Mike and I were in the McDonald's drive-thru last week on our daily lunch excursion when we spotted an advertisement for McDonaldland cookies. We were instantly flooded with long-lost childhood memories of the tasty snack, and we decided to add a box to our order. Imagine our surprise and sadness when we returned to the office to find that the vessel that contained these wonderful culinary delights was not the same from our childhood, namely a sturdy box with bright hues, bubbly fonts, and colourful characters, but rather a minimalistic, one-colour plastic pouch adorned with Ronald McDonald's mugshot. Something was not right in McDonaldland. Where was the rest of the gang? Where was the sneaky Hamburgler, bumbling Grimace (who's a giant taste-bud, by the way), authoritative Mayor McCheese (my favorite), or the obligatory-but-utterly-boring Birdie? The cookies were still shaped to represent the various mascot faces, but any hint as to who or what you were about to digest could only be garnered from hazy memory.

Mascots have been selling products and services with charm and smile for years (Bibendum, the Michelin Man, was created in 1894 and is still going strong), and many that we know and love today were born during the mascot golden age of the 1950s and 60s, when companies sought to add personality to their business, and instill trust and familiarity within the consumer. As a graphic designer, I would absolutely love a chance to work with a team to develop or revamp a corporate mascot but, unfortunately, times change, and mascots aren't in favor like they used to be. There are some mascots, however, who have recently been given a new chance at life and have been given a timely reboot, bringing sometimes effective, sometimes disturbing results.

Jack from Jack in the Box: Created in 1951, Jack was simply a clown head atop the franchise signs, with little to no personality. In 1980 the company decided to reject its image, become more "mature" and do away with Jack altogether. Finally, in the mid-90s, following a major food contamination crisis, they rebranded again and brought Jack back, this time in an ironic, humorous business-suit-wearing executive, that helped raise sales and gain brand notoriety.

The King, from Burger King: Originally part of the sign of the first Burger King restaurant in Miami, Florida in 1955, the king had many different representations throughout the years, including a role as the "Marvelous, Magical Burger King" in the late 70s, who wore Victorian garb and performed magic tricks. In 2003 the Miami advertising firm Crispin Porter + Bogusky took over the advertising and decided to use a 70s era over sized King head found on eBay, originally meant as a brainstorming prop, to reboot the brand. Now, after a few years of humorous viral marketing starring a creepy and disturbing king head, Burger King has a mascot powerhouse loved by its target market, and featured on shows like The Tonight Show and the Simpsons.

So how 'bout it, McDonalds? Ronald has always been a strong part of the brand, but when will you bring back the rest of the gang and give them the camera time they deserve? Or, barring that, when will Ronald himself get another reboot? Perhaps creepy, ironic, and modern, just like your competition?

On second thought, scratch that idea. You're fine just the way you are, Ronald.
What about you, dear reader? Who are your favorite mascots?