Tom Foster
The 15 most memorable American advertising characters are those that many of us have grown up with over the years. We recognize them in ways that don’t make sense to the younger generations, but it’s easy to catch on.
Red and Yellow-M&M’s
Initially, this candy was sold without the need for a mascot. But once Red and Yellow were pushed into the spotlight, things changed in a big way.
Tony the Tiger-Frosted Flakes
How many of us, as kids, and maybe as adults, have pumped our finger in the air while uttering Tony’s trademark phrase? I mean, he is one of the great advertising characters, even if the cereal was mostly sugar.
Pillsbury Doughboy-Pillsbury
Out of all the advertising characters out there, this one has seen his name cross over from one movie to a TV show and back again. It’s usually for a bit of comedy since the whole pushing his belly and giggling thing is kind of funny.
Mr. Clean-Mr. Clean
This is another character that’s been utilized in a few ways. However, his name has also been attached to a variety of insults as well.
Energizer Bunny-Energizer
The fact is that a lot of people have enjoyed this mascot for years since he helped to epitomize cool at some point. But that whole going and going noise is, well, it’s good for a while and then it gets old.
Mickey Mouse-Walt Disney
Talk about iconic. Disney might not be the favorite company of many people these days, but Mickey’s face never gets old as one of the most useful marketing characters.
The Kool-Aid Man-Kool-Aid
Anytime this character came busting through a wall it was deemed a good thing. A few jokes and a TV show depicted this in a different light, but it’s still a classic.
Colonel Sanders-Kentucky Fried Chicken
Even today, KFC is still kind of the gold standard for chicken in fast food no matter what anyone says. The fact is that Colonel Sanders’ people figured out how to make a legend from the marketing.
Mario-Nintendo
What hasn’t Mario been used to sell these days? Obviously, there are still plenty of products his name and face haven’t been applied to, but they’re not as numerous.
Ronald McDonald-McDonald’s
There was a time when Ronald McDonald was a popular character next to the Hamburglar, Grimace, and a few others. But these days he’s a little too creepy for a lot of people.
Chester Cheetah-Cheetos
This mascot isn’t quite as effective these days as he used to be. But then again, back in the 90s and 2000s his style of cool was still appreciated.
Trix Rabbit-Trix
Silly rabbit…you know the rest. That poor bunny was always after his Trix and never seemed to get them.
GEICO Gecko-GEICO
The right amount of snark and a useful and calm mascot helped GEICO at least a little. His commercials are usually kind of amusing.
Fred Flintstone-Fruity Pebbles
So yeah, the Flintstones were popular for vitamins too for a while. But Fruity Pebbles was still one of their biggest contributions outside their show.
Mr. Peanut-Planters
This often-seen mascot didn’t really do much outside of smiling and standing on cans. But he still became a face that many knew and trusted when it came to salty snacks.
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