Top 10 Mascots That Dont Exist Anymore

Top 10 Mascots That Don't Exist Anymore

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Mascots That Don't Exist Anymore.

For this list, we’ll be looking at non-sports mascots that once defined what they represented, but have since been dismissed from duty for one reason or another.

What mascot do you wish would come back? Let us know in the comments.

#10: Joe Camel

Camel
Because cigarette ads were banned starting in the mid-60s on western TV, tobacco companies switched to print marketing to promote their nicotine-containing products. In 1974, a French ad campaign was commissioned by cigarette company Camel that features the first appearance of Joe Camel. After the American market began using a different version of the anthropomorphized camel in the late 1980s, studies by a medical journal reported the mascot contributed to the rise in young smokers among Camel’s market share. While R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company didn’t admit that children were their target audience, the manufacturer ultimately terminated the campaign in 1997, following legal troubles, formal complaints and pressure from several groups.

#9: Spuds MacKenzie

Bud Light
If you watched television in the late ‘80s, then you probably remember Spuds MacKenzie. Spuds was introduced as the mascot for Bud Light beer in a 1987 Super Bowl ad and would go on to star in a whole series of commercials. The ads usually involved a party and pretty women very enamored with the “super party animal”. They weren’t the most sophisticated ads of all time, but they worked, and Spuds MacKenzie partied his way to pop culture immortality. In fact, Spuds became so popular that when Bud Light ended the campaign in 1989, they stated that the mascot was allegedly overshadowing the beer. Although the growing criticism from politicians and watchdog groups claiming that the campaign was targeting children probably made this decision a little easier.

#8: Tropic-Ana

Tropicana
Beginning in the 1950s, the Tropicana company introduced their Tropic-Ana mascot - a young girl carrying a bowl of oranges on her head and wearing what looked like a Hawaiian grass skirt. For about three decades, ‘Ana’ was the face of our morning cup of OJ. But by the 1980s, the company began to go in a different direction. The Seagram company bought Tropicana in the late ‘80s, and with the new owners came a new logo - the good ol’ straw in the orange. Accounts suggest the change was made by Seagrams not because of the character’s potential racial insensitivity, but simply because they wanted to change things up.

#7: The California Raisins

California Raisin Advisory Board
Who would’ve thought that four claymation raisins singing “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” would be so popular? But for 8 years from 1986 to 1994, they most definitely were. Produced as mascots for the California Raisin Advisory Board, the smooth singing raisins became advertising icons - and we assume got people eating more raisins. The characters were so popular that their version of the Marvin Gaye classic even made it onto the Billboard Hot 100. Starting off in a Sun-Maid commercial, the Cali Raisins were even borrowed by Post Raisin Bran cereal to promote their product. However, the cost to produce the claymation ads was quite high, and in 1994 the campaign was put to rest.

#6: Mia

Land O’ Lake’s
In 2020, the Land O’ Lakes company - makers of butter, cream and other dairy products - introduced a new logo. The new image featured a painting of a lake with trees along the coasts reflecting in the water, and the text “farmer-owned” above the product name. It’s a nice image that represents, as president and CEO Beth Ford said, “the foundation and heart of our company culture.” However, those familiar with the brand noticed that something was missing; something that had been part of the company’s packaging for over 90 years: Mia. The indigenous woman had been the mascot of the company since 1928, and had been championed by some of the native community as positive representation. However, others criticized it as a racist caricature and offensive to indigenous peoples. So ultimately, Mia was phased out.

#5: The Taco Bell Chihuahua

Taco Bell
We head back to the canine world for Gidget - better known as the Taco Bell Chihuahua. First introduced in an ad for the fast food chain broadcast just in the Northeastern United States, the taco-loving dog soon became a pop culture staple and a national commercial mascot for the company. The chihuahua and its famous catchphrase, "¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!", ran for three years until finally coming to an end in 2000. While there were rumors that the campaign ended because Gidget died, she actually didn’t pass away until 2009. According to multiple reports the campaign either ended because of pressure from Hispanic groups over cultural stereotypes or because of the failure of the ads to increase the company’s profits.

#4: Frito Bandito

Fritos
For some reason companies think that a thieving mascot whose main goal is to procure their product by nefarious means is a good way to go. We all know the Hamburglar and his constant former attempts to hoard McDonald’s hamburgers, but we also can’t forget about the Frito Bandito and his relentless desire for Fritos corn chips. Created in 1967, this "Mexican bandit" stereotype was the face of Fritos chips for about four years. Over those years, pressure from advocacy groups did lead to changes in the bandit’s look - and eventually his retirement in 1971.

#3: Uncle Ben

Uncle Ben’s
Beginning in 1946, Uncle Ben’s rice products were marketed using the image of an older bow tie-wearing Black man. The exact origin of the name and the character aren’t exactly clear. Was the image based on a famous Chicago chef or Maitre d’? Or does it originate from an enslaved African-American who cooked delicious rice dishes? Either way, the name and character had their detractors for decades, but it wasn’t until the George Floyd murder in 2020 that the Mars company finally put an end to Uncle Ben. In September of that year, the company got rid of the mascot and changed the name to Ben’s Originals.

#2: The Cavemen

GEICO
We all love the GEICO gecko, but some of us also remember the brilliant GEICO ads from the 2000s, featuring the company’s iconic cavemen mascots. The ads featured intelligent and sophisticated modern day cavemen who were offended by the GEICO slogan, “It's so easy a caveman could do it.” The commercials were smart and funny and not only did they raise the profile of the aforementioned auto insurance company, but they became so popular they got their own sitcom on ABC in 2007. The show did get panned by critics and was canceled pretty quickly, but the cavemen characters stuck around for a few more commercials over the next few years.

#1: Aunt Jemima

Aunt Jemima
Although she had many makeovers throughout her 100+ year run, Aunt Jemima’s reference to - and iconography of - a classic “Mammy” character had been the source of controversy for quite a while. However, it wasn’t until 2021 - over 130 years after the original branding of the name - that the Aunt Jemima brand name finally said goodbye following the previous year’s removal of the image alone. And in an interesting twist, the company reverted back to the name it had prior to the Aunt Jemima branding in 1889. Originally known as the Pearl Milling Company, the company is so once again. For now, the packaging does include a “Same great taste as Aunt Jemima” message on the box, but the mascot imagery is completely gone.