Tony the Tiger

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Tony the Tiger

Tony the Tiger (in ) is the advertising

Advertising

Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to Purchasing or to consume more of a particular brand of Product or Service ....
cartoon

Cartoon

The word cartoon has various meanings, based on several very different forms of visual art and illustration. The term has evolved over time.The original meaning was in fine art, and there cartoon meant a preparatory drawing for a piece of art such as a painting or tapestry....
mascot

Mascot

The term mascot ? defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck ? colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or Brand....
for Kellogg

Kellogg Company

Kellogg Company is the world?s leading producer of cereal and a leading producer of convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, frozen waffles, and meat alternatives....
's Frosted Flakes

Frosted Flakes

Frosted Flakes is a breakfast cereal first introduced by Kellogg Company. consisting of corn flakes "frosted" or coated with sugar. The "Frosted Flakes" name is used by Kellogg's in United States and Canada; elsewhere, it known by the following names:...
(also known as Frosties) breakfast cereal

Breakfast cereal

A breakfast cereal is a Fast moving consumer goods food product intended to be consumed as part of a breakfast. It is usually eaten cold as a ready-to-eat meal and mixed with a liquid, such as milk or water, though occasionally Nut and fruit are also added....
, appearing on its packaging and advertising. More recently, Tony has also become the mascot for Tony's Cinnamon Krunchers and Tiger Power.

History
Tony originally appeared in 1952, designed by children's book illustrator Martin Provensen and voiced on television by Dallas McKennon

Dallas McKennon

'Dallas R. McKennon' is an United States actor, sometimes credited as 'Dal McKennon', with extensive work as a voice actor.Born in La Grande, Oregon, McKennon's best-known roles are that of Gumby for Art Clokey, and Archie Andrews for Filmation's The Archie Show series, and the primary voice of Buzz Buzzard in the Woody Woodpecker'...
.

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Encyclopedia

Tony the Tiger (in ) is the advertising

Advertising

Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to Purchasing or to consume more of a particular brand of Product or Service ....
cartoon

Cartoon

Mascot

Kellogg Company

Frosted Flakes

Breakfast cereal

History

Tony originally appeared in 1952, designed by children's book illustrator Martin Provensen and voiced on television by Dallas McKennon

Dallas McKennon

Thurl Ravenscroft

Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft was an United States voice actor and singer with a deep, booming voice. For 53 years, he was best-known as the voice of Tony the Tiger in more than 500 television commercials for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes ....
, who spent the next five decades providing the characteristic deep bass voice associated with the character, notably the familiar "They’re Grreat!" catchphrase. John E Matthews came up with this phrase while working as copywriter for Leo Burnett. Ravenscroft continued to voice the character until his death in 2005. Lee Marshall then took over the role and signed a ten-year contract with Kellogg in 2006.

Developed as part of a 1952 contest, Tony competed against three other potential mascots for the public's affection: Katy the Kangaroo

Kangaroo

A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the Red Kangaroo, the Antilopine Kangaroo, and the Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo of the Macropus genus....
(originated by Robert Dulaney in the early sixties), Elmo the Elephant

Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals of the order Proboscidea and the family Elephantidae. There are three living species: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant ....
, and Newt the Gnu

GNU

GNU is a computer operating system composed entirely of free software. Its name is a recursive acronym for GNU's Not Unix; it was chosen because its design is Unix-like, but differs from Unix by being free software and containing no Unix code....
. Within the year, the other mascots were dropped (with Elmo and Newt never once gracing the front of the box), and Tony was given a son, Tony Jr.

In the 1970s, consumers were briefly introduced to more of Tony's family including Mama Tony, Mrs. Tony, and a daughter, Antoinette. During that decade, son Tony Jr. was even given his own short-lived cereal, Frosted Rice.

Provensen's original art design

Graphic design

The term graphic design can refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines which focus on visual communication and presentation. Various methods are used to create and combine symbols, images and/or words to create a visual representation of ideas and messages....
for the tiger has changed significantly over the years, as Tony the whimsical, cereal-box-sized tiger with a teardrop-shaped head was replaced by his fully-grown son Jr., who is now a sleek, muscular sports enthusiast.

Frosties

Advertisements for Frosties in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
are revoiced locally. The British Tony does still have an American accent however, as he is voiced by Californian actor and bass player, Tom Hill

Tom Hill

Tom Hill is a United Kingdom musician, songwriter and businessperson, best known for his part as bassist for the glam rock musical ensemble, Geordie ....
. For some time in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

Rock music

Rock music is a loosely defined genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the mid 1950's. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rhythm and blues, country music and other influences....
song "Eye of the Tiger

Eye of the Tiger

"Eye of the Tiger" is a song performed by the United States rock music band Survivor from the album Eye of the Tiger , released in 1982. It was written at the request of Sylvester Stallone for the film Rocky III....
" by Survivor

Survivor (band)

Survivor is an United States rock music band formed in 1978. The band achieved its greatest success in the 1980s with its pop-rock sound, which garnered many charting singles, especially in the United States....
was used in conjunction with Tony's commercials.

Lawsuit against Exxon

In 1996, the Kellogg Company filed suit against Exxon Corp. (now ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil

The Exxon Mobil Corporation, or ExxonMobil, is an United States petroleum and natural gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D....
) claiming that the use of the Exxon tiger figure to sell food at TigerMart convenience store

Convenience store

A convenience store is a small store or shop that sells candy, ice-cream, soft drinks, lottery tickets, newspapers and magazines, along with a small selection of food and grocery supplies....
s infringed and diluted Kellogg's Tony the Tiger trademark. In 2000, the Supreme Court let stand an appellate court decision allowing Kellogg to sue, even though both trademarks had co-existed without complaint for 30 years. The appellate court held that the theory of "progressive encroachment

Encroachment

Encroachment is a term which implies "advance beyond proper limits," and may have different interpretations depending on the context. Encroachment may refer to one of the following:...
" could explain and justify Kellogg's failure to take action earlier.