15 Commercial Characters That Quietly Disappeared
These are 15 real commercial characters that were once popular but quietly faded away from advertising for various reasons.
- Sophia Zapanta
- 5 min read
Many commercial mascots that once shaped branding and captured attention eventually disappeared without fanfare. Some were dropped due to changing public feel, legal pressures, or marketing shifts. Here are 15 such examples that existed in real ads and no longer appear.
1. Hamm’s Bear
David E. Lucas on Wikimedia Commons
Hamm’s Beer used a friendly cartoon bear starting in 1953. The bear appeared in hundreds of ads and greatly boosted sales. Changes in alcohol advertising rules and shifts in ownership in the 1970s led to its disappearance. The character quietly vanished as the brand moved on.
2. Burger King’s Original King
Smial on Wikimedia Commons
In the 1960s and 1970s Burger King used a gentle, crown-wearing king character. He looked more like a kindly ruler than the later, creepier version. By the late 1970s the brand moved to product-focused ads, and the king character was phased out. The character went away without much notice.
3. Punchy (Hawaiian Punch)
Lindsay Hickman on Wikimedia Commons
Punchy, known for asking “How about a nice Hawaiian Punch?” then punching a friend, was a playful mascot from 1962. His slapstick violence was accepted at the time and made the brand popular. As concerns grew about promoting aggression to children, he was phased out in the 1990s. The character quietly disappeared from ads.
4. Sinclair Dinosaur (Dino)
Fæ on Wikimedia Commons
Sinclair Oil used Dino the green dinosaur from the 1930s to the 1970s. Dino linked well to fossil fuels and was popular at fairs and events. After the company was bought by ARCO in 1969, the mascot gradually faded. Today, he is seldom seen in advertising.
5. Bert the Turtle
Magnus Manske on Wikimedia Commons
Bert the Turtle taught children “Duck and Cover” during the Cold War in the 1950s. He appeared in educational films and comics in schools. As civil defense strategies evolved, the character receded from public use. Nowadays he is mostly a historical symbol.
6. Taco Bell Chihuahua
Banne27 on Wikimedia Commons
“¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!” was delivered by the Chihuahua named Gidget in ads from about 1997 to 2000. The campaign became hugely popular and widely imitated. Controversy over ethnic stereotyping and a costly lawsuit led the company to end it. The dog quietly disappeared from Taco Bell marketing.
7. Esso Tiger
Albert Bridge on Wikimedia Commons
Esso used a tiger mascot with the phrase “Put a tiger in your tank” from 1964 to 1972. The character symbolized strength and performance for their gasoline. After Esso rebranded to Exxon in the U.S., the tiger disappeared from American ads. The mascot continued only in other countries.
8. Geoffrey the Giraffe (Original)
Garry Knight on Wikimedia Commons
Toys “R” Us had an earlier version of Geoffrey the Giraffe in the 1960s, wearing a suit and bow tie. This realistic look changed in later decades to a friendlier cartoon version. The original Geoffrey faded after a redesign, and again in 2018 when U.S. stores closed. That original version is no longer used.
9. Qantas Koala
Diliff on Wikimedia Commons
Qantas introduced a grumpy koala character in ads during the 1980s and early 1990s. The marsupial stood out and raised brand recognition, especially in the U.S. As Qantas shifted to highlight Australia itself rather than characters, the koala disappeared. The character quietly faded from view.
10. Speedee (McDonald’s)
Dirk Tussing on Wikimedia Commons
Before Ronald McDonald, McDonald’s used Speedee, a man with a hamburger-shaped head, in the 1950s to show fast service. When the company shifted to a clown mascot around 1963, Speedee was phased out. He quietly disappeared as Ronald McDonald took over. Speedee is now largely forgotten.
11. Mr. ZIP (Postal Service)
United States Post Office Department on Wikimedia Commons
Mr. ZIP was introduced in 1962 to encourage the use of zip codes in mail. He appeared on stamps and promotional materials. By the 1980s, he had mostly disappeared from public use. He remained visible only on stamp remnants until about 1986.
12. Frito Bandito
Solsticed on Wikimedia Commons
Frito Bandito was a caricatured thief used from 1967 to 1971. Advocacy groups objected to ethnic stereotyping, and the character was deemed offensive. A U.S. House subcommittee hearing helped push him out. He was retired quietly in 1971.
13. Cheetos Mouse
Mike Mozart on Wikimedia Commons
Before Chester Cheetah, there was the Cheetos Mouse starting in 1971. He spoke cute phrases like “Hail Chee-sar!” but disappeared by the late 1970s. Chester Cheetah replaced him in the mid-1980s and remains the brand icon. The mouse quietly vanished.
14. Pepsiman
玄史生 on Wikimedia Commons
Pepsiman was a superhero-style character used by Pepsi in Japan during the 1990s. He appeared in a few ads and even had a PlayStation game. Though the mascot stopped being used in ads years ago, fans still remember him. The character quietly slipped out of advertising.
15. The Noid (Domino’s)
Will Vinton Studios, Domino’s Pizza on Wikimedia Commons
The Noid was a red-suited character that tried to spoil Domino’s pizzas in the 1980s ads. The campaign caught on but ended after a 1989 incident where a man named Kenneth Noid held employees hostage. The real-life incident made the character too sensitive to use. The Noid was quickly retired.