During a recent Twitter chat (#FoodieChats – Monday nights 8pm Eastern, lots of fun for foodies if you’re interested…), someone mentioned their great disdain for the Kellogg’s “Crunchy Nut” character. You know the one (or maybe you don’t) – the guy in cheesy red and yellow super hero garb wielding a large honey dipper. I’ll admit, I’ve found his original antics somewhat amusing…mostly because he held a rope and walked by the window to imitate swinging by as a true super hero might. So I figured I’d search online and see what the Crunchy Nut has been up to. To my horror, I uncovered this video of the Crunchy Nut at the zoo posted by Kellogg’s about 4 weeks ago. Egad.
Here’s the thing: while he may be tolerable or even mildly funny in the original :30 spot from last year, anything longer is brutal. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say any other :30 spots would likely fall flat as well because the Crunchy Nut is a one-trick pony. No depth to this character, who is hardly likely to be remembered next week – let alone in 20 years when today’s kids are tomorrow’s adults.
The great cereal spokescharacters have legs – and, in some cases, beaks. Take Toucan Sam. This commercial from the ‘40s shows how the exotic birdman of sugar cereals was relevant then, and he’s relevant now. I remember the more vibrantly colored Froot Loops commercials of my youth every time I pass the box in the cereal aisle. And on occasion, I still even eat them.
