Spuds MacKenzie

Spuds MacKenzie in an ad

Spuds MacKenzie is a fictional dog character created for use in an extensive advertising campaign marketing Bud Light beer in the late 1980s. The Spuds MacKenzie mascot and campaign were created by a 23-year-old art director, Jon Moore. At the time he was working at Needham, Harper & Steers, a Chicago, Illinois, advertising agency. The dog first showed up in a Bud Light Super Bowl XXI ad in 1987.[1] During the height of his popularity, large amounts of Spuds merchandise was available, such as plush toys and t-shirts where the dog was seen surfing a wave or Hanging Twenty.[2]

The dog, a Bull Terrier, was not without its share of controversy. Shortly after Spuds' rise to fame it was learned that the dog, who was portrayed as male in the commercials, was actually female.[3] The ads were also the subject of attacks and calls for censorship by temperance-oriented groups. Soon after the ads were first aired in 1987, Senator Strom Thurmond began his own media campaign, claiming that the beer maker was using Spuds to appeal to children for the purpose of getting them interested in their product at an early age.[4] By Christmas 1987, more legal action resulted from Budweiser's use of ads featuring Spuds dressed as Santa, which is illegal in states such as Ohio.[5]

In 1989, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, along with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, alleged that Anheuser-Busch was pitching the dog to children. Although the Federal Trade Commission found no evidence to support that allegation, Anheuser-Busch decided to retire Spuds in 1989, claiming that the character's image had started to overshadow the product.

The character appeared in Bud Light's advertisement in Super Bowl LI as a ghost helping a man named Brian reunite with his friends in an homage to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. The house number in this advertisement's last segment is 1989, paying homage to the year Spuds was retired.[6]

The dog's real name was Honey Tree Evil Eye or Evie for short (October 7, 1983 – May 31, 1993).[2] She was from Malvern, Pennsylvania, but moved to Warsaw, Indiana at a very young age. She died of renal failure in North Riverside, Illinois.[7]

Finally, in 1985 Evie also became the mascot for a surfing brand based in Florida called Salty Dog, which held an annual Hang Twenty Surf Contest. The company sponsored many rescue dogs from the kennel in Pennsylvania where Evie was from.[2][8]

References

  1. ↑ "Spuds McKenzie: Official Party Animal". Bull Terrier Club of Dallas. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
  2. 1 2 3 "Salty Dog History". saltydogpaddle.org. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  3. ↑ Eric Zorn (1987-09-13). "Eric Zorn. Spuds Is A Dud As A Party Guy -he`s A Girl. Chicago Tribune. (Posted: September 13, 1987)". Articles.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2012-10-29.
  4. ↑ "Teetotaler Thurmond Raps Spuds McKenzie". Associated Press. 13 November 1987. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "Spuds Can't Promote Beer Dressed as Santa". Associated Press. 2 December 1987. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  6. ↑ Taylor, Kate (February 2, 2017). "Bud Light is bringing back a controversial mascot who once helped sales soar 20%". Business Insider.
  7. ↑ "Honey Tree "Spuds" Mackenzie". Find A Grave.
  8. ↑ "Spuds Is A Dud As A Party Guy -He`S A Girl". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
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