Be like Tony the Tiger & everything will be GRRRRREAT ;-) Tony the Tiger is the advertising cartoon mascot for Kelloggs Frosted Flakes (also known as Frosties) breakfast cereal, appearing on its packaging and advertising. More recently, Tony has also become the mascot for Tonys Cinnamon Krunchers and Tiger Power. Since his debut in 1951, the character has spanned several generations and become a breakfast cereal icon...History: In 1951, Eugene Kolkey, an accomplished graphic artist and Art Director for Leo Burnett, sketched a character for a contest to become the official mascot of a then brand-new breakfast cereal. Kolkey designed a tiger named Tony (named after an ad man at Leo Burnett - Raymond Anthony Wells and selected Martin Provensen for the finished artwork. Tony competed against three other potential mascots for the publics affection: Katy the Kangaroo (originated by Robert Dulaney in the early sixties), Elmo the Elephant, and Newt the Gnu. 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. Tony the Tiger would eventually become a cereal icon...A recognizable and distinct voice was needed for the Tony the Tiger character. Initially, he was voiced by Dallas McKennon, but shortly after the initial Sugar Frosted Flakes advertisements aired, McKennon was replaced by Thurl Ravenscroft, who spent the next five decades providing the characteristic deep bass voice associated with the character, notably the familiar They’re Grrrrreat! catchphrase. John E. Matthews came up with this phrase while working as copywriter for Leo Burnett. Ravenscroft spoke to an interviewer of injecting his personality into Tony: I made Tony a person. For me, Tony was real. I made him become a human being and that affected the animation and everything.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 02:02:39 +0000
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