The
Jolly Green Giant is a symbol of the
Green GiantGreen Giant is a vegetable brand owned by General Mills. It is symbolized by two mascots, the Jolly Green Giant and his friend Little Green Sprout. The company is the largest purveyor of frozen vegetables, and also sells canned vegetables both under the Green Giant and Le Sueur brands...
food company of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, appearing as a smiling green-skinned
giantThe mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
wearing a tunic, wreath and boots made of leaves. In 1973, JGG teamed up with "Little Green Sprout", the diminutive young green giant. Created by
Leo BurnettLeo Burnett Worldwide is an American advertising company, created in 1935 by Leo Burnett.The company was opened at Chicago in 1935. In 1950 the company started its two first major advertising projects, for Kellogg’s and P&G....
, the Giant first appeared in advertisements in 1928; the name originally came from a variety of unusually large
peaA pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the legume Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Although it is botanically a fruit, it is treated as a vegetable in cooking...
called the "Green Giant" that the company canned and sold.
Len DresslarElmer "Len" Dresslar, Jr. was an American voice actor and vocalist, best known as the deep bass voice of the Jolly Green Giant in commercials for General Mills....
, born 1925, provided the voice of the Jolly Green giant in television commercials, saying only "
Ho, ho, hoHo ho ho is a rendition of a particular type of deep-throated laugh or chuckle .Also as "expressing laughter" is recorded from c...
".
The
Jolly Green Giant is a symbol of the
Green GiantGreen Giant is a vegetable brand owned by General Mills. It is symbolized by two mascots, the Jolly Green Giant and his friend Little Green Sprout. The company is the largest purveyor of frozen vegetables, and also sells canned vegetables both under the Green Giant and Le Sueur brands...
food company of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, appearing as a smiling green-skinned
giantThe mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
wearing a tunic, wreath and boots made of leaves. In 1973, JGG teamed up with "Little Green Sprout", the diminutive young green giant. Created by
Leo BurnettLeo Burnett Worldwide is an American advertising company, created in 1935 by Leo Burnett.The company was opened at Chicago in 1935. In 1950 the company started its two first major advertising projects, for Kellogg’s and P&G....
, the Giant first appeared in advertisements in 1928; the name originally came from a variety of unusually large
peaA pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the legume Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Although it is botanically a fruit, it is treated as a vegetable in cooking...
called the "Green Giant" that the company canned and sold.
Portrayal
Len DresslarElmer "Len" Dresslar, Jr. was an American voice actor and vocalist, best known as the deep bass voice of the Jolly Green Giant in commercials for General Mills....
, born 1925, provided the voice of the Jolly Green giant in television commercials, saying only "
Ho, ho, hoHo ho ho is a rendition of a particular type of deep-throated laugh or chuckle .Also as "expressing laughter" is recorded from c...
". Dresslar was also a successful as a
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
and popular music singer in
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
entertainment circles. Despite being over 6ft (1.82m) tall, Dresslar never portrayed the Giant in TV commercials. The figure viewers saw on screen was
Keith R. WegemanKeith Richard Wegeman was an American ski jumper who competed in the early 1950s. He finished tied for 12th in the individual large hill competition at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo....
, an
Olympic ski jumperAt the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, one ski jumping event was contested.The competition took place at the Holmenkollen ski jump with a K-Point of 72m. .-Medalists:-Results:-External references:*...
and father of
Katherine Kelly LangKatherine Kelly Lang is an American actress, best known as Brooke Logan on the American daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.-Career:...
.
The original televised Jolly Green Giant was nothing more than a puppet that, through the use of stop-motion animation, stalked through the "valley" and said little more than "fo fum fi fe". The original jolly green giant portrayed himself as a giant that not only was green, but also jolly, this because green was his favorite colour and he was also a nice guy to be around. The commercial, which first aired in 1953, was deemed too scary for younger viewers and the puppet was discarded. The next commercial featured several different animated elves (similar to the Keebler elves) working in a "factory" around the valley while Keith Wegeman (shown in far-away shots) stood over the area, chanting the soon-to-be-famous "ho, ho, ho" phrase.
Statue
In 1978, the town of
Blue Earth, MinnesotaBlue Earth is a city in Faribault County, Minnesota, at the confluence of the east and west branches of the Blue Earth River. The population was 3,621 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Faribault County. It is home to a statue of the Jolly Green Giant. Additionally, Interstate Highway...
paid $43,000 to erect a 55-foot (16.8 m) fiberglass statue of the Jolly Green Giant to commemorate the linking of the east and west sections of Interstate 90. It was permanently erected on July 6, 1979, at . The statue attracts over 10,000 visitors a year.
The 55 foot statue of the Green Giant in Blue Earth was the idea of Paul Hedberg who owned local radio station KBEW. During the summer Hedberg interviewed travelers going through Blue Earth on U.S. Highway 16 for his popular radio program called "Welcome Travelers". At the end of each traveler interview Hedberg presented guests a sample of Green Giant corn and peas which had been canned in the local Blue Earth Green Giant plant. A common theme arising in interviews was a desire to "see the Green Giant".
