The Most Iconic Food Mascots Of All Time, Ranked From Worst To Best

It's no mystery why food mascots are an effective advertising tool. After all, where would Frosted Flakes be without Tony the Tiger's iconic exclamation regarding the cereal's greatness? Would Planter's still be in business more than a century later if a drawing contest hadn't prompted a young boy to create and submit a fancy pants Mr. Peanut back in 1916?

A food product clearly needs to stand on its own two feet to achieve sustained success, but in an overwhelmingly competitive food industry, marketing and advertising departments are crucial. Frankly, it's virtually impossible to overstate the potentially positive impact a well-received food mascot can have on a company's bottom line.

Considering how a seemingly endless number of food mascots have been introduced over the years, it makes sense that some have lingered more prominently than others. Rather than create a simple list of well-known candidates, though — because where's the fun in that? — we decided to rank the 35 most iconic food mascots of all time, from worst to best, for your enjoyment.

We tried to follow some ground rules during the ranking process. Outside of a few notable exceptions, we focused mainly on long-running mascots (those used for decades or more), those created exclusively for a brand (so no Flintstones with Cocoa Pebbles) and omitted mascots based on a real person (like Wendy or Chef Boyardee). Without further ado, here is our ranking of the 35 most iconic food mascots of all time.

There's a decent chance you've never been to an actual Bob's Big Boy restaurant, given only 74 locations (almost exclusively in the Midwest) were open as of 2022. But that doesn't mean you're unfamiliar with its mascot, Big Boy, thanks to its memorable appearance in the 1997 classic comedy, "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery."

In the film, Dr. Evil (Mike Myers) uses a giant statue of the famous little boy as a disguised spaceship, leading to an outline of the hamburger-hoisting mascot appearing on a military radar. Though the scene remains funny decades later, it can't overcome the restaurant's regional nature, hence its low ranking on our list.

Did you know the Taco Bell chihuahua was actually a female named Gidget (via CNN)? Most people likely don't, considering the exorbitantly popular mascot, who declared "yo quiero Taco Bell" in the late 1990s and early 2000s, was voiced by male actor Carlos Alazraqui. Either way, the teeny dog left a huge mark on pop culture during its fairly short time in the spotlight, justifying its spot on our list.

Of course, the Taco Bell chihuahua's short time as the corporate torchbearer handicaps it in our rankings. There's no denying the four-legged actress's impact on the world, but with such a brief run as the actual mascot, we can't rank the canine any higher.

To be perfectly honest, the number of food mascots we couldn't remember ever actually doing anything was fairly surprising — like the recently retired mascot for Bumble Bee Tuna, Horatio the Bumblebee. So while the chef's-hat-wearing, anthropomorphic insect graced the canned seafood's labels until 2020 (via Intrafish), we can't say what Horatio really did besides joyfully smile.

A seven-decade run as the face of the brand — one that started in 1950, according to the company – is nothing to sneeze at. But Horatio's seeming lack of personality (and Bumble Bee's decision to nix him as a mascot) costs him points from our perspective, so he remains in the bottom portion of our rankings.

In our eyes, Count Chocula is kind of boring. Sure, the brown, vampire-adjacent character has been around for more than 50 years as of 2022, and certainly outranks the other Monster Cereals often advertised alongside his product. But while the original character was drawn by the same artist who created the Trix Rabbit, well ... there's a reason the Count is lower on our list.

Maybe we simply love the numbers-obsessed Count von Count from "Sesame Street" so much that his chocolate-cereal-beholden cousin suffers by comparison. Either way, while we'd never deny Count Chocula's iconic status, we're bigger fans of several other cereals and their corresponding mascots, so we can't rank him any higher.

When you think about the origins of the Vlasic Stork mascot, it's somewhat amazing he exists at all. Because as the website suggests, the Stork may have been introduced as a ploy to juice up slagging birth rates — by using the stork imagery associated with babies to implore baby-making sessions across the nation.

Whatever his true origin, we always get a laugh from the Vlasic Stork. With his vaudevillian voice and delivery, he's a bonafide legend among food mascots. But with no name — and, well, being the mascot for a pickle company, of all foods — we had to keep him closer to the bottom of our list.

Like several other cereal mascots on this countdown, Sonny the Cuckoo Bird is largely defined by a singular catchphrase: he's "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!" Frankly, it's impossible to imagine anyone born in the past half-century being unfamiliar with the orange mascot's lust for the chocolate-flavored cereal.

But that lack of depth doesn't do Sonny any favors in our ranking, nor does the cultural shift around mental health in recent years. Add in the fact the mascot's original voice actor, Chuck McCann, passed away in 2018 (via Entertainment Weekly), and it's easy to see why Sonny belongs in the lower half.

More than 85% of the Western population is right-handed, according to MedlinePlus, so any time the world's oft-neglected left-handed folks are spotlighted, we like to take note. This includes Lefty the Glove, the helpful mascot for Hamburger Helper – which may or may not be an actual hand (via Today).

Regardless of what's under the glove, General Mills' choice to spotlight southpaws with the mascot in 1977 should be celebrated. If we liked Hamburger Helper more, Lefty would rank higher. But the mascot — which somewhat resembles both Chip (Bradley Pierce) from "Beauty and the Beast" and Pennywise's (Tim Curry) hands in "IT" — still earns its keep in the middle of the pack.

Like several other food mascots, we've always known Buzz Bee, the iconic Honey Nut Cheerios spokes-bee, as just "the bee" from the brand. But our ignorance of the insect's name is somewhat understandable, considering it didn't have a name before a fan contest took place in 2000 (via Business Wire).

