Blog post by: Melissa Ignasiak
Today’s Flashback Friday advertisement features Tony the Tiger, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes mascot who has been featured in the brand’s commercials and on its cereal boxes for more than 50 years.
Many of us today, and maybe even our parents, remember watching our favorite morning cartoons and seeing Tony the Tiger. We were able to recognize him just by his famous slogan “They’rrre Great!” What we may not know is that this tiger has become part of one of the most recognized and longest running slogans in TV advertising history.
Although we may only remember Tony’s face on the cereal box, he was not Kellogg’s only contestant. After introducing the cereal in the early 1950’s, Kellogg’s decided to put a mascot on its boxes. The decision came down to Tony the Tiger and Katy the Kangaroo. The consumers made the final decision when boxes featuring Tony outsold those with Katy.
Over the past 50 years, Tony has done a lot of growing along with his fans. He has gone from standing on all fours to standing upright, has traveled to more than 40 countries and now has a wife, a daughter, and a son, who appeared with him in many of the commercials.
One of the reasons Tony has remain so popular with kids and parents is because of the message he teaches children: Work Hard, Eat Right, and Earn Your Stripes. He has received the help of professional athletes including Tony Hawk and Mia Hamm to tell kids that if you try new things and practice hard, you will become a better athlete.
Over the years Kellogg’s has introduced spin offs of the popular cereals including CoCoa Frosted Flakes and Banana Frosted Flakes, both with Tony as their mascot. He has managed to outlast dozens of other of Kellogg’s “spokestoons” over the past few decades. Big Otis (OK’s), Coco the Elephant (Cocoa Krispies) and Smaxey Seal( Sugar Smacks) just to name a few. At this rate, Tony shows no signs of slowing down.
Sources:
http://www.fastcompany.com/997393/best-advertising-slogans-all-time-according-digg-users
http://www.mrbreakfast.com/cereal_detail.asp?id=759
http://www.kidzworld.com/article/5732-tony-the-tiger-biography
http://www.toonopedia.com/tonytigr.htm
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