Tony the Tiger
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tony the Tiger (in Spanish: El Tigre Tony/Frostie. In Mexico El Tigre Toño) is the advertising cartoon mascot for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes (also known as Frosties) breakfast cereal, appearing on its packaging and advertising. More recently, Tony has also become the mascot for Tony's Cinnamon Krunchers and Tiger Power.
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[edit] History
The tiger originally appeared in 1952[1] , designed by children's book illustrator Martin Provensen and voiced on television by Dallas McKennon. A recognizable and distinct voice was needed for the Tony the Tiger Character. Shortly after the initial Sugar Frosted Flakes advertisements aired, McKennon was replaced by Thurl Ravenscroft, who spent the next five decades providing the characteristic deep bass voice associated with the character, notably the familiar "They’re Grreat!" catchphrase. John E Matthews came up with this phrase while working as copywriter for Leo Burnett. Ravenscroft continued to voice the character until his death in 2005. Lee Marshall then took over the role and signed a ten-year contract with Kellogg in 2006.
Developed as part of a 1952 contest, Tony competed against three other potential mascots for the public's affection: Katy the Kangaroo (originated by Robert Dulaney in the early sixties), Elmo the Elephant, and Newt the Gnu. Within the year, the other mascots were dropped (with Elmo and Newt never once gracing the front of the box), and Tony was given a son, Tony Jr. Tony the Tiger later became a cereal icon.
In 1958, Tony appeared on Kellogg cereal boxes with Hanna-Barbera characters, such as Huckleberry Hound and Snagglepuss.
Tony began to be humanized in the 1970s, consumers were briefly introduced to more of Tony's family including Mama Tony, Mrs. Tony, and a daughter, Antoinette. Tony had a huge year in 1974, where he was deemed "Tiger of the Year" in an advertising theme taken from the Chinese Lunar Calendar. In addition to Tony's success, during this decade, son Tony Jr. was even given his own short-lived cereal in 1975, Frosted Rice.
Provensen's original art design for the tiger has changed significantly over the years, as Tony the whimsical, cereal-box-sized tiger with a teardrop-shaped head was replaced by his fully-grown son Jr., who is now a sleek, muscular sports enthusiast. Tony the Tiger was never limited to American Cereal boxes, appearing on Kellogg's European brand cereal boxes.
[edit] Frosties
Advertisements for Frosties in the United Kingdom are revoiced locally. The British Tony does still have an American accent however, as he is voiced by Californian actor and bass player, Tom Hill. For some time in the United Kingdom, the rock song "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor was used in conjunction with Tony's commercials.
[edit] Lawsuit against Exxon
In 1996, the Kellogg Company filed suit against Exxon Corp. (now ExxonMobil) claiming that the use of the Exxon tiger figure to sell food at TigerMart convenience stores infringed and diluted Kellogg's Tony the Tiger trademark. In 2000, the Supreme Court let stand an appellate court decision allowing Kellogg to sue, even though both trademarks had co-existed without complaint for 30 years. The appellate court held that the theory of "progressive encroachment" could explain and justify Kellogg's failure to take action earlier.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ A Brief History of Tony
- ^ Gold, Estella. "Catch A Tiger By The Tail: Guarding Trademarks As Your Business Expands", Findlaw.com, 2000.
3. http://www.kellogghistory.com/timeline.html, "Kellogg's Company Timeline"
