Fanpop came up with the brilliant, although somewhat unsettling by its very nature, idea of determining the creepiest fast-food mascots of all time. And there have been some scary ones. Number one on the list is The King, the Burger King mascot who seems to spend the majority of his time lurking, creeping, sneaking and turning people off actually visiting the restaurant for fear of encountering him. The other dubious icons on their list include the "Quiznos Rat/Hamster Thing," The Dominos Noid, Jack (from Jack in the Box), Grimace, Colonel Sanders, Mister Softee, Modern Ronald McDonald, Old-School Ronald McDonald (proto-Ronald) and the Tastee Freez Twins.

I actually kind of like the commercials that star Jack, especially when compared to other fast food commercials. The standard of writing is higher and Jack's delivery is usually great. The other choices, however, all seem like they deserve to be here. Anyone have a favorite from these contenders?

Remember when Kentucky Fried Chicken officially changed its name to KFC, in an effort to make an older brand seem hipper and to eliminate the word "fried" from its name? Well, the company is looking to change its image a little more. The iconic Colonel Sanders is getting a makeover. KFC has trademarked a new rendition of the Colonel. He is a bit less detailed than previous incarnations, with fewer lines in his hair and skin, as well as getting outfitted with a bright red apron.

I like the look, which is the bottom right in the image here, well enough, but prefer the older versions simply because the Colonel looked more like a real character, a version of the real life man he was based on, and less like a fictional fast-food employee, which is the sense that the new image seems to give. It's not a major change, but it's a noticeable one.

Do you prefer the older look or the newer one? You can vote for your favorite version of the Colonel here.

[via Fast Food News]

The Sun-Maid raisin girl is going digital. She is one of the most recognizable brand faces there is, having been almost unchanged since 1916, with only small updates made every year. The real-life Sun Maid maid was Lorainne Collette, who was discovered in Fresno, California, drying her long hair under a red bonnet. The wholesome, natural image of the Sun-Maid raisin girl went well with the company's message that their raisins are all natural, made with just "grapes and sunshine." But the maid is getting her biggest makeover ever this year: she's going digital.

The modern girl still has the same long hair and red bonnet, but now she does yoga on the Sun-Maid website in addition to promoting her grapes. She is younger and curvier than before. There is talk of giving her a name.

Like some people, including ad executives interviewed by the SF Chronicle, I think that the digital girl is a little creepy, though growers are apparently meeting her with enthusiasm. If she looked a little less computer-generated and a little more natural, she might fit with the “as nature intended” image of the brand a bit better, but if Sun-Made’s goal is to modernize, they’re probably on the right track

[Images SF Gate]

Nika, of Nika's Culinaria, was at the international Boston Seafood Show last month and managed to grab a few shots of the enormous variety of fishy displays that were on display there, including one of the weirdest cars I've ever seen: a catfish car. The car is either the mascot for or an ad for American Pride Seafood's farm-raised catfish. The company has a strong dedication to raising high-quality catfish, but to want to drive it around? There's just a little something fishy about that. Check out the full post for more photos of the car, including a few shots of its tail and fins.