Top 20 Fast Food Mascots

McDonald’s

The McDonald’s corporation kind of has a lock on iconic mascots. They’ve been one of the few fast food chains to employ not just one successful spokes-character, but an entire array of McDonaldland friends, as well. Grimace actually debuted as a bad guy within the fictional McDonald’s food universe, a four-armed villain whose sole aim was to steal beverages like sodas and milkshakes. Fast forward to the modern day, and Grimace has lost a couple arms, but has gained his own monikered milkshake! The Grimace Shake debuted in 2023, and boasted a bright berry flavor to coincide with our favorite purple guy’s fifty-second birthday.

Starbucks

You may not think about it, every time you stop into a Starbucks for a cup of coffee. Yet there she is, staring you straight in the face and beckoning you for another sip. She’s the Starbucks Siren, and she’s been featured on the company’s cups and branding since the early seventies. It sort of makes sense, too, since so many of us are not only compelled by our need for coffee, but could potentially even be driven to madness without our daily fix. The sirens of Greek mythology also possess this inescapable call, a luring song that often meant the death of sailors that entered their domain. Then again, there’s probably worse ways to go than drinking some strong coffee with a two-tailed mermaid.

Dairy Queen

Advertising can utilize many different messages in order to get its point across. Sometimes, fast food companies will simply show you delicious photos of their appetizing food. Dairy Queen, however, actually chooses to include a pair of anthropomorphized lips to do their talking. The DQ Lips sell the company’s sweet and savory treats, coming across like something out of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” combined with The Rolling Stones logo. But you know what? It totally does the job, because we’re talking about it here - so good job, Dairy Queen!

Chick-fil-A

There’s a delightfully demented bit of branding behind the cows that celebrate Chick-fil-A’s daily operations. After all, the fast food biz is often associated with juicy burgers and the like, and The Cows want you to know that it’s okay to consume chicken instead. They’re tired of being on your plate and want to roam free. So they celebrate every chance they get to talk about Chick-fil-A’s various sandwiches and fried fowl. It may seem a bit “on the nose,” but The Cows have been going strong for the chain since 1995, and they currently show no signs of slowing down.

Carvel


You know him. You love him. You wanna eat him all up, and keep him all to yourself. He’s Fudgie the Whale, and he’s freakin’ delicious. Ice cream cakes are always a good decision, and Carvel makes some of the best in town. Yet even this sweet-minded restaurant franchise probably didn’t anticipate the long and lasting legacy of characters like Fudgie the Whale or Cookie Puss. Both helped popularize Carvel’s brand of confectionery goodness, while also promoting Fudgie to official party-cake status. Looking for a dope Father’s Day cake? Try Fudgie the Whale. Anniversary cake? Ask your spouse first, but we say Fudgie the Whale! Birthday? Man, y'all already know.

Carl’s Jr. & Hardee’s

The Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s brands have employed a number of promotional slogans over the years, but it seems as if all it really took to get over was one little smiling star. Happy Star has been telling us to “feed” our proverbial “happies” for a while now, since first emerging as the brand ambassador for these chains. This slogan tends to run hand-in-hand with Happy Star’s identity within the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s brand, but he also possesses a pleasant and disarming design that’s easy to love. Not that we need an excuse to stop into either of these restaurants!

Quiznos

British animator Joel Veitch and the Quiznos brand definitely took a chance in 2004 when they settled on The Spongmonkeys as their brand ambassadors. These horrid-looking little creatures sang off-key in a handful of memorable Quiznos commercials, although we’re STILL not sure what these little mascots have to do with consuming submarine sandwiches. Still, The Spongmonkeys made an impression, and consumers never forgot their visual weirdness, abrasive voices or off-kilter behavior. Quiznos and Veitch even brought back The Spongmonkeys for a branding go-round back in 2023, returning them to the advertising spotlight to once again sing for their proverbial suppers.

Dunkin’ Donuts

We know that some of our favorite actors got their start doing commercials, while still others actually find that these brief roles lend them certifiable fame. Fred the Baker was one such character for Michael Vale, an actor who lent his talents to the Dunkin’ Donuts brand from 1981 to 1997. His voice, appearance and catchphrase of “time to make the donuts” helped define Dunkin’ during this time, an era where their donuts were still freshly made in-house. Vale’s performance was so beloved by fans that not only was he given an official retirement celebration in Boston, but Dunkin’ even commemorated Vale’s legacy after his death in 2005 with a very special commercial.

McDonald’s


We’d frankly be remiss if we didn’t include some of the other McDonaldland friends in this list, from Mayor McCheese and The McNugget Buddies to another all-time fan-favorite, The Hamburglar! This was another McDonald’s mascot that initially started his life as a foil for Ronald, stealing burgers from the unwary. Today, however…well, The Hamburglar still steals food, but he’s not really the antagonist he used to be in his younger days. Instead, Ronald just seems resigned to the fact that leopards never change their spots, and The Hamburglar simply can’t resist the smell and taste of a McDonald’s patty.

