Throughout the history of fast casual restaurants and chains, fast food mascots and characters have come and gone.
You know them as the enthusiastic cheerleaders of burgers, fries, pizza, tacos, fried chicken, and milkshakes.
They’ve hit all the bases; cute, bizarre, exciting, disturbing, baffling…and then some mascots have been downright creepy.
We’ve searched far and wide for the history and little-known facts of these recognizable, and some unrecognizable fast food mascots that have served throughout the years.
Some fast food mascots have since slipped into obscurity being replaced by newer, more hip characters due to changing markets and changing times. And then there are the fast food mascots that have lasted for decades, braving the sands of time.
Forgotten Fast Food Mascots
The humble beginnings of early day fast food mascots saw a more innocent and happy-go-lucky approach to these symbols of fast service and meals.
These fast food mascots are part of the forgotten histories of popular chains that are still going strong today.
Did you know that one of the first fast food mascots ever to hock burgers resembled the Pillsbury doughboy and Casper the Friendly Ghost in one?
McDonald’s: “Speedee” 1948-1961
Before Ronald McDonald was the overlord of the yellow arches, there was Speedee. The pudgy neon mascot was born in 1948 when hamburgers were just 15 cents.
Dick and Mac McDonald, the brothers responsible for McDonald’s existence, came up with a concept they called the ‘Speedee Service System’. They likewise created Speedee to assist in promoting the system and their new walk-up window innovation.
He would go on to serve as both McDonalds first logo and first mascot, a symbol of fast service for the evolving hamburger stand and one of the first fast food mascots in the industry.
His jolly appearance was highlighted with a cheeseburger head donning a chef’s hat, a winking eye that looked like a monocle, and a blue bow tie – Speedee held a sign that promised “speedy” service.
Speedee’s reign seems to have lasted up until 1961 when he was replaced by ever-evolving iterations of the now ubiquitous golden arches.
McDonald’s: Archy McDonald 1963-1965
The McDonald’s mascot sandwiched between Speedie and Ronald McDonald was named, Archy. His short life-span as a representative of McDonald’s led to a rather forgettable existence.
A notable victory for Archy came in 1963 when he starred in McDonald’s first commercial dancing on the restaurant’s countertops.
He has however, left some form of a footprint at Hamburger University where the Archy award is handed out for students who give exemplary performances.
Pizza Hut: Pizza Pete 1958-1975
When brothers, Frank and Dan Carney were opening Pizza Hut, they decided they needed a mascot. They brainstormed and came up with a cartoon-y character that they named Pizza Pete.
The mustachioed Italian mascot had strange get-up that didn’t quite align with his job as a pizzamaker.
From an unsettling (and floating) cowboy hat that no one ever seemed to address, to his ill-advised kerchief, he tried to look the part but failed to satisfactorily represent the chain. Pizza Pete adorned all of Pizza Hut’s decor and merchandise so it was a surprise when one day, his presence went kaput.
He was replaced by the red roof of the establishment and his existence scrubbed from every facet of Pizza Hut. The move would surely provoke a bitter Pizza Pete to change his name to Prickly Pete.
Chick-fil-A: Doodles The Rooster 1957-90’s
Before the cows came home – Chick-fil-A’s first mascot was a rooster named Doodles and the tag-line was, “The best thing that ever happened to chicken.”
It was a trifle odd that the mascot was a rooster over a chicken but that’s how it shook out.
He was portrayed by employees wearing a Doodles suit or costume that had an apron emblazoned with his name and the name of the restaurant. His vibe sort of gave the impression that he would be more suited as a mascot of a high school sports team at a cheer rally.
Doodles was replaced sometime in the 90’s by cows with substandard spelling abilities.
The Early Beginnings of Fast Food Mascots Still Employed Today
These fast food mascots have staying power having withstood multiple decades of power shifts and pivoting marketing campaigns over the course of their chain’s lifetime. The following fast food mascots are still going strong.
McDonald’s: Ronald McDonald 1963 – Present
One of the creepiest mascots is also arguably, one of the most recognizable of the fast food mascots.
Ronald McDonald has been through the wringer in terms of image and varying levels of sinister personalities before settling on his current look.
Willard Scott, (who also portrayed Bozo the Clown) became Ronald in 1963. From the bizarre square-shaped tray hat to clown makeup that… barely tried – it was the crazed straw-like hair and cup nose that particularly stuck out as prime elements for nightmare fuel born out of a Stephen King novel.
Ronald would lose the crazier elements over the years and get his act together (as much as clown could get his act together) to become a more toned down, digestible version that championed McDonald’s less aggressively.
Burger King: The King 1957 – Present
When Burger King first came on the scene in 1953, it was called Insta-Burger King.
In the King’s early days, his shtick was friendlier and less imposing than what we have today. And he was much shorter…in fact, he was stubby, and cartoon-ish.
In the 70’s he grew taller, and more refined…more of a classic renaissance-era King.
