"Tony the Tiger" ... famous advertising mascot for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes (also known as Frosties) breakfast cereal, appearing for decades on its packaging and advertising ... more recently, Tony also became the mascot for Tony's Cinnamon Krunchers and Tiger Power ... born in 1952, Tony competed against three other potential mascots for the public's 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 a cereal box.
Tony later fathered a son, "Tony Jr." ... then soon became a cereal icon ... in 1958, Tony appeared on Kellogg cereal boxes with Hanna-Barbera characters, such as Huckleberry Hound ... in the 1970s, consumers were briefly introduced to more of Tony's family including Mama Tony, Mrs. Tony, and a daughter, Antoinette ... Tony had a huge year in 1974, where he was deemed "Tiger of the Year" in an advertising theme taken from the Chinese Lunar Calendar ... in addition to Tony's success, during this decade, son Tony Jr. was even given his own short-lived cereal in 1975, Frosted Rice, then he made a comeback in the 2000's replacing his father as the official mascot ... the Tiger family has changed significantly over the years, as Tony the whimsical, cereal-box-sized tiger with a teardrop-shaped head was replaced by his fully-grown son Jr., who is now a sleek, muscular sports enthusiast.
Tony the Tiger was never limited to American Cereal boxes, appearing on Kellogg's European brand cereal boxes ... in 1996, the Kellogg Company filed suit against Exxon Corp. (now ExxonMobil) claiming that the use of the Exxon tiger figure to sell food at TigerMart convenience stores infringed and diluted Kellogg's Tony the Tiger trademark ... in 2000, the Supreme Court let stand an appellate court decision allowing Kellogg to sue, even though both trademarks had co-existed without complaint for 30 years ... the appellate court held that the theory of "progressive encroachment" could explain and justify Kellogg's failure to take action earlier.
Tony later fathered a son, "Tony Jr." ... then soon became a cereal icon ... in 1958, Tony appeared on Kellogg cereal boxes with Hanna-Barbera characters, such as Huckleberry Hound ... in the 1970s, consumers were briefly introduced to more of Tony's family including Mama Tony, Mrs. Tony, and a daughter, Antoinette ... Tony had a huge year in 1974, where he was deemed "Tiger of the Year" in an advertising theme taken from the Chinese Lunar Calendar ... in addition to Tony's success, during this decade, son Tony Jr. was even given his own short-lived cereal in 1975, Frosted Rice, then he made a comeback in the 2000's replacing his father as the official mascot ... the Tiger family has changed significantly over the years, as Tony the whimsical, cereal-box-sized tiger with a teardrop-shaped head was replaced by his fully-grown son Jr., who is now a sleek, muscular sports enthusiast.
Tony the Tiger was never limited to American Cereal boxes, appearing on Kellogg's European brand cereal boxes ... in 1996, the Kellogg Company filed suit against Exxon Corp. (now ExxonMobil) claiming that the use of the Exxon tiger figure to sell food at TigerMart convenience stores infringed and diluted Kellogg's Tony the Tiger trademark ... in 2000, the Supreme Court let stand an appellate court decision allowing Kellogg to sue, even though both trademarks had co-existed without complaint for 30 years ... the appellate court held that the theory of "progressive encroachment" could explain and justify Kellogg's failure to take action earlier.
During the continuing, decades-long existence of Tony the Tiger, and the entire Tiger family, as countless celebrity figures and other renowned characters were fraught with controversy and scandal before the glaring scrutiny of the public eye ... Tony the Tiger has remained a wholesome family tiger ... one of our most shining standards of integrity - loyalty - honesty - and solid moral fabric ... a tiger blazing an ideal trail of appropriate social behavior and good character that any parent should be more than pleased to have their child follow ... the true tiger ... Tony the Tiger! ... He's GGGGRRREEEEEEAT!!!!!!! ... and has never cheated on his wife ...
--sja
--sja