Over the years, Buzz Bee has gone missing to raise awareness of the world's declining bee population (via PR Newswire) and partnered with Ice-T to encourage healthier lifestyle habits among Americans (via General Mills). The insect may just barely crack our top 20, but this list clearly wouldn't be complete without Buzz Bee's inclusion.

If you grew up eating Chuck E. Cheese pizza at birthday parties while watching the mouse and his animatronic band perform, you understand why Chuck makes our list of iconic mascots. But did you know the character is actually an orphan named Charles Entertainment Cheese who, according to Insider, allegedly opened the business to celebrate kids' birthday parties because he never had the chance growing up?

Frankly, we can't quite comprehend the corporate strategy behind Chuck E. Cheese's depressing backstory. Nor can we decide whether the sad sack background helps or hurts the talking mouse in our rankings — so we'll split the difference.

It's not just the long tenure of the Trix Rabbit, which dates back to 1959 (via General Mills), that places it higher than most other cereal mascots in our eyes. Frankly, the fact that its entire tenure has been defined by snotty kids refusing to share their cereal means we're sympathetic to the Rabbit's dilemma. What can we say? We're softies.

At the same time, the fairly narrow marketing angle of the Trix Rabbit keeps it from climbing any higher. We can't recall anything else about the Rabbit other than its oft-denied desire for Trix — a fairly middling cereal, we must say — meaning it can't quite crack our top 15.

Does anyone know what Cap'n Crunch is an alleged captain of? We doubt it. But the purveyor of delightfully-sweetened corn cereal squares — with or without crunch berries — doesn't need to enlighten us to his military rank to secure his position on this list.

The food mascot — whose real name is, almost unbelievably, Horatio Magellan Crunch (via Today) — may not have a catchy slogan. But that, in fact, helps the food mascot's case compared to other entries. After all, to rise to the top of the cartoon cereal mascot tide without a well-known catchphrase is quite the accomplishment — enough to rank in our top 15.

Similar to the Taco Bell chihuahua, the California Raisins' time as an actual food mascot was relatively short-lived. But in less than a decade as the mascot for (you guessed it) California raisin growers, the claymation version of dried grapes that sang and danced left a monumental mark on pop culture. This included (but isn't limited to) several music albums, an Emmy-nominated Christmas Special, and a Saturday morning cartoon (via Mental Floss).

The considerable production costs for the California Raisins led to the food mascots' eventual disappearance, but their legacy lives on. They can't quite crack the top 10 given their brief time in the spotlight, yet it's clear the Motown-inspired mascots won't soon be forgotten.

We're not exactly sure why we love the Little Caesars mascot so much. After all, what else does the cartoonish character, vaguely modeled after the legendary Roman emperor, do besides say "Pizza! Pizza!" in his joyously monotone way? Whatever the reason, we're confident the pizza chain's mascot (first used in 1962, according to the website) deserves his spot as the 10th best food mascot of all time.

Frankly, we can't say we're huge fans of Little Caesars food. But as the third best-selling pizza restaurant in the U.S. in 2021, it's clear our subjective opinion isn't relevant to the company's — or its mascot's — standing in the world.

In terms of sheer recognizability, Ronald McDonald may have a legitimate claim to the top spot on this list, so his top 10 slot was never really in doubt. But like the mascot of McDonald's rival, Burger King, there's something rather unsettling about the former Mickey D's pitchman, which keeps the clown locked in eighth place.

First appearing in 1963 (via Britannica), Ronald McDonald was nearly as ubiquitous as the fast food conglomerate he represented. That constancy actually makes us wonder whether Ronald McDonald was genuinely beloved, or just everywhere, like McDonald's. In the end, though, it doesn't really matter, and Ronald McDonald's legend is secure either way.

With his trademark monocle and top hat, Mr. Peanut is easily the most pretentious food mascot on this list. But snob or not, no one can pretend the walking, talking peanut mascot for Planters hasn't earned a spot just outside the top five on our list.

Perhaps the fascinating origin of Mr. Peanut boosts his stock in our estimation. Because unlike the vast majority of food mascots, Mr. Peanut wasn't the brainchild of an advertising executive, but rather an actual child. A drawing by middle-schooler Antonio Gentile, entered into a 1916 contest held by the company to establish a mascot, led to the creation of Mr. Peanut (via Smithsonian). The rest, as they say, is history.

We truly love Poppin' Fresh — or, as much of the world knows him, the Pillsbury Doughboy. Introduced in 1965 (per the Pillsbury website), the incomparable mascot has become an adorable fixture of Pillsbury packages and advertisements. Frankly, if you say you've never mimicked the character's "hoo hoo!" giggle after a poke in the belly, well ... we may call you a liar.

Poppin' Fresh (who actually has family members, too) earns bonus points for his body positive appearances. He's never self-conscious about his soft, pokable tummy, or shamed for having a less-than-perfect physique. It's refreshing to see a character unencumbered by societal pressure, which helps explain why he ranks number four on our list.

The literal dearth of female food mascots can be a bit disheartening in our modern world, but maybe that just elevates those existing few — like the tropical fruit queen herself, Miss Chiquita. Starting with her introduction as an actual dancing banana in 1944 (via the Chiquita website), Miss Chiquita has been the queen bee of all food mascots, hence her placement as the second best of all time.

Called the "First Lady of Fruit," Miss Chiquita may have helped bananas become a staple of the U.S. diet. And the food mascot remains just as relevant to the brand's success in 2022 — even being jokingly credited with running Chiquita's Instagram account.