Little Caesars


The behavior of this mascot is a little different, in that Little Caesar doesn’t really possess a lot of complicated backstory or lore…at least when compared to other brand ambassadors. He’s just really there to wear a toga, snack on a slice and say those two famous words: [1] However, what Little Caesar does have going for him is an inspired bit of brand design and iconography. The website Fabrik Brand did the lord’s work by breaking down Caesar’s color-scheme, Roman headwear and the little “LCs” that adorn the bottom of his toga. It just goes to show how much work goes into even the most minute details of company branding.

Pizza pizza
https://youtu.be/BuZV4-EgskY?t=13

Chuck E. Cheese


Who knew pizza needed a pesky rodent to endorse it?? Chuck E. is our choice at 10! He’s a culinary critter with character for two, and he’s not afraid to change with the times. In 1977, when the restaurant that combined food, arcade games and more was first conceived by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, Chuck was a rat… Quickly and smartly, he was softened into a mouse… and more recently, he underwent a mini-mid-life crisis! In 2012, the mouse received a makeover for the modern market, and now he’s a more rockin’ rodent!

Big Boy Restaurants


A multi-faceted, multi-franchised company, it all comes together under the smiling, searching gaze of this guy. Big Boy was a big business move when he was created following the chain’s founding in 1936: the fiberglass statues have since become a symbol of the United States and Big Boy himself became a comic-book hero! Originally inspired by a six-year-old customer, the mascot shares his name with the franchise’s double-decker burger, and his welcoming smile and twinkling eyes have invited burger-lovers to the restaurant ever since.

Domino’s Pizza


The nasty but nice Noid is intent on icing up your pizza, but isn’t powerful enough to do so! Domino’s created him as testament to their freshness, as this rabbit-eared rascal routinely fails to find enough time to cool the pizza down within their thirty-minute window. Clad in a red spandex full body suit, his fashion sense is almost as criminal as his intentions. However, we still hold a soft spot for his niggling, wriggling ways, for some reason – and in fact he was so popular he even spawned a video game!

Arby’s


Sometimes, simple sells! That’s clearly the case at Arby’s, where an oven mitt with a mouth and the voice of Tom Arnold became the face-ish of their food in 2003. The facial expression is difficult to read – it’s somewhere between satisfied and suave – but this red and white kitchen accessory is as famous as he is friendly. Though many viewers had a love-hate relationship with the mitt, he was around to remind consumers that Arby’s only used fresh roast beef in their sandwiches. It proved a red-hot marketing move!

Jack in the Box


Now next we get particularly freaky. Jack Box appears respectable… from shoulder-to-toe! He dons a suit and holds himself well. But, he has an oversized, snowman-inspired head with a frozen face! He’s evidently the CEO of the Jack in the Box chain, and, after being dramatically dropped, was re-introduced in 1994 to distance the brand from food contamination scandal. More recently, he was the subject of a particularly extensive promotional campaign… In 2009, Jack was hit by a bus, hospitalized, and eventually revitalized, in a social media story that modernized marketing!

Wendy’s


She isn’t animatronic, she doesn’t have any particular peculiarities, but she is one of the most famous faces in all of fast food. Wendy was originally inspired by the 8-year-old daughter of restaurant founder and spokesman Dave Thomas, adding a touch of cuteness to his carb-loaded meals. Her pigtails, hair bows and striped shirt merge together to form a red white and blue combo almost as recognizable as the star spangled banner itself!

Taco Bell


It’s a questionable cultural stereotype, but this pooch’s popularity saw her promote Taco Bell throughout the ‘90s. Created to make a dent in the Burger Wars, the Taco Bell Chihuahua was such a hit, she was a part of pop culture! Through the use of Carlos Alazraqui’s voiceover, she was presented as masculine when she was in fact all-woman! Real name Gidget, she was often pursuing a love interest, when in fact all she wanted was tacos. The dog always has its day though, and the pup always got her burritos!

Burger King


They’re one of the most famous fast-food chains on Earth, but he’s unlike anything else to have walked it! The ‘Creepy’ King, as he was popularly dubbed, was a royal weirdo in need of a shave and some social skills, and yet he sold burgers with considerable success… Somehow. Though he was a spin on earlier King-based campaigns and characters, this iteration of the King was inexplicably the most popular. His reign came to an end in August 2011, however, when the burger joint forced him into an early advertisement abdication. He’s returned a couple of times since, however, so don’t count him out.

KFC


Colonel Harland Sanders is perhaps one of the most widely recognized figures of the 20th century – at least, in the fast-food world. The creator and the face of KFC, his image was developed as a cheap marketing ploy. And it worked: today the Colonel’s mug is plastered across food courts, TV screens and roadside signage across the world. An awesome entrepreneur, he turned a roadside restaurant into an international franchise that was ‘finger lickin’ good’ and fried to perfection! Sanders died in 1980, but may his caricatured features live on for years to come!

McDonald’s


They’re the biggest fast-food chain, and he’s the best fast-food mascot! The face of McDonald’s, Ronald McDonald has achieved icon status since his conception in 1963. He has Wendy’s red hair, The King’s freaky appearance, and the Colonel’s kindly character. Put it all together and you have a master of the mascots! With a strong supporting cast of McDonaldland pals, Ronald has won this race by more than his red nose. He’ll be as ‘happy’ as his meals with our gold medal round his neck!




Are you nostalgic for certain commercials from your youth? Which ones? Let us know in the comments.