Best/Worst advertising mascots

[Hayley B]

Best: Speedy Alka Seltzer (so happy that they brought him back), Taco Bell Chihahua, Energizer Bunny, Trix Bunny (FYI, I helped him eat trix and he gave me a thank you note. Many years ago), Mac Tonight (I miss him), & Frito Bandito (
) .

Worst: The creepy Burger King and that oven mit from Arby's.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Mac Tonight (I miss him)

Me too, I used to have one of the McDonald's toys with Mac Tonight on a motorcycle, lol. I also remember that one commercial where you see Mac Tonight's shadow go across a kid's bedroom wall ::shivers:: Lol

 

[Hayley B]

Me too, I used to have one of the McDonald's toys with Mac Tonight on a motorcycle, lol. I also remember that one commercial where you see Mac Tonight's shadow go across a kid's bedroom wall ::shivers:: Lol

You to have his shades and I would sing his song in public as a kid.

 

[Drtooth]

They need an excuse to start listing the side effects seemingly out of nowhere, and especially in a cartoon you need something interesting going on on the screen. But yeah the doctor appearing on a screen wasn't the most creative transition.

I refuse to post the entire commercial back here, but here's a screen shot of what I'm talking about.

HE'S! RIGHT! THERE! WHY the heck does he need to have a film strip of himself talking to someone when he's right there in front of them?!?!!?

And this isn't just in that one commercial.

It's in every single stinking one of the Abilify ads! Different doctors too that all do the same thing!!!

It drives me MAD I tell you!

Best: Speedy Alka Seltzer (so happy that they brought him back), Taco Bell Chihahua, Energizer Bunny, Trix Bunny (FYI, I helped him eat trix and he gave me a thank you note. Many years ago), Mac Tonight (I miss him), & Frito Bandito (
) .

I miss everyone from McDonaldland. Well, not so much Ronald, but I LOVE Hamburgalar, Grimace, that weird old scientist, the Pirate, Mayor McCheese... and while he was intended for adults, Mac Tonight as well. Those were some great fast food mascots. Not even the BK Kids Club characters could top them (and those guys were pretty cool too).

 

[CensoredAlso]

I refuse to post the entire commercial back here, but here's a screen shot of what I'm talking about.

Lol, yeah like I said, someone thought that was a cute little transition into listing the side effects, but as you say, it doesn't really make much sense.

I miss everyone from McDonaldland. Well, not so much Ronald, but I LOVE Hamburgalar, Grimace, that weird old scientist, the Pirate, Mayor McCheese... and while he was intended for adults, Mac Tonight as well. Those were some great fast food mascots. Not even the BK Kids Club characters could top them (and those guys were pretty cool too).

Yeah I don't know if it's because they're afraid to advertising to kids these days, or maybe they just literally don't have to advertise as much anymore (I mean who doesn't know about McDonald's? It's on every continent except Antarctica!)

 

[Hayley B]

*smiles* at Drtooth's reason. It makes sense. I would just simply wrinkle my nose when the lady would say that she feels better in the end. Thinking she's only a cartoon character. I would feel the sameway towards the guy from Airbourne too.

As for the McDonaldland characters. I remember Grimace, Hamburgalar, Birdy, Mac Tonight, & of course Ronald.

But I don't remember Mayor McCheese,the Pirate,& that Big Mac Cop. I don't think they made any commercials of them when I came around. Though shows like Family Guy have been making me wish to see a commercial of Mayor McCheese.

I only remember them as part of the old McDonald's playground.

 

[Drtooth]

Lol, yeah like I said, someone thought that was a cute little transition into listing the side effects, but as you say, it doesn't really make much sense.

That's why in other drug commercials, they show everyone riding bikes and planting flowers. It's different, but... it would make a lot more sense if it was the doctor that's standing right there talking with some visuals over it.

Yeah I don't know if it's because they're afraid to advertising to kids these days, or maybe they just literally don't have to advertise as much anymore (I mean who doesn't know about McDonald's? It's on every continent except Antarctica!)

Not so much... even before that was a concern, they were making the commercials more "extreme" and more aimed at older kids anyway. Sometime in the mid-90's they just completely abandoned McDonald Land characters (they're still on bibs and if you can find McDonalds that still sell McDonaldland Cookies), and slowly phased Ronald out of the commercials, then brought him back, then phased him out again. They had a LOT of skateboarding commercials last decade.

Last time they were even associated with Happy Meals (except for the token small picture of Ronald on the boxes and cups somewhere) was some anniversary Beany Baby promotion where they had bears colored like the characters.

 

[Gonzo's Hobbit]

I wish they'd bring back the Carfax puppet. Carfax has a fox mascot but now he's gone all computerized.

 

[fuzzygobo]

The Burger King is nothing new. He debuted back in the 70's for BK to try to steal Ronald McDonald's thunder, and he had an equally horrible accomplice called the Duke of Doubt (long since retired, much to everyone's relief, but the nefarious King lives on...)

My absolute favorite mascot is the Nestle Quik bunny. Disclaimer: DON'T try chugging chocolate milk that fast. Your stomach might not forgive you.

 

[Drtooth]

The Burger King is nothing new. He debuted back in the 70's for BK to try to steal Ronald McDonald's thunder, and he had an equally horrible accomplice called the Duke of Doubt (long since retired, much to everyone's relief, but the nefarious King lives on...)

But it's a completely different kind of king. The one we refer to, the one from the past decade worked on the premise of awkward looking guy in a suit in jarring situations. Basically the whole "Everything that's awkward is funny in a nervous way" humor that was rampant the last decade. The whole "Yeah, I watched five minutes of 'The Office' so I'm an expert now" mindset of advertisers.

I did grow to like the King in a campy way, but all and all, it was a very empty style of humor.