“Burger King where kids are King” was the tag-line used in commercials, and he handed out prizes and food, wow-ing the kids with his magical power-infused ring that brought forth whoppers and fries with just a flick of the wrist.
And then in 2003 the King took a turn, a dark turn. The Powers That Be decided he needed a makeover.
The advertising team in charge, Crispin Porter & Bogusky took the King into a new phase when they came across a 1970’s King’s “head” on Ebay. Apprently it was used to hook up to helium tanks and spit out balloon animals. The new King was styled after the grotesque relic and the result was a King that sent women, men and children screaming for cover when the bulbous headed King came to town.
Wendy’s: Wendy 1969 – Present
The famous red-headed mascot of Wendy’s has barely changed a whit over the years. The famous fast food mascot has subsisted through the years based off of her own merits, and no gimmicks.
This uber recognizable mascot is based off of a real person…Dave Thomas’s daughter Melinda Wendy Thomas, if you weren’t privy.
When Dave Thomas was brainstorming names for his new burger chain idea, he cycled through each of his five kids’ names looking for the perfect fit.
According to Dave via his autobiography, “calling it Pam’s or Kenny’s or Molly’s or Melinda’s or Lori’s didn’t have the right ring.”
Before settling on Melinda’s middle name “Wendy” he actually used “Wenda”…because it was the way her siblings pronounced her middle name.
One day Thomas came home and had Melinda and her sister dressed with their hair done up in pigtails for an impromptu photoshoot. And just like that, an unwitting star (and mascot) was born.
Little Casear’s: 1971- Present
This pizza chain has kept it’s mascot mostly in it’s original form since his creation in 1971, with the mascot and logo incurring only subtle differences since being unveiled.
Caesar’s toga was black in the early days, and then became orange over time.
He also evolved to have a thicker crop of hair at one point. The toga wearing, distinguished nosed roman character has always brandished a spear through a pizza pie while holding one slice in his hand, ready to be eaten.
His infamous catchphrase “Pizza Pizza” was used in commercials that stuck in your head, an unforgettable marketing ploy.
Jack in the Box: Jack 1951-Present
The mascot of Jack in the Box has been used on-and-off over the duration of the chain’s existence.
It doesn’t get much stranger than a rudimentary, circular clown head sitting atop a body wearing a business suit, does it? The chain distanced themselves from the clown image in the 70’s because they thought the concept was silly, even going so far as to change the name of the chain to Monterey Jacks for a short stint.
In the mid-nineties, Jack was brought back for a mission of revenge against the board of directors who had axed him. His terroristic plot involved blowing them away to kingdom come during a meeting.
The David Lynch-ian mascot is still around today but what he’s up to is anyone’s guess. The look on his face, (or lack of one) seems to suggest that it’s something sinister that goes beyond promoting the chain’s delicious fast food.
KFC: The Colonel 1959 – Present
Founder of KFC, Colonel Harland Sanders, and creator of the famous secret blend of 11 herbs and spices is the “man in the logo.”
The Colonel’s image has been used as the mascot and logo for KFC starting in 1959 and remains largely unchanged today.
After KFC saw success in 1965, the Colonel sold the rights to the chain but remained onboard as an Ambassador, traveling to locations to promote the franchise. He became disillusioned with the whole affair, especially the quality of the gravy that KFC was serving. He was vocal about his disdain for what the chain had become.
Colonel Sanders spoke on a legal case he had with the franchise. He told the Los Angeles Times: ““I only want to find how much of my body and soul they own.”
Regardless of his opinion on KFC and how the chain sold out to mass produce their offerings, he remains an integral fast food mascot even inspiring others to follow his stead.
Fast Food Mascots That Have Been Fired
Sometimes these things don’t work out for one reason or another. Each of these fast food mascots suffered a relatively sudden demise, cast aside like garbage in an alley.
Arby’s: Oven Mitt 2003-2004
In the early 2000’s, Arby’s decided to pump up the volume on advertising and pay to the tune of $85 million to get their new advertising campaign off the ground. The result was one of the most uncreatively named fast food mascots of all time. He was called Oven Mitt.
The animated, singing oven mitt was voiced by none other than actor, Tom Arnold.
Oven Mitt’s purpose was to advertise and call attention to Arby’s oven-roasting technique. He was printed all over Arby’s merch including, blankets, sweaters, aprons, tote bags, magnets, lapel pins and more.
Oven Mitt had things going against it from the start but the worst of it, was the confusion over his uncanny likeness to the Hamburger Helper.
The result was a short-lived mascot that only had two years in the limelight. For all the money sank into the mitt, you’d think they would try to squeeze at least a few more years out of him.
Nope. He was quietly retired and made his exit out the back door, disgraced out of existence.
Dominos: The Noid 1986-1995
This oddball, villainous mascot was an animated character used by Dominos primarily during the 1980’s.
His strange getup consisted of a body suit with connected bunny ears and was reminiscent of a super hero costume. His modus operandi was to thwart the efforts of the franchise’s thirty minute delivery promise. The slogan “Avoid The Noid” was used in ads with plots designed to avoid him and deliver pizza in record time.
