Icons

When I first glanced at this assignment I seen the word icon and assumed that I was going to choose three pictures. However, I have come to learn that an icon is far more than an image. Icons can be people or things, but they always represent something larger. Something is able to reach icon status when it impresses the public, the person that has it in his/her possession does not allow it to be touched in a literal means, and there is an emotional attachment to the item that can border on obsession. My three examples of icons come from a very strange place that most people don't consider. Icons can come in any shape or size and from any place. I have choose my icons from the front of cereal boxes. Characters that are seen as children and remembered as adults. The three cereal icons that I selected are: Snap, Crackle, and Pop; Tony the Tiger; and the Trix Rabbit.

 

Snap, Crackle, and Pop are amazingly over 60 years old. Snap was the first to appear in 1933 as a gnome. Snap was illustrated by Vernon Grant who also painted and drew thousands of magazines and books. Some say his style influenced other famous artists such as Walt Disney. Crackle and Pop were added in 1939, the three starred in movie shorts, comic stripes, and on Kellogg's Rice Bubbles packs. They also posed in military clothing during World War II urging customers to "Save Time, Save Fuel, Save Work." In 1949 they were changed to look more human with boyish haircuts and made to sound more like children. Their first television commercial came in 1960 where they sang and danced. Their most popular song was recorded by the Rolling Stones, released in 1963, and used by Kellogg's for four years.

 

Tony the Tiger first appeared in commercials in 1952 along side Katy the Kangaroo, Elmo the Elephant, and Newt the Gnu. However, Tony the Tiger is the only character that appeared on the Kellogg's Frosted Flakes box. Dallas McKennon was the original voice of Tony the Tiger. That privilige was then given to Thurl Ravenscroft who recently passed away in May of 2005. Tony the Tiger is most famous for saying, "They're Gr-r-reat!"

Trix cereal received their character in 1959 when Joe Harris created the Trix Rabbit. The creation of the Trix Rabbit including his catch phrase "Silly Rabbit, Trix is for kids" immediately icreased sales of the ceral. The Trix Rabbit first appeared in a black and white commercial and has since became the oldest commercial mascot to continue to exist on commercial television and on the cereal box. His commercials involve him wearing a variety of disguises in an attempt to trick kids into giving him the ceral, but there are only a hand full of times that the rabbit was able to eat the cereal. The Trix Rabbit is so popular that his catch phrase was used in the movie "Kill Bill" and is spoofed in the television show "Family Guy." Who doesn't love this silly rabbit?

References:

Kellogg's. (n.d.). The history of Snap, Crackle, and Pop! Retrieved February 21,2012 from

http://www.kelloggs.com.au/Default.aspx?TabId=477&PrintPage=true&.

Rabbit World View. (n.d.). The Trix Rabbit. Retrieved February 21, 2012 from

http://www.rabbitworldview.com/trixrabbit.php.

Topher's Castle. (n.d.). Topher's Breakfast Cereal Character Guide. Retrieved February 21, 2012 from

http://www.lavasurfer.com/cereal-kelloggs.html.