Ok couple rules. I only wanted characters that had reached some kind of iconic status, not a lame gimmick that disappeared and was forgotten. And they had to be some sort of three dimensional character, not just a picture on a box. And as always, this is all opinion.
Here are ten commercial mascots that are just creepy.
#10.The Green Giant
The Green Giant brand has been around for ages and a big Green Giant being the mascot makes sense. Except for one thing. The Giant has ZERO personality. All he does is stand there and shout HO HO HO. Why? The company must hare figured this out to but rather than try to develop the giants character they gave us a new one; Spout who was a kid version of the giant. I never got it. And to be fair the giant was more animated in the old days..and even creepier! By the way Mr.Clean almost made this list for the same reason, but at least he has a cute jingle.
First, Snuggle Bear. Can a mascot be too cute and snugly? Turns out, yes since this cuddly bear is somehow borderline creepy. Then we have Charlie from the Starkist ads. You know, the Trix rabbit not getting Trix was funny because Trix was a tasty cereal that he just wanted or eat. But Charlie was always disappointed because he couldn’t be IN the tuna. What? Sorry Charlie! I never understood when characters in commercials were happily excited to be killed and/or devoured by people. This was a tie because these two characters are still around but the more creepy overtones in the ads have been dropped.
I almost made this a three way tie with the Hawaiian Punch guy, who took the “Punch” part of that literally in his old ads! But he wasn't so much creepy as violent.
#8.Mac Tonight
McDonald’s has a string of mascots, some better than others. I remember the McDonald’s Playland characters since I was kid before they disappeared. Well, ok I don’t remember Mayor McCheese that well. And what was that officer’s name again? But Birdie, Grimace, Hamburgler, the Fry Guys, the McNugget Buddies that were kind of cute….all good stuff. This one though, was weird. This is a cheat since I am not sure how iconic this guy was but I still remember seeing back in the 80’s…and having no idea what i was looking at. It’s not that he’s a bad character but what is he advertising, McDonald’s as a night spot?
#7.The Progressive Box
On the one hand, I give them credit for creating a character who has a defined character. That is, he’s an egomaniac. But this little box is really annoying at the same time and I don’t get why he’s still around. Especially when they have Flo who is popular.
#6.Mrs.Butterworth
I never saw the appeal in this one. I guess back in the old days it was a real lady, but at some point we got this anthropomorphic bottle which spoke to kids while they ate. Never did anything for me. Course the fact I hate the product doesn’t help. But she’s been around for a long time.
#5.Krinkle Clown
I am waayyyy to young for this classic. But I have seen it and felt it would be remiss to not mention it. Back in the days when people felt it was ok to advertise that cereal was chock full of sugar, we had this creepy clown to advertise it to us. Gee, wonder why this never lasted? At least Ronald McDonald doesn’t scare the crap out of us. And what does I Krinkle every time I eat it mean exactly?
Guess it could be worst, it’s not as if they’re using The Flintstones to advertise cigarettes….
Umm.,,,,let’s move on
#4.The Noid
This is one of those things that I must have seen years ago but I just don’t remember these ads at all. But the characters is still sort of around, and watching the ads again lord they’re, well, annoying! The California Risins were the same stop notion but were those characters were so cool you loved them, the Noid is just annoying and makes you want to change the channel.
#3.Colonel Sanders (modern version)
I am to young to really remember Colonel Sanders but I’m sure he was a nice enough guy. Over the last few years KFC has tried to bring the character back, and man is it weird. The actors play him as a creepy old guy. And for some reason they keep rotating actors every few commercials, no idea why.
#2.Charmin Bears
Am I the only one who finds these commercials unbelievably disgusting? These are animated bears that talk about the wonders of..well, going to the bathroom. Not only that but in these ads we have seen bears inspecting each others asses for cotton wadding, seen them sitting and taking a…well, you get it, and most recently talking about enjoying the go. These ads are still going and I don’t get why! Do they think not showing the stuff somehow makes is forget what it is they’re doing? I can’t stand these ads.
Think Mrs.Butterworth and the Snuggle Bear staring at kids was weird? This is the all time champ of stalker mascots! I picked on McDonald’s and KFC, but those are nothing compared to this nightmare fuel. Back in the 70’s there was a live action Burger King. It was an attempt to copy McDonald’s gimmick but it didn’t really take. What did we get years later? This plastic creepy ass thing that just stared at you while it offered Burger King food. Even worst? How about if it’s literally in bed, staring at you? What the hell Burger King??
Finally, I had to share this one. It’s one of my favorite ads ever as it lampoons the kind of stuff I’ve been discussing here. What would a family really do if a mascot jumped off the box and started talking? Sprite shows us in this hilarious ad :
Are there more? Oh sure, plenty. Including that creepy ice cream ad that Nostalgia Critic talked about. But that’s not technically a mascot so maybe I’ll cover that another time. If I missed one you think should be on here comment and let me know.
