Iconic Brand Mascots Are Shaving (and Growing) Mustaches to Support Men's Health

A few of your favorite brand mascots are going to get a little hairy throughout the month of November. Mr. Peanut, Mr. Monopoly and even the Jolly Green Giant will be shaving down (if they currently have any facial hair) and growing that hair out throughout the month of November to support the Movember Foundation—an organization dedicated to raising awareness and funds around prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention in men. "We are all about getting the awareness out there to help men live a longer life, and a key part to that is making sure we have a really strong and well-rounded influence. That comes from trying to broker as many partnerships with inspiring, fun, noteworthy and well-known brands as possible, and this mascot opportunity was a really fun one that came to us," Elizabeth Phipps Drewett, director of corporate partnerships for the Movember Foundation, explained. The foundation is known for encouraging men to grow out a mustache during the month of November. The thinking is that mustaches tend to be a topic of conversation, so men can use those new mustaches to start conversations about healthy lifestyles, regular doctors visits and more. Finding the brands and iconic mascots to partner with wasn't too difficult, according to Drewett. The key criteria was that the brands fit the foundation's voice. A bonus would be if the mascots had something in common with the organization. The Jolly Green Giant and Mr. Peanut, for example, have a focus on healthy eating with the products they represent and made a great fit for Movember Foundation's campaign. "We started looking for brands we could build relationships with, and they all came together at the same time and it really created a bit of a party," Drewett explained. Over the coming weeks, each of the mascots will begin rolling out their own marketing efforts in support of the foundation. Take the Green Giant: He currently does not sport a mustache, and never has in his nearly 100 years, but will have a total of four throughout the month of November. Anyone who stops by the 55-foot tall Green Giant statue in Green Earth, Minn., will find the normally hairless giant with an equally giant mustache. The mustache is expected to weigh roughly 15 pounds and span over 4 feet. "There are very few men out there who would be more fitting to grow a mustache this November than the Green Giant," Jordan Greenberg, vp and general manager of the Green Giant brand, said. The brand is also working to partner with the NY Jets and Penn State's football team to bring the mustached giant to life in a sports setting to further reach that younger male demographic. Mr. Monopoly, Mr. Peanut and Sherlock Holmes' partner in crime, Dr. Watson, will also participate in the Movember Foundation mustache fun. "Mr. Peanut, your WingNut, will have your back—and more importantly your front—in the fight against testicular cancer. We encourage everyone to join us at #SaveYourNuts to learn more,” Ashley Tople, director of brand build for Planters, said. The Movember Foundation has an additional partnership launching this weekend with Schick Hydro. The two will host a Movember Schick Shave Down in Times Square on Oct. 27. Men can stop by during the day and get a clean shave from one of the barbers on hand to prepare for Movember festivities.

Branding

Iconic Brand Mascots Are Shaving (and Growing) Mustaches to Support Men's Health

The Movember Foundation partners with Mr. Monopoly, Mr. Peanut and more

Katie Richards

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Katie Richards