are shot on film.
05:42Clip makes us long for the Golden Age in more ways than one.
05:45He made movies better.
06:03Number 14.
06:05Wendell.
06:05Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
06:06When this crispy cereal hit shelves in the 80s, its mascots were a trio of bakers, Bob
06:11Coelho and their senior Wendell, who'd take over the entire operation by the early 90s.
06:15Wendell went through an evolution, initially presented as a kindly old baker.
06:19It takes me.
06:20Me.
06:21And me.
06:22Getting.
06:23Toast Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
06:25As the years went by, Wendell got more intense, presumably due to his exposure to the product.
06:30Wendell didn't just make Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
06:32He was a crunch head, meaning it was likely only a matter of time until General Mills cut ties
06:36with him.
06:36Around the 2010s, Wendell mysteriously disappeared to make way for the Crazy Squares.
06:40Go ahead.
06:42Judge me.
06:43I know it's wrong for me to want to eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
06:47Considering I'm also Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
06:50They no longer had to worry about Wendell eating the cereal, but that didn't stop the Crazy Squares from eating
06:54each other.
06:55Number 13.
06:56Mac Tonight.
07:01McDonald's.
07:02Starting in the late 80s, McDonald's started appealing to the more mature dinner crowd with the moon-shaped head crooner,
07:07Mac Tonight.
07:08Dinner at McDonald's.
07:13This is Mac Tonight.
07:17Come on, make it Mac Tonight.
07:19While Brock Walsh initially voiced Mac, the man behind the moon in those earlier commercials was Doug Jones,
07:23who's since become known for his work with Guillermo del Toro.
07:26As cool as Mac might have been, he was also a source of controversy.
07:29Not only would Mac the Knife singer Bobby Darin take out a lawsuit,
07:33but after Mac was used in a meme linked to white supremacy, he was turned into a hate symbol.
07:37His creators never intended this, but now Mac is sadly out of their hands.
07:41Jim, want something for McDonald's?
07:45It's Mac Tonight.
07:48Number 12.
07:49Wilkins and Wonkins.
07:50Wilkins Coffee.
07:51You know, maybe those Pizza Head commercials weren't that violent.
07:54At least not compared to Wilkins and Wonkins.
07:56Okay, buddy, what do you think of Wilkins Coffee?
07:59I never tasted it.
08:01Now what do you think of Wilkins?
08:03While also working on the show, Sam & Friends, Jim Henson lent his puppetry to the Washington, D.C.-based Wilkins
08:08Coffee.
08:09Wilkins encourages viewers to drink the coffee, and by encourage, we mean threaten, showing the cruel punishment in store if
08:15you reject the coffee like Wonkins.
08:17You know, people who don't drink Wilkins Coffee just blow up sometimes.
08:20Oh, that's a lot of .
08:22See what I mean?
08:23Wilkins' resemblance to Kermit only makes his sadistic nature more hysterical.
08:27While this duo was used for a few other brands, they were primarily associated with Wilkins Coffee, which went defunct
08:32in 1997.
08:34By then, Wilkins and Wonkins hadn't made a significant TV appearance in almost 30 years.
08:37Thanks to the internet, Wilkins and Wonkins are now viral stars.
08:41Number 11.
08:42Bud, Wise & Ur
08:43Bud, Wise & Ur
08:44These three frogs became advertising legends through a 1995 Super Bowl commercial from Pirates of the Caribbean director George Verbinski.
08:51Bud, Wise & Ur
08:53Bud, Wise & Ur remained prominent in commercials for about five years, appealing to viewers of all ages.
09:03Of course, that was sort of the issue. According to a 1996 study, kids recognized the Budweiser frogs more than
09:08Tony the Tiger, Smokey Bear and even Ronald McDonald.
09:11The folks behind the ads denied intentionally marketing an alcohol beverage to children.
09:15Regardless, Budweiser sidelined the frogs in favor of chameleons Louie and Frankie.
09:19I can't believe they went with the frogs.
09:22Louie.
09:22Our audition was flawless.
09:23Louie.
09:24We did the look.
09:25We did the tongue thing.
09:26Louie.
09:27That was great.
09:29Louie, frogs sell beer.
09:30That's it, man.
09:31Number one rule of marketing.
09:32They were aimed more at the target demographic, but were arguably still cute enough to attract kids.
09:36An occasional throwback appearance aside, the frogs rarely leave the lily pad now.
09:41Number 10.
09:42Joe Camel
09:43Because cigarette ads were banned starting in the mid-60s on Western TV, tobacco companies switched to print marketing to
09:49promote their nicotine-containing products.
09:51In 1974, a French ad campaign was commissioned by cigarette company Camel that features the first appearance of Joe Camel.
09:58After the American market began using a different version of the anthropomorphized Camel in the late 1980s,
10:03studies by a medical journal reported the mascot contributed to the rise in young smokers among Camel's market share.
