Not all fast food mascots make us smile. Others, make us shiver. Over the years, chains unleashed mascots that range from slightly odd to downright creepy. From a toothy king to a purple blob no one can explain, here are 10 fast food mascots so strange they became unforgettable.
10. Oven Mitt (Arby’s)
In 2003, Arby’s thought a talking oven mitt would be the perfect way to promote their oven-roasted beef. Hence, the introduction of Oven Mitt. It was a literal kitchen glove with eyes, a mouth, and a goofy voice. While many found it cute, others thought it was one of the stranger choices in fast-food advertising.
9. Speedee (McDonald’s)
Before Ronald McDonald, we had Speedee, McDonald’s first mascot. It was a hamburger-headed chef with tiny body and exaggerated smile. He was designed to symbolize fast service, but his cartoonish look was quite unsettling. Speedee didn’t stick around long, and by the 1960s, Ronald McDonald replaced him.
8. Dennis the Menace (Dairy Queen)
In the 1970s, Dairy Queen borrowed the comic strip character Dennis the Menace to promote its soft-serve treats. DQ leaned into the character’s mischievous trait to add some playful energy to its ads. The idea was clever, but as comic strip popularity faded, so did the mascot’s relevance. By 2002, Dennis the Menace quietly disappeared from DQ’s branding.
7. The Spongmonkeys (Quiznos)
If you watch a lot of TV in 2004, then you might remember the Spongmonkeys. They were bizarre, wide-eyed creatures with human mouths that shrieked off-key songs about Quiznos subs. The chain hoped that the weirdness would turn into buzz. It worked…in getting attention, but many viewers found the ads disturbing than appetizing.
6. The Noid (Domino’s)
In the 1980s, Domino’s introduced The Noid, a red-suited villain with bunny ears whose job was to ruin pizza deliveries. Customers were told to “Avoid the Noid,” and it worked. The ads were iconic. But this mascot’s legacy took a dark turn. In 1989, a man named Kenneth Lamar Noid believed that the ads targeted him, and he took Domino’s workers hostage. It was a shocking event that tainted the mascot, and by mid 1990s, The Noid retired.
5. Mac Tonight (McDonald’s)
Mac Tonight was McDonald’s attempt in the 1980s to attract adults for evening meals. The mascot had a crescent-moon head, slick sunglasses, and jazzy piano tunes. Mac Tonight crooned “Mack the Knife” parodies, but the fun ended when Bobby Darin’s estate sued the chain for parodying the song without permission. By 1989, Mac Tonight was gone in the US.
4. The King (Burger King)
Burger King’s “King” mascot was one of the most unsettling fast food icons. He wore a giant plastic head with a fixed grin that gave him an uncanny, sometimes almost horror-movie, presence. The original idea was to make him funny, but to many customers, he was simply creepy.
3. Krinkles the Clown (Post Rice Krinkles)
Though not from a restaurant, Krinkles the Clown deserves a spot for being a pure nightmare fuel. Created in the ’60s to promote Post’s Rice Krinkles cereal, the mascot had a gaunt face, hollow eyes, and a strained smile that you’ll usually find in horror films. Parents and kids alike were creeped out, and so Krinkles the Clown didn’t last long.
2. The Chick-fil-A Cows
When Chick-fil-A rolled out a campaign called “Eat Mor Chikin” in 1995, they used cows holding hand-painted signs begging people to eat chicken instead of beef. It looked clever, but the image was quite strange. Imagine cows campaigning for people to eat another animal instead. It was bizarre but iconic, making the cows still popular today.
1. Grimace (McDonald’s)
For the top spot, we have McDonald’s strangest mascot by far. Grimace is a giant purple blob with no clear identity. In the 1970s, he was introduced as a milkshake-stealing villain, but later became an adorable sidekick. Still, his exact nature hasn’t been clarified. Some McDonald’s execs said he’s a taste bud, others just call him a shapeless buddy.