"starkist" news and stories

I've always thought it was weird and creepy that food mascots tell you to eat the food that they are representing. Animated chickens tell you to eat chicken, Charlie The Tuna wants you to buy Starkist Tuna, and that annoying talking Mini-Wheats guy helps you with your spelling and wants you to eat him and his friends. Gah.

Suicide Food is a blog that keeps track of all these mascots, and the world of that sort of advertising in general. The site describes itself as "any depiction of animals that act as though they wish to be consumed. Suicide Food actively participates in or celebrates its own demise. Suicide Food identifies with the oppressor. Suicide Food is a bellwether of our decadent society. Suicide Food says, "Hey! Come on! Eating meat is without any ethical ramifications! See, Mr. Greenjeans? The animals aren't complaining! So what's your problem?" Suicide Food is not funny."

AdJab just posted a great list of their top eight male mascots in the advertising world, and poking around over there, I noticed that all of them, with the exception of Mr. Clean, are from food products. Guess that goes to show how important branding, marketing, and advertising are to consumer-packaged foods.

AdJab picks Orville Redenbacher, Sonny the Cuckoo Bird (cuckoo for CoCo Puffs!), Snap, Crackle and Pop! (they come as a package deal), Charlie the Starkist Tuna, Sugar Bear, Hamburger Helper Hand (which always freaked me out because he doesn't have five fingers), and Colonel Sanders.

Who are the food mascot "men" you remember?