10:10While R.J. Reynolds' tobacco company didn't admit that children were their target audience,
10:14the manufacturer ultimately terminated the campaign in 1997, following legal troubles, formal complaints, and pressure from several groups.
10:20And would require new health warnings that cover half the packaging.
10:25It prohibits the use of misleading terms like light, mild, or low-tar, and puts a stop to colorful ads
10:32that might appeal to kids.
10:35Number nine.
10:35Spuds McKenzie.
10:36Bud Light.
10:37If you watched television in the late 80s, then you probably remember Spuds McKenzie.
10:41There he is.
10:43What a happening dude.
10:44A super party animal.
10:48Spuds was introduced as the mascot for Bud Lightbeard in a 1987 Super Bowl ad and would go on to
10:52star in a whole series of commercials.
10:55The ads usually involved a party and pretty women very enamored with the super party animal.
11:00He's Spuds McKenzie.
11:01What party-lovin' happening dude.
11:04Go Spuds.
11:05Go Spuds.
11:06Go Spuds go.
11:06They weren't the most sophisticated ads of all time, but they worked.
11:09And Spuds McKenzie partied his way to pop culture and mortality.
11:12In fact, Spuds became so popular that when Bud Light ended the campaign in 1989, they stated that the mascot
11:18was allegedly overshadowing the beer.
11:21He knows how to make the party last.
11:23Although the growing criticism from politicians and watchdog groups claiming that the campaign was targeting children probably made this decision
11:30a little easier.
11:31Number eight.
11:32Tropicana.
11:33Tropicana.
11:34Beginning in the 1950s, the Tropicana Company introduced their Tropicana mascot.
11:39A young girl carrying a bowl of oranges on her head and wearing what looked like a Hawaiian grass skirt.
11:43For about three decades, Anna was the face of our morning cup of OJ.
11:47It's delicious, healthful, and rich in natural vitamin C. And so convenient.
11:52He asked me if I'd squeeze him some more orange juice.
11:57Doesn't Tropicana 100% pure orange juice make a lot of sense?
12:01But by the 1980s, the company began to go in a different direction.
12:04The Seagram Company bought Tropicana in the late 80s, and with the new owners came a new logo.
12:09The good old straw in the orange.
12:10This is Tropicana pure premium orange juice.
12:14No other major brand comes closer to this.
12:17Accounts suggest the change was made by Seagrams not because of the characters' potential racial insensitivity,
12:21but simply because they wanted to change things up.
12:27There are 16 fresh picked oranges squeezed into each bottle of Tropicana pure premium.
12:32Number 7. The California Raisins. California Raisin Advisory Board.
12:36Who would have thought that four claymation raisins singing I Heard It Through the Grapevine would be so popular?
12:46But for eight years, from 1986 to 1984, they most definitely were.
12:51Produced as mascots for the California Raisin Advisory Board,
12:55the smooth singing raisins became advertising icons, and we assume got people eating more raisins.
13:06The characters were so popular that their version of the Marvin Gaye classic even made it onto the Billboard Hot
13:11100.
13:12Starting off in a sun-made commercial, the Cali Raisins were even borrowed by post-raisin brand cereal to promote
13:18their product.
13:19However, the cost to produce the claymation ads was quite high, and in 1994, the campaign was put to rest.
13:24Today, we may still think of raisins as being kind of something you put in your kid's lunchbox,
13:29but for a moment, they were really hot and hit.
13:34Number 6. Mia. Lando Lakes.
13:36In 2020, the Lando Lakes company, makers of butter, cream, and other dairy products, introduced a new logo.
13:42The new image featured a painting of a lake with trees along the coasts reflecting in the water,
13:46and the text farmer-owned above the product name.
13:49Founded over 100 years ago, Lando Lakes is a co-op and has always been owned by farmers.
13:55It's a nice image that represents, as President and CEO Beth Ford said,
13:59the foundation and heart of our company culture.
14:01However, those familiar with the brand noticed that something was missing,
14:04something that had been part of the company's packaging for over 90 years.
14:07Mia.
14:08Lando Lakes.
14:09Fantasy cream.
14:11Just one taste and you know what we need.
14:15God help.
14:16Yeah.
14:17The indigenous woman had been the mascot of the company since 1928,
14:21and had been championed by some of the native community as positive representation.
14:24However, others criticized it as a racist caricature and offensive to indigenous peoples.
14:29So, ultimately, Mia was phased out.
14:31Number 5.
14:32The Taco Bell Chihuahua.
14:33Taco Bell.
14:34We head back to the canine world for Gidget, better known as the Taco Bell Chihuahua.
14:43First introduced in an ad for the fast food chain broadcast just in the northern United States,
14:48the taco-loving dog soon became a pop culture staple and a national commercial mascot for the company.
14:53The Chihuahua and its famous catchphrase, Yo Quiero Taco Bell, ran for three years until finally coming to an end
14:59in 2000.
