Takeout Nostalgia: 5 Beloved Restaurant Mascots Who Should Make a Comeback
Whether as children or children-at-heart, some of Canadians’ most fond takeout memories come not from the food served but the animated, entertaining characters who promoted it for their respective brands.
From the slice who often went squish to the chihuahua who loved tacos, here are 5 forever-loved restaurant mascots who really should make a comeback.
Pizza Head Show commercials from 1993-1997 often found himself getting squished, rolled, stepped on, flown or eyed up for eating.
But did he ever make it to Pizza Hut? 12 years old us needs to know.
Seen on TV from 1997 to 2000, Gidget aka The Taco Bell Dog got viewers craving tacos with memorable voiceover moments including the main catchphrase, “Yo Quiero Taco Bell.”
The original acting dog, a female chihuahua by the name of Gidget, sadly passed away in 2009.
Brought to life in 2003, Oven Mitt took viewers behind the scenes of their local Arby’s to see the latest in tasty sandwiches.
Voicing the excited accessory was none other than American actor Tom Arnold. Oven Mitt has since been kept in the kitchen drawer and not heard from since 2005.
Not completely gone, but not waving at you as often as he used to, Ronald McDonald first hit the scene in 1963 as “the Hamburger-Happy Clown.”
After years of appearances in TV ads, restaurant in-house branding, PlayPlace structures, birthday parties and more, McDonald’s quietly began to let Ronald rest as health advocates voiced disagreement with the use of a clown to draw children to fast food.
Joining Ronald McDonald on his hamburger adventures in and out of the restaurant were Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird and The Fry Kids.
In addition to branding and in-person appearances most remembered in the 90’s, the gang starred alongside Ronald in animated classics including Ronald McDonald and the Adventure Machine (1987), The Adventures of Ronald McDonald: McTreasure Island (1990) and The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald (series, 1998-2003).
