Growing up, we attached our favorite fast food chains through fun characters. But for some unknown reason, they disappeared along with some of our favorite menu items. Today, we’re bringing you a list of 10 nostalgic fast food mascots that disappeared. Warning: This list is overflowing with nostalgia!
10. Arby’s Oven Mitt
Who thought your kitchen mitts could become a fun mascot from your favorite fast food? In 2003, Arby’s wanted to commit to a character that they spent $85 million to create, Oven Mitt. It was voiced by actor and comedian Tom Arnold, who sang the Italian song “Volare” for an Italian beef sandwich ad. Over the years, the appearance of Oven Mitts slowed down until they’re nowhere to be found.
9. Quiznos’ Spongmonkeys
While today’s social media feed may be filled with brainrot references, its early roots are in Quiznos’ mascot. Animator Joel Veitch created it for Rathergood production in 2000, where he developed the Spongmonkeys. It became a hit that Quiznos reached out to him to feature his furry creatures with strange eyes for an ad campaign and rewrite the lyrics about sandwiches. It increased the brand’s profile and inspired around 30,000 complaints. Well, that’s brainrot for you.
8. Dairy Queen’s Dennis the Menace
For decades, Dennis the Menace became the unofficial mascot of Dairy Queen. He’s a comic strip character known for his playful antics that embodies childhood, and would always appear in early ads and cups of the brand. However, Dennis slowly faded away in the early 2000s when Dairy Queen embraced the “Grill & Chill” concept.
7. Burger King’s Kids Club
As Burger King attempted to rival McDonald’s during the ‘80s and ‘90s, they created their own characters. The brand formed The Burger King Kids Club with animated characters of Kid Vid, I.Q., Jaws, Snaps, Boomer, and Wheels. Sadly, after a decade-long run, the Kids Club disbanded along with the chain’s rebranding of meals.
6. Taco Bell’s Chihuahua
In 1998, Taco Bell launched their Chihuahua, best known for the “Yo quiero Taco Bell” stint. The dog named Gidget starred in about 20 of the chain’s commercials and even had plush versions because of its success among fans. However, it had its controversy when the California Coalition of Hispanic Organizations called for a boycott of Taco Bell for racism. In the 2000s, the chain experienced a revenue drop and completely abandoned the character.
5. McDonald’s Speedee
While we know that Ronald McDonald and his friends Grimace and Hamburglar are too iconic, there used to be a long-lost character in the chain. Going back to McDonald’s original roots, brothers Richard and Maurice “Mac” McDonald opened the first McDonald’s hamburger stand in 1948 with an advertising mascot named Speedee. It was created after the business’ Speedee Service System, which is synonymous with their fast food model. However, Speedee was dropped as customers came to know the “Golden Arches” more than the character.
4. Burger Chef’s Burger Chef and Jeff
While the Burger Chef only remains in our memories now, their characters, Burger Chef and Jeff, will always be synonymous with the chain. While competing with McDonald’s, the management tasked the Carson/Roberts ad agency to create the Burger Chef and Jeff. With this, Burger Chef was the character behind the popular Super Shef and Funburger, while Jeff was the sidekick. Eventually, they faded away with the Burger Chef fast food.
3. A&W’s Rooty the Great Root Bear
Another brand competing with McDonald’s is A&W, where they created the iconic and lovable Rooty the Great Root Bear. The character almost didn’t debut in the U.S., as market research indicated it would be a flop. However, the brand went through with it, where Rooty popped up in TV ads and merchandise sold in A&W stores until the 2000s.
2. Pizza Hut’s Pizza Head
Long before the mouthwatering pizza ads we have, we saw how the (creepy) Pizza Head Show from Pizza Hut graced our screens. The character named Pizza Head appeared in a series of campaigns during the early 1990s. The pizza slice character looks nervous as he tries to survive every day. However, Pizza Head slowly faded away with no finale and farewell due to unknown reasons.
1. Domino’s The Noid
During the 1980s, pizza chain Domino’s unveiled their mascot named Noid. It’s a rabbit-eared character who’s a villain as he tries to delay pizza deliveries with the slogan “Avoid the Noid.” However, the Noid comes to a bitter end when a man named Kenneth Noid thinks the character is a personal attack on him. With that, he took two Domino’s employees hostage. After, Noid was nowhere to be found as the mascot was pulled out.