Burger King Mascot's Evolution From 1950s To 2025

We all know Wendy, the freckled pig-tailed redhead who has served as the mascot for Wendy's for more than 55 years. Even though Ronald McDonald has been out of the spotlight for several years, he has been the face of the fast-food giant that bears his name since 1963. But, quick, what is the one face you associate with Burger King? Do you fondly remember the sweet lovable king of the 1950s and '60s? Or the so-called "Creepy King" of the early 2000s? Can you recall Eeps? Or Kid Vid? The Duke of Doubt? If none quickly come to mind, don't blame yourself. Now ranked the third largest fast food burger chain, Burger King has had some identity issues over its 70-plus years in business.

Of course, many of the most popular restaurant chains looked different than when they first opened. But Burger King has changed up a lot more than its decor. In 2021, Burger King changed its logo to a design similar to one it used from 1969 to 1999: the fast food chain's name sandwiched between two buns. The most recent changes are part of the flame-grilled burger giant's 2022 "Reclaim the Flame" plan to increase sales and profitability. Other elements of the plan called for a new spin on the chain's long-time "Have it Your Way" jingle called "You Rule" and the $1 Million Whopper,  a chance for customers to submit their AI-built personalized versions of the Whopper for the chance to win that million-dollar prize. For now, the one thing they haven't done is bring in a new mascot. Now that they've revisited the old logo, we may see some of the below relics from the past.

Burger King's founders were originally content to represent their new chain with a text logo but created the first Burger King, a cartoon character, to compete with McDonald's, which already had a head start as the first of the two iconic chains to open. The white-haired king ruled the chain's empire while sitting atop a giant hamburger and holding an equally large milkshake for most of the 1950s and '60s.

In the early 1970s, television commercials were rife with animated characters and Pillsbury, which had purchased Burger King, had its own success with the adorable doughboy that hawked its pop-and-bake products. That led to a new animated, red-headed king, known as the Little King. Although he touted Burger King as "the place where kids are king," he didn't prove to be popular with children and his reign did not last long.

To compete with the growing popularity of the quirky characters of McDonaldland – Grimace, the McBurglar, and, of course, Ronald –– Burger King created its own fiefdom of characters led by a live red-bearded king who performed magic tricks in 1976. In addition to hosting magic shows at restaurants, the king, along with friends Sir Shakealot, the Burger Thing, the Duke of Doubt, and the Wizard of Fries, appeared in over 200 commercials before he was dethroned in 1989.

In another effort to reach kids, Burger King introduced the Kid Club, aimed at children aged 2 to 13, led not by a king, but by a pre-teen named Kid Vid in 1990. As members of the real-life club, kids received an official membership card, a packet of games, a free meal on their birthdays, and access to the Kids Club Adventures magazine, and Disney-branded toys that could be purchased in the restaurants.

Although the Kids Club was initially successful, with 1.6 million kids joined the Kids Club in its first six months (per The New York Times), the characters themselves were eventually overshadowed by the toys. The kids were replaced in 2004 by the Honbatz. If you blinked and missed them, don't be surprised: The group of animated monsters that included MixMax, Thisorthat, Bonny, Chomp, and the Eeps retired just two years later.

In 2003, Burger King's ad agency discovered a plastic replica of the 1980s king's head, which had sat atop the helium tanks used to blow up balloons at his events. It became the inspiration for a new, hipper king –-  a giant plastic head worn by an actor –- who promoted the fast food giant's new breakfast menu by showing up in odd places in both commercials and in real life. Dubbed the Creepy King, he was retired in 2011 but showed up again in 2015 when Burger King was estimated to have spent $1 million to have him join Floyd Mayweather's entourage during his boxing match against Manny Pacquiao.