12 Commercial Mascots from the Past That Disappeared Overnight
These once-iconic commercial mascots lit up our screens and sold us everything from tacos to TVs — until controversy, changing times, or sheer weirdness made them vanish almost overnight.
- Alyana Aguja
- 5 min read
Brand mascots have been the offbeat, endearing faces of companies for years, capturing public imagination and influencing pop culture — until they vanish into thin air. From cartoon camels and dance-stomping chihuahuas to claymation raisins and moon-headed jazzmen, these beloved icons simply disappear as a result of scandal, company changes, or cultural rebellion. This list explores 12 actual mascots that once dominated the airwaves, only to be erased quietly from advertising memory.
1. The Noid (Domino’s Pizza)
Image from Villains Wiki - Fandom
The Noid was a naughty, clay-animated bad guy of the 1980s, designed to stand for everything that would spoil your pizza delivery. Domino’s encouraged customers to “Avoid the Noid,” and the character became a cultural icon. However, in 1989, a Kenneth Noid, who thought the commercials were making fun of him specifically, took a group of hostages at an Atlanta Domino’s, and the company quietly shelved the character shortly thereafter.
2. Joe Camel (Camel Cigarettes)
Image from Ebay PH
Joe Camel was a cartoonish, sunglasses-capped camel featured in Camel cigarette advertisements beginning in 1987, designed to promote smoking as desirable. The character was incredibly popular yet controversial — critics accused him of being targeted at kids. Public health activists’ growing pressure and a landmark 1997 court case compelled R.J. Reynolds to discontinue the campaign.
3. Mac Tonight (McDonald’s)
Image from The Lost Media Wiki
Mac Tonight was a crescent-moon-headed crooner who performed on piano in jazzy television commercials for adults in the 1980s with a sophisticated McDonald’s brand. Wearing sunglasses, he sang a version of the “Mack the Knife” tune, creating a cult sensation. However, by the early 1990s, demographic changes and legal woes surrounding the rights to the original song forced his early retirement.
4. Spuds MacKenzie (Bud Light)
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This beer-swilling bull terrier first appeared on screen in 1987 during the Super Bowl and rapidly became a brand of cool, freewheeling fun. Despite — or perhaps because of — his huge popularity, Spuds was criticized for marketing booze to minors. Bud Light phased out the character by 1989 after consumer protests and pressure from advocacy groups.
5. Fido Dido (7UP)
Image from Mascot Wiki - Fandom
Fido Dido was a gangly, squirly-haired cartoon character designed in the 1980s to embody 7UP’s cool, alternative vibe. He appeared in television commercials and merchandise during the early ’90s but never captured the brand clout of other mascots. Then, 7UP abandoned him during the mid-1990s for a new, edgier campaign with computer-generated bubbles.
6. The Burger King (Original 1970s Version)
Image from Wikipedia
Years before the spooky plastic-masked “King” of the 2000s came a more benevolent, cartoonish Burger King mascot in the ’70s and ’80s, with mystical powers and a jingle-filled entourage in tow. He was the star of a mini-empire of children’s commercials and even comic books. However, in the late ’80s, BK moved on to actual food and adult audiences, erasing the character without a farewell.
7. The California Raisins
Image from Food & Wine
These animated singing and dancing raisins appeared to market California raisins back in the mid-1980s, belting out Motown classics with unlikely charm. They were a cultural phenomenon, including records and Saturday morning TV specials. Production was extremely expensive, and the Raisin Advisory Board let them go in 1990 due to a lack of funds.
8. Vincent Price for Tilex
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Horror film legend Vincent Price lent his classic, sinister voice and image to Tilex mildew cleaner commercials during the early 1980s. The spots were lighthearted, using his horror credentials to merchandise cleanliness with kitschy flair. Following Price’s passing in 1993, the campaign shut down, and Tilex went on quietly.
9. Mr. Six (Six Flags)
Image from Six Flags Wiki - Fandom
Mr. Six was the bespectacled, bald, tuxedoed old man who would suddenly dance wildly to help market Six Flags theme parks during the early 2000s. His eccentric energy, coupled with the Vengaboys’ “We Like to Party,” made him a viral phenomenon. However, in 2010, Six Flags rebranded itself with a family-friendly image and abandoned Mr. Six.
10. Gidget the Taco Bell Chihuahua
Image from Wikipedia
Gidget was the surprise face of Taco Bell during the late 1990s, speaking the catchphrase “¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!” in a deep masculine voice. Though extremely popular, the campaign was criticized for perpetuating Latino stereotypes and was connected with a failed lawsuit by its developers. Taco Bell killed the mascot in 2000 amidst slumping sales and increasing criticism.
11. The Bud Bowl Budweiser Bottles
Image from Wikipedia
Introducing itself during Super Bowl time in 1989, the Bud Bowl was an animated stop-action football game in which Budweiser and Bud Light bottles moved about. The campaign lasted close to ten years and was an annual tradition beloved by all. However, in the late ’90s, people got used to new gimmicks, and Anheuser-Busch shelved the campaign unobtrusively for its more glitzy ads.
12. Crazy Eddie
Image from Reddit
Crazy Eddie was the name (and face) of a northeast U.S. chain of electronics stores. In manic, low-rent TV commercials, he screamed, “His prices are INSANE!” Pitchman Jerry Carroll wasn’t even Eddie, but he became as closely associated with the brand as Eddie Antar was. When the actual Eddie Antar was sentenced for gigantic fraud in the late ’80s, the chain went out of business overnight, and the mascot with it.