Lucky the Leprechaun to Waldo the Wizard: The Evolution of Lucky Charms
Leprechauns are creepy, whether they're starring in a horror movie or plastered on the front of a cereal box. There's no telling if that's why General Mills briefly tried another mascot, called Waldo the Wizard, for its Lucky Charms cereal. Anyway, the marketer got it really wrong with a skeevy-looking middle-aged man in a bow tie and bedazzled robe. Buy your kid's breakfast from this guy? No thanks, consumers in 1975 said. So, the spokes-elf returned, and went through a few style and fitness makeovers in the past several decades—an evolution captured by the nostalgia blog Do You Remember? With some subtle tweaks and twists, Lucky the Leprechaun has been hawking the sugary cereal for much of its nearly 50-year life. Trivia game: How many marshmallow pieces can you identify? And just in time for St. Patrick's Day, who can explain where the pot o' gold went? Wasn't it magically delicious and stereotypically perfect?
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AdFreak is your daily blog of the best and worst of creativity in advertising, media, marketing and design. Follow us as we celebrate (and skewer) the latest, greatest, quirkiest and freakiest commercials, promos, trailers, posters, billboards, logos and package designs around. Edited by Adweek's Tim Nudd. Updated every weekday, with a weekly recap on Saturdays.


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