Time for a bit of a throwback: do you remember the 'Creepy King' mascot from Burger King? The one with the uncanny valley face and all those bizarre commercials over the years? Well, it turns out BK had a major reason for leaving him in the dust.
The Creepy King mascot debuted in 2004 and was the face of the company until 2011, when it was retired. “We had a number of learnings from Creepy King, and we’ve moved away from him because he had limited appeal,” Burger King CMO Joel Yashinsky told Restaurant Business at the brand's recent franchise convention, citing that the character was too scary for families with young children who would otherwise frequent the chain.
According to Restaurant Business, fast-food rival McDonald’s, with its hugely popular Happy Meals, gobbled up the family market Burger King was scaring off. As a result, over the course of the seven years Creepy King was leading the charge for Burger King, McDonald’s shot ahead in terms of average-unit volumes. It is a significant cap that remains today.
Meanwhile, on the internet, the Creepy King became a wide-reaching and hilarious meme. Because of his virality, Burger King brought him back a few times over the years for some specific ads. But ultimately, the company is leaving behind the adult-focused strategies that led it to use The King in the first place in favor of a more family friendly approach, which will include revitalizing play areas for children under 10.
“At our heart and soul, we were always a family brand,” Yashinsky explained of the business decision to pivot back to a more family oriented environment and brand identity. “So you will see that in the work we do, from advertising, from social media, a brand that’s welcoming and fun, but not at anyone’s expense.”
The play area design that has been released gives a castle feel, with turrets and tunnels and viewing windows for children inside the structure. It also includes slides and a ball pit — but Creepy King and his memeable face will be nowhere to be found. RIP, dude.
Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images for Jimmy Kimmel. Poll image photo by Yuriko Nakao/Getty Images.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
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