In 1977 Hedberg contacted Thomas H. Wyman, President of Green Giant, to see if the company would allow a statue of their corporate symbol to be erected along the new Interstate 90 in Blue Earth. Wyman granted permission under the condition that funds for the project were raised locally. Hedberg approached ten local businessmen with the idea and asked for $5,000 each; within a week the $50,000 had been donated.
The Green Giant Company worked with the statue builder, Creative Displays of Sparta, Wisconsin, to ensure accuracy in the depiction. One concern was that the Giant had never been shown from behind on television.
The Green Giant statue arrived in Blue Earth via flat bed truck on September 21, 1978 and was actually erected on the 23rd. The Giant was hoisted in a sling by a 65 foot crane in the north roadside rest area along I-90, where he overlooked the official opening of I-90 at a point where east met west, marking I-90's completion and representing a 3,028 mile nonstop route from Boston to Seattle.
The statue was placed in its present, permanent location on July 6, 1979, a mile south of I-90 on U.S. Highway 169. It is estimated that 10,000 people a year visit the statue. The pedestal is accessible by steps, and the statue is maintained by the city, which cleans the giant at least once a year and adorns it with a red scarf around his neck during the Christmas Season.
Jolly Green Giant in popular culture
- The mascot became so well-known that the name came to be synonymous with anything large and green in color.
- The HH-3E
The HH-3 is a developed version of the S-61/SH-3 Sea King, which was also built under license by Agusta as the AS-61R. The HH-3 served in the United States Air Force as the CH-3C/E Sea King and the HH-3E Jolly Green Giant, and with the United States Coast Guard as the HH-3F "Pelican". Its civilian...
rescue helicopterA helicopter is an aircraft that is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors, each rotor consisting of two or more rotor blades. Helicopters are classified as rotorcraft or rotary-wing aircraft to distinguish them from fixed-wing aircraft because the helicopter achieves lift with the...
s that the United States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. armed forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 - 80 P.L....
used during the Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to 30 April 1975...
were called Jolly Green Giants, while the larger HH-53The Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low series is a long-range combat search and rescue helicopter for the United States Air Force. The series was upgraded from the HH-53B/C, variants of the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion. The HH-53 "Super Jolly Green Giant" was initially developed to replace the HH-3 "Jolly...
helicopter received the nickname "Super Jolly."
- The green superhero
A superhero is "a fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest"...
monsterA monster is any type of legendary creatures which usually appear in legend or horror fiction. The word monster derives from the latin word monstrum, meaning "omen", from the root of monere and also meaning "prodigy" or "miracle"....
, The Incredible HulkThe Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 . In 2008, the hobbyist magazine Wizard named the Hulk the seventh-greatest Marvel Comics character...
, is described in jest as "The Not-So-Jolly Green Giant."
- On the CD Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , more commonly known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
From Tape: Sounds of His Life and Work, there is a recording of Andy visiting a GristedesGristede's is a New York City based chain of small supermarkets. Gristede's serves a mostly urban customer base due to its location.-History:...
supermarket in which Andy and a companion speak about how they love the image of the Jolly Green Giant.
- There is a billboard of the Green Giant in Le Sueur, Minnesota
Le Sueur is a city in Le Sueur and Sibley counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota, between Mankato and the Twin Cities. It lies along the Minnesota River, just off U.S. Route 169. Le Sueur was named in honor of the French explorer Pierre Charles Le Sueur. The population was 3,922 at the 2000...
, with the Green Giant's companion Little Green Sprout.
- On The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk and variety show airing on NBC since 1954. Tonight is the third longest-running entertainment program in U.S...
, Johnny CarsonJohn William “Johnny” Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
dressed as the "Little Green Sprout" in a skit.
- The giant was the subject of several questions on the popular 1970s game show Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show featuring contestants attempting to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
.
- In the film Demolition Man
Demolition Man may refer to:*Demolition Man , a 1993 film from Warner Brothers starring Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes and Sandra Bullock.*Demolition Man , a 1981 song by actress and singer Grace Jones, later recorded by The Police...
the "Valley of the Jolly Green Giant" song is heard while in a restaurant.
- The Kingsmen
The Kingsmen are a 1960s garage rock / frat rock band from Portland, Oregon. They are best known for their 1963 recording of Richard Berry's "Louie Louie", which held the #2 spot on the Billboard charts for six weeks...
, The Royal GuardsmenThe Royal Guardsmen are a rock band from Ocala, Florida, a sextet originally composed of Bill Balough , John Burdett , Chris Nunley , Tom Richards , Billy Taylor , and Barry Winslow . Rick Cosner replaced John Burdett on drums in 2006. The current band performs regularly around the United States...
, and several other groups recorded songs titled The Jolly Green Giant.
- On The Electric Company
The Electric Company is an educational American children's television series that was produced by the Children's Television Workshop for PBS in the United States. PBS broadcast 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons from October 25, 1971 to April 15, 1977. After it ceased production that...
