Veganism needs a Mascot

The vegan movement could use a cool mascot, a loveable cartoon character, one like almost everyone will recognize ie Tony the Tiger, the Geico lizard, Limu the Imu, Pillsbury Doughboy, etc.

I want to nominate Dex, but is he cute enough?

By now, consumers are accustomed to seeing animals talking and acting (stupid) like humans in commercials. But why exactly is it that advertisers opt to use animals to sell products instead of people? The emotional pull consumers feel towards a furry friend makes them more inclined to take notice, and using animals makes a commercial seem less like an ad and more like a story. Blah, blah, That’s the official line. What’s the real story?

Vegans around the world want to know

How about Geico Insurance, with the most famous lizard in the world – The Gecko? Is it just the longevity that keeps him going or the cocky cockney accent. Say that one rapidly ten times!

And having said that, who was the genius that created the Energizer Bunny? That one has the legs to go on forever!

Or Tony the Tiger? Was it evil or genius when they put sugar on cornflakes, called it Frosted Flakes and created TONY THE TIGER?

Or the Coke Polar Bears? Pillsbury Doughboy? Cute Polar bears in lounge chairs on icebergs? That one was just cute overload and not to my taste. If it was MY commercial my ‘Scenes We’d Like To See’ mind would add a couple of new elements, a la Quenton Tarantino to the background and have a couple of nasty eskimo, bad-ass hunters with huge harpoons and ropes lurking over the next drift, sort of like the incomparable Don Wison of MAD fame would treat it. SHOW THAT DURING THE SUPER BOWL AND COKE WOULD OWN THE WORLD!

You get the idea!

My favorite animal mascot for a product is a bit obscure but you may have seen it. Back when some commercials were actually funny, this one stood out to me as the best: The LA CHOY DRAGON all the way back to 1965. They didn’t do very many of them, nearly eight decades later I would see the similarities, recognize the voices and crazy antics and I should have known. it was HENSON who done it. Of the Muppets, that Jim Henson!

Delbert the La choy dragon was the father of Big Bird!

I was a teenager when Delbert came crashing down the isles selling that La choy brand chinese food in a can, and at the time there were few TV ads that were entertaining or even close to FUNNY. And I was about to get more than my share of Asian food later on.

To a teen about to enter the military the Muppets was a kiddie show but Delbert the doofus La choy dragon was a bumbling, lovable character that made me laugh every time. He was like soupy sales and white fang with the pies and the voices I knew so well. He reminded me of a character straight out of Mel Blanc’s mind, a cross between MR. MAGOO and FOGHORN LEGHORN costumed in a full-sized dragon suit SPOUTING OUT REAL FIRE!

Advertisers say that audiences are attracted to animal advertising, animals often suggest a much more innocent and relatable theme than other designs, offering more of a friendly and approachable vibe to consumers. I would like to see these marketing people take more of the dragon approach, then maybe we might not change the channel so often.

Remember Morris the Cat? Was it the cat or the voice we were captivated by? Who could ever forget Smokey the Bear – ‘only you can prevent forest fires’

Vegan activists may want to try a different approach, something a bit lighter instead of the fake blood shockers they are getting people all upset about. But then again, no movement ever started without some outrage thrown in.