Happy Birthday Tony! The Drum takes a look at some of Tony the Tiger's Grrrrreatest moments
Ahead of The Drum's Twitter interview with the iconic cereal mascot this afternoon we thought we'd take a trip down memory lane and reminisce over some of Tony the Tiger's most memorable ads.
1950s
One of the original Tony the Tiger ads, thought to have aired in 1958, features Tony and his son, Tony Jr, building a new sign for “Kellogg’s Sugar Frosted Flakes”. Unfortunately Tony Jr’s not so ‘Grrrrreat’ at the DIY….
This time it’s not Tony Jr that’s inflicting pain on Tony the Tiger but one of the kids at the boxing club he just so happens to be coaching. After a Grrrrreat bowl of Frosted Flakes the kid in question manages to knock Tony across the room to which he replies – “Any more energy they’ll have to get themselves a new Tiger.”
The first advertisement we could find featuring Tony in glorious Technicolor sees Tony take a crack at being a cowboy, after a bowl of Frosted Flakes of course. The ad features a cheesy 1970s jingle to “bring out the tiger in you”.
In the 80s Tony managed to get his paws on a hot air balloon, apparently it’s a “great way to transport the secret formula,” who knew? In this ad Tony and his companion are being chased by some dastardly villains who’re after the recipe, in a stroke of tiger luck Tony manages to burst their pursuer’s balloon and keep the formula safe.
In 1993 Tony returned to coach mode to train a young American Football hopeful. As luck would have it Rocky was big at the time and what d’ya know its theme tune “Eye of the Tiger” just fits perfectly!
Who can forget this ad??? “They’re going to taste Grrrrreat” let’s just say, it wasn’t well received. Tony was demoted to a supporting role in this advert which featured 15 year-old South African, Sven. After the ad aired Sven found himself at the centre of hate campaign and even had to endure rumours that he’d killed himself because he was embarrassed and, even worse, that a family member had shot him because they didn’t like the ad. The Drum is happy to report, on last check, Sven is alive and well in his native Johannesburg, however, he no longer tells people Frosties taste Grrrrreat.