It’s been speculated the Noid was dropped from Domino’s after a man named Kenneth Lamar Noid took a location in Georgia hostage. He allegedly thought the Noid was being used in a personal smear campaign against him. It ended when Kenneth had his hostages make him pizza. And as he ate, the hostages made their getaway.
The Noid has had a few comebacks over the years, and in 2009 and 2011, the Noid was used as a promotional figure in small capacities.
The Noid has appeared in brief ads as recently as 2021.
Taco Bell: The Chihuahua 1997-2000
This likeable fast food mascot was introduced in 1997 in the form of a tiny chihuahua with an unlikely voice that coined the popular catchphrase “¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!” at the end of every commercial.
He (was actually she) became a favorite among patrons and the little dog was thereafter synonymous with Taco Bell’s image.
Not only could he sell tacos, he also wore the heck out of a sombrero and a beret.
Taco Bell stopped using the Chihuahua around the year 2000, after backlash and pressure from Hispanic advocacy groups up in arms over the stereotypical traits of the mascot.
The performance of Gidget (the talent behind the mascot) was such that she was never down and out, and in fact, she found more work in Geico commercials and in the movie Legally Blonde 2: Red White and Blonde.
Gidget passed in 2009 with a respectable volume of work under her collar.
Quizno’s: Spongmonkey’s 2004-2004
Perhaps the most short-lived mascot of any one chain is the Spongmonkey. These dubious, migraine-inducing creatures were a rat-like ensemble. Their jarring appearance would indicate that a mad scientist creation had gone wrong and escaped the lab.
They sang little ditties and wore little hats as if being accessorized would steer you from the fact that they were nightmare fuel.
For just about a year they squealed and shrieked their little hearts out about Quizno’s subs until they were kicked to the curb where they most likely slunk off into a storm drain.
They did end up with a series of hurrahs over the years being periodically dredged up through memes, Reddit, and the occasional viral video.
Honorable Fast Food Mascot Mentions
The following are some fast food mascots you may or may not have heard of but they deserve an acknowledgement for their place in mascot history.
Dunkin Donuts: Fred The Baker – 1980’s: This mascot for Dunkin’ was so dedicated to making donuts for the chain, that immediately upon waking, he would say “Time to make the doughnuts”. His catchphrase, mustache, and workhorse attitude for Dunkin’, made him the perfect character to represent their brand. And he had a good run, serving the chain from 1981 to 1997 when he retired.
Papa Johns: Mr. Slice – Present: This unremarkable mascot is still around today but…nobody really consciously knows it. He’s just a cheery slice of pizza with arms and legs, and you can find him like Waldo stamped on various Papa John’s paraphernalia (napkins, pizza boxes, etc). If you weren’t looking, you’d probably never notice him, but once you see him…you just can’t miss him.
Dominos: Bad Andy – 2000’s: This Muppet style puppet was created as an employee for an ad campaign that dropped in 2000. Similar to the Noid, he was a nuisance to the business from top to bottom, and sabotaged the pizzamaking for his own personal gain. He would do anything to get out of doing any type of work, and subsequently, his coworkers would need to pick up the slack, which leads us to his tagline: Bad Andy. Good Pizza. He was axed in 2001.
McDonald’s: Grimace – On and off: In 1971, Evil Grimace was introduced to McDonaldland as a villanous, purple blob that liked to steal milkshakes. He originally had four arms to better equip his stealing ways. There are differing theories as to what Grimace actually represents but the leading one is that he’s supposed to be…a taste bud.
Around 1974, Evil Grimace was reimagined, losing two of his arms in the process. He became just “Grimace”, and obtained a more benevolent, and dim-witted personality. Grimace would make it through a mass lay-off of McDonaldland characters in the 80’s but would keep largely out of the public eye over the years. That is – until 2023, when he came back for a massive, second wind…
The Future of Fast Food Mascots
Where are fast food mascots headed in the years to come? With the resurgence of Grimace in 2023, and the viral explosion that he brought with him…other chains are definitely looking to cash in on similar success. The question is how will they do it? Fast food chains like, McDonald’s have been leaning more into celebrity partnerships, apps, and digital upgrades to generate buzz around new items, and promos. Largely, efforts have also been centering around technology to bring about more personalized, and customizable experiences to customers.
The fact of the matter is that fast food mascots “may” just be reaching the end of their heyday, insofar as marketing campaigns centering around these characters, and being focal points for any brand/s. Quiznos brought back the Spongmonkeys last year, and they were barely a blip on the radar, but then again, as we saw with Grimace – anything can happen. And that’s the beauty of it!
By and far, these are the key fast food mascot players and we might have overlooked a few…McDonald’s alone has had a cast of characters during it’s history that would rival the cast of a soap opera in numbers…but that’s a topic for another time.
If there’s any fast food mascots that we missed, let us know in the comments!