, Phillip as Orange Giant was portrayed by Jim BoydJim Boyd is an American actor, born in Philadelphia.Boyd spent four years in the Air Force and studied at the American Academy for Dramatic Arts....
did a commercial a parody of Green Giant. The women sang the song, "In the Valley of the Jolly, (ho, ho, ho) Orange Giant!" He flubbed his line by saying differently like, "He, he, he", "Hi, hi, hi", etc. Whenever he goofed with his line, the women sang "Orange Giant" when the song was out of tune.
- In the film Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters II is a 1989 sci-fi comedy film and sequel to Ghostbusters. Produced and directed by Ivan Reitman, Ghostbusters II follows the further adventures of a group of parapsychologists and their organization which combats paranormal activities . The sequel was originally to be called...
After bringing the Statue of Liberty to life, Bill Murray's character says "Keep kickin' Libby. If you make this work, we'll pop for a weekend in Vegas with the Jolly Green Giant!"
- In Martin Bashir
Martin Bashir is a British journalist and media personality.-Early life:Bashir was born in South London to Christian parents of Pakistani origin and grew up in Wandsworth...
's documentary about Michael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson , known as the "King of Pop", was an American musician and one of the most commercially successful and influential entertainers of all time...
, Jackson was shown to have a Jolly Green Giant statue and sung the signature theme song. This was later spoofed in British comedy sketch show Bo Selecta.
- Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
references the Jolly Green Giant in his song "Coming 2 America" on the album "Word of MoufWord of Mouf is rapper Ludacris' second studio album, released in 2001. Def Jam decided to release the album early when pirated copies of the album's tracks were leaked onto popular peer-to-peer file sharing networks. The album sold over 281,000 copies in its first week of sales, giving it a #3...
"
- In an episode of The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie...
called "Lost Verizon"Lost Verizon" is the second episode of The Simpsons' twentieth season, and first aired October 5, 2008. Bart becomes jealous of his friends and their cell phones. Working at a golf course, Bart takes the cell phone of Denis Leary after the star throws it away in anger...
", Marge SimpsonMarjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
mentions that she has to buy peas on installment and gets a final notice bill from the Jolly Green Giant.
- In the film Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket is a 1987 war film by Stanley Kubrick, based on the novel The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford. The title refers to the full metal jacket bullet type of ammunition used by infantry riflemen. The film follows a squad of U.S...
, Crazy Earl says "We are jolly green giants, walking the Earth with guns."
- In the 2007 sci-fi/fantasy novel The Unreals
The Unreals is a science fiction/fantasy novel by Donald Jeffries.Compared to The Wizard of Oz, the television show The Twilight Zone and epic Russian literature, The Unreals has also been referred to as a conspiracy manifesto. Jeffries was heavily influenced by such books as 1984, Dracula and A...
, by Donald Jeffries, the Jolly Green Giant has a brief cameo.
- In the collection of short stories, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven is a 1993 collection of interconnected short stories by Sherman Alexie. The characters and stories in the book, particularly "This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona" provided the basis of Alexie's screenplay for the film Smoke Signals...
. by Sherman AlexieSherman Joseph Alexie, Jr. is an author, filmmaker, and occasional comedian. Much of his writing draws on his experiences as a modern Native American. Alexie's best known works include The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Smoke Signals, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian...
, the main character is preparing Green Giant mushrooms in the chapter A Drug Called Tradition.
- In the 1992 comedy film Wayne's World
Wayne's World is a 1992 comedy film starring Mike Myers as Wayne Campbell and Dana Carvey as Garth Algar, hosts of the Aurora, Illinois-based cable access television show Wayne's World...
, Wayne Campbell asks the bouncer at the bar which bands were playing tonight, he replies "The Jolly Green Giants" and the "Shitty Beatles", the members of the "Jolly Green Giants" were dressed up as the Jolly Green Giant.
- Green Giant made a cameo appearance as a sleeping Giant in a British
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
cartoon, The DreamstoneThe Dreamstone is a British animated television series that ran for four series of 13 episodes between 1990 and 1995. The original concept and artwork were created by Michael Jupp. The series was animated by the Filmfair animation studio as a Central production for ITV...
, in the episode 'The Jolly Bird!'
- In episode 19 (Find the Monkees!) of the television series The Monkees (TV series)
The Monkees is an American situation comedy that followed the adventures of the then-fictional pop-rock quartet of the same name. The stars were hired to play fictionalized versions of themselves and put a face on the records released to tie-in with the show...
, one of the Monkees rival bands are called The Jolly Green Giants, featuring all the band members dressed up as the character.
- The Jolly Green Giant starred in a 2005 Mastercard
MasterCard Worldwide is a multinational corporation based in Purchase, New York, United States. Throughout the world, its principal business is to process payments between the banks of merchants and the banks of purchasers that use its "MasterCard" brand debit and credit cards to make purchases....
commercial Icons along with 9 other mascots from other companies (including General Mills own Pillsbury Doughboy"The Pillsbury Doughboy", known as Poppin' Fresh, is an advertising icon and mascot of The Pillsbury Company, appearing in many of their commercials. Although some young children may think him a bunny, he is really a small anthropoid character apparently made out of dough...
and Count ChoculaGeneral Mills monster-themed breakfast cereals is a series of five current and formerly distributed breakfast cereal brands for the North American market during the later half of the 20th century...
) having dinner.
External links