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Kit-Kat 'Paedophilia Bear' Mascot Fail: Five brand mascots that also got the chop

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By Jennifer Faull, Deputy Editor

July 20, 2012 | 3 min read

Nestle has today been forced to drop the Kit-Kat bear, after it was pointed out that it bore a resemblance to internet meme 'Paedophilia Bear', The Drum looks at other brands who have been hit with controversy over their brand mascots. Here are some of the worst offenders.

The Burger King - The King

Last year Burger King royally dethroned their plastic-faced mascot, The King. The creepy character was featured in TVCs scaring women, sneaking up on customers in dark tunnels and stalking people outside their homes. Burger King decided to axe him after his four year reign following reports of sluggish sales and customer aversion.

McDonalds- The Hamburglar

One of many bizarre McDonald's mascots, The Hamburglar first appeared on screens 1971 as a creepy old man complete with pointed-nose, wide-brimmed hat and a t-shirt that read "lone jogger". He appeared in commercials stealing hamburgers from other, equally weird characters, before being revamped and given a more 'child-friendly' look in in the 1980s.

Domino's Pizza - The Noid

The Noid was Domino's mascot in the late 80s, a character who's goal in life was to ruin Domino's pizza wherever it could be found, hence the slogan, "Avoid The Noid!" The weird creature was indistinguishable, was it human, animal, alien? We still don't know. More disturbingly was that it actually caused a mentally unstable man to hold a U.S Domino's franchise hostage at gunpoint because he was convinced the character was based on him. The Noid did not survive the 90s.

Roberstson's Jam - Golliwog

In 1910, jam manufacturer John Robertson saw some children playing with a golliwog doll and decided it should be the company's mascot. Golly first appeared on the Paisley firm's labels that year, and quickly featured on TVCs, badges, toys and other collectables. Despite the negative connotations, a Robertson's spokesman maintained in 1999 that 'he's still very popular.' Unsurprisingly, Robertson's began phasing out the controversial mascot in 1988 before it completely disappeared from printed labels in 2002.

Dove - 'Real Women'

Dove's 2004 US campaign featured 'naturally' beautiful women, sending out Dove's message that "women are ok whatever their size." However, less that a year into the campaign it was revealed that not only had Dove released a very specific casting ad in craiglist asking for "beautiful" women with "flawless skin and hair," but they had also went on to 'touch up' the images using photoshop.

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