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Colonel Sanders

When it comes to iconic characters in advertising history, most are fictitious, the product of someone’s vivid imagination. One colorful exception was Colonel Harland Sanders. Wearing his immaculate white suit, skinny tie and sporting his trademark goatee, Colonel Sanders professed the virtues of his plump juicy chicken, fried up with his secret “11 herbs and spices,” to anyone who would listen - and it turned out that millions did. Today, we honor the real man responsible for bringing Kentucky Fried Chicken to the dinner table.

Jolly Green Giant

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He was a man of few words, those of which had clearly been plagiarized from Santa Claus. He was green, he was a giant, and had it not been for an extreme makeover, he might never have found his way into our collective hearts. Hawking his wares of freshly canned vegetables, he is none other than the Jolly Green Giant. Let’s take a look back at this memorable mascot.

Twinkie the Kid

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One third of the trinity of Hostess snack cake mascots, he’s the rootin’, tootin’ crème-filled cowboy, ready to save the day and offer up a tasty Twinkie to anyone who needs a little yummy goodness in their lives. Let’s take a look back at this memorable mascot that has graced every box of Twinkies (and more than a few television commercials) since the 70s.

Casper, The Friendly Ghost

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Have you ever noticed that the sinister spirits are the ones who get all the press? Meanwhile, for over 65 years, one benevolent soul, Casper, has lived a virtuous (after)life - the Gandhi of the ghost world, as it were. Possessing not a single sadistic bone in his body (nor any other bones for that matter), Casper’s intentions were purely peaceful; he just wanted some friends, and we rooted him on in his quest. Today, we thought it was time to give some props to the apparition you couldn’t help but love, Casper, The Friendly Ghost.

Mr. Owl

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One wonders how many questions the wise Mr. Owl fielded over the year from the various critters in the forest. As it stands, he will always be remembered for that one particularly iconic question, posed to him by a young boy, who innocently asked, “Mr. Owl, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?” Of course, our fine-feathered friend succumbs to temptation, forgoes science in favor of flavor, and after chomping through the dense candy shell to get to his chocolaty prey, proclaims “three!”

Thurl Ravenscroft

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The name might not ring a bell, but rest assured that, at some point in your life, perhaps even hundreds of times, you have heard the booming baritone voice of Thurl Ravenscroft. From 1940-2005, his voice was heard on television almost daily, and his voice work for the Walt Disney Company, on records, films, and at Disneyland, is legendary. Today, we thought we would take a (partial) look at his amazing career.

Mr Whipple

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Perhaps you remember the bespectacled store manager, Mr. Whipple. Always concerned about the quality of his merchandise, the poor guy had a heck of time keeping his female patrons from squeezing the Charmin toilet tissue, in a series of memorable television commercials that spanned over two decades.