A Brief History of Fast Food Mascot Makeovers

Photos: McDonald’s

Mascots have played a major role in American advertising for more than a century, and in many cases, characters have stood the test of time. But even the most lovable mascots need a little fine-tuning now and then to keep them relevant.

That’s perhaps why McDonald’s opted to transform the Hamburglar — who hasn’t been seen in ads since 2002 — from a cartoonish thief to what Eater has dubbed “some suburban dad-bro.” And no, the term was not meant affectionately. It remains to be seen if consumers will agree.

But the Hamburglar is hardly the only mascot to get a makeover. Below, we’ve broken down the shifting appearances of fast food’s most enduring mascots, from Burger King’s “king” to Jack in the Box.

Photos: WikiLogo/Burger King

Burger King’s “The King.” In the 1960s and 1970s, the king was animated. According to the blog Planet Retro, in commercials the king “gave the children small gifts or bought them food. Also, he recited the slogan, ‘Burger King, where kids are king.’”

In 2003, however, the burger chain gave the character a modern update — with mixed results. Enter “The King,” which since its introduction has widely been derided as creepy. It looked as though he’d been dethroned in 2011, but days ago, the chain allegedly spent $1 million to get the mascot in boxer Floyd Mayweather’s entourage during his high-profile fight against Manny Pacquiao. We guess “The King” isn’t finished yet.

Photos: Youtube/AP

Ronald McDonald. Back when the character was invented in 1963, Ronald McDonald looked, well, different. The clown had a scarecrow-like appearance, a paper cup for a nose, and wore a box of McDonald’s fast food on his head. Fast forward a few decades, and Ronald had taken on his more familiar appearance — red hair, white face, yellow jumpsuit, and big red clown shoes.

But in 2014, McDonald’s announced a major makeover. “The new Ronald sports a red blazer, a red bow tie, red-and-white striped rugby shirt, yellow vest and, yes, yellow cargo pants,” USA Today reported at the time. “His hair is more coiffed. His vibe is less creepy. And — how shall we politely say this? — he looks slightly less clown-like.”

Photos: Wendy’s

The Wendy Girl. The original Wendy’s girl, an iconic illustration of a red-headed child with pigtails modeled after founder Dave Thomas’s real-life daughter, has been around since 1969. Since 2012, however, Wendy’s ad campaigns have focused on what appears to be a grown-up, real life version of Wendy: Red, the perky, carrot-topped young woman who loves Wendy’s offerings. Played by actress Morgan Smith Goodwin, Red has proved successful for the burger chain.

“‘Red’ has been our most successful effort since the Dave Thomas advertising campaign in the 1990s,” Liz Geraghty, vice president of brand marketing for Wendy’s, told Yahoo Food.

Photos: Jack in the Box.

Jack in the Box. In the 1970s, Jack wasn’t exactly a “person” — he was just a head, which sat on the roofs of some restaurants, and above the speaker box in the chain’s drive-thrus (although he occasionally appeared with a body in animated ads). In 1995, however, a human “Jack” began appearing in live action commercials as the chain’s supposed founded, CEO, and spokesperson.

Bonus reading: O.K., these aren’t fast food mascots, but their stories are still fascinating:

Coca-Cola’s polar bears. Born in 1922, the first bears appeared in French advertisements and have gone on to become an enduring part of the soda company’s iconography. In 1993, they were animated for the first time in its now-famous “Northern Lights” campaign.

Aunt Jemima. The pancake-peddling mascot is among the oldest characters still in use today — she was invented way back in 1889 — but the Aunt Jemima of yore is rather shocking by modern standards. A caricature of the black “mammy” stereotype, ads featuring Aunt Jemima had her saying things like, “Happifyin’ Aunt Jemima Pancakes Sho’ Sets Folks Singin’!“ It wasn’t until 1989 that the company swapped the icon’s red bandanna for pearls and a lace collar.

Frosted Flakes’s Tony the Tiger. Since Tony was created in 1951, his appearance has changed several times, morphing from a midcentury-style illustration to his sporty, big-hearted look today. He’s always retained his signature bandanna, however. His catchphrase, “They’re Grrrrreat!,” which has been used since Tony’s early days, is today one of the longest-running slogans of all time.

More fast food stories:

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Which fast food mascots were given the most successful makeovers? Tell us below!