15:05While there were rumors that the campaign ended because Gidget died, she actually didn't pass away until 2009.
15:11According to multiple reports, the campaign either ended because of pressure from Hispanic groups over cultural stereotypes,
15:16or because of the failure of the ads to increase the company's profits.
15:23Godzilla's hiding and it's up to you to find him.
15:25Number 4.
15:26Frito Bandito.
15:27Fritos.
15:28For some reason, companies think that a thieving mascot whose main goal is to procure their product by nefarious means
15:33is a good way to go.
15:34I buy them from you.
15:35Okay?
15:36See?
15:37I give you silver.
15:39No silver?
15:41Okay, I give you gold.
15:43You don't like gold neither?
15:45And maybe you like better some lead, huh?
15:47We all know the Hamburglar and his constant former attempts to hoard McDonald's hamburgers,
15:52but we also can't forget about the Frito Bandito and his relentless desire for Fritos corn chips.
15:57Frito Bandito!
15:58What are you doing here?
15:59Oh, I am the moon parking lot attendant.
16:03Now if you will kindly deposit one bag of crunchy Fritos corn chips for the first hour.
16:09Created in 1967, this Mexican bandit stereotype was the face of Fritos chips for about four years.
16:14Over those years, pressure from advocacy groups did lead to changes in the bandit's look and eventually his retirement in
16:201971.
16:21How about that?
16:23The Frito Bandito make the magic.
16:25I turn your Fritos corn chips into my Fritos corn chips.
16:30Number 3.
16:30Uncle Ben.
16:31Uncle Ben's.
16:32Beginning in 1946, Uncle Ben's rice products were marketed using the image of an older bow tie wearing black man.
16:38The exact origin of the name and the character aren't exactly clear.
16:42Make it tonight, make it tonight.
16:44Mmm, yeah.
16:45Was the image based on a famous Chicago chef or a maitre d?
16:48Or does it originate from an enslaved African American who cooked delicious rice dishes?
16:52It's so much more than a simple grain of rice.
16:55It's a gift from nature that I treat with love.
16:57So I lock in nutrients using steam sealing to care for every grain from field to table.
17:03Begin with Ben for a healthy, delicious meal.
17:06Either way, the name and character had their detractors for decades.
17:09But it wasn't until the George Floyd murder in 2020 that the Mars Company finally put an end to Uncle
17:14Ben.
17:14In September of that year, the company got rid of the mascot and changed the name to Ben's originals.
17:19I'm sorry, babe.
17:21Yo.
17:24Number 2.
17:25The Cavemen.
17:26Geico.
17:26We all love the Geico Gecko, but some of us also remember the brilliant Geico ads from the 2000s.
17:32Featuring the company's iconic cavemen mascots.
17:34It's so easy to use Geico.com, a caveman could do it.
17:38What?
17:40Oh, no.
17:41Not cool.
17:42I did not know you were there.
17:44The ads featured intelligent and sophisticated modern-day cavemen who were offended by the Geico slogan,
17:50It's so easy a caveman could do it.
17:51The commercials were smart and funny, and not only did they raise the profile of the aforementioned auto insurance company,
17:56but they became so popular that they got their own sitcom on ABC in 2007.
18:01I just don't see what's so funny about it.
18:03Yabba-dabba-doo.
18:04Don't.
18:05Ever.
18:06The show did get panned by critics and was canceled pretty quickly,
18:09but the cavemen characters stuck around for a few more commercials over the next few years.
18:14A TV show about us.
18:18What was the deal with that makeup?
18:21Exactly!
18:22Why not just use real cavemen?
18:32Before we continue, check out this single from Sound Mojo's Adia, Songs from Iran,
18:37reimagining Persian melodies as modern rock, metal, and pop songs.
18:41Check out the full track and album below.
18:44The cradle of hearts where stars align.
18:48Together we stand in your sacred light.
18:53Against all darkness we rise and fight.
18:57Number one.
18:58Aunt Jemima.
18:59Aunt Jemima.
19:00Although she had many makeovers throughout her 100 plus year run, Aunt Jemima's reference to and iconography of a classic
19:06Mammy character had been the source of controversy for quite a while.
19:09Aunt Jemima.
19:11Perfect pancakes in ten shakes.
19:13However, it wasn't until 2021, over 130 years after the original branding of the name, that the Aunt Jemima brand
19:20name finally said goodbye following the previous year's removal of the image alone.
19:30And in an interesting twist, the company reverted back to the name it had prior to the Aunt Jemima branding
19:35in 1889.
19:36Originally known as the Pearl Milling Company, the company is so once again.
19:40For now, the packaging does include a same great taste as Aunt Jemima message on the box, but the mascot
19:45imagery is completely gone.
19:46Our perfectly fluffy, syrupy goodness has been there for every special moment and will always be here.
19:54We're Pearl Milling Company.
19:56Stack up the moments.
19:58Which mascot should come back and which should remain retired?
20:01Let us know in the comments.
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