Oldest corporate mascot?

Cafe Society
1

A friend of mine here at work mentioned in a discussion that Bibendum (the Michelin tire mascot) was the oldest currently active corporate mascot, having originated in 1898.

That seemed a little odd to me, and after two minutes’ searching in Wikipedia, I determined that Aunt Jemima (pancake flour & syrup) dates from 1893.

Having crushed my friend like a bug (hi, Chris!), I place the question before you Dopers: What is the oldest corporate mascot currently active?

(I have an idea that the “His Master’s Voice” dog (phonograph records) might be even older; but we could argue whether he’s currently active.)

(Mr. Peanut dates from 1918.)

2

Bon Ami has apparently been using a yellow chick and the motto “Hasn’t Scratched Yet” since 1886. I’m sure someone will come along and clobber that one shortly.

3

Nipper (the dog in the “His Master’s Voice” painting) dates from 1898, but according to this page devoted to a history of the trademark, it was not used as a trademark until 1900.

4

“Trade” and “Mark” from Smith Brothers Cough Drops dates back to 1872. They seem to still be manufactured.

5

The Quaker Oats dude dates to 1877, when he was first used as the mascot for the Quaker Mill Company, one of the three companies that merged in 1901 to form Quaker Oats.

6

I don’t think that counts as a “mascot.” It is presumably just a drawing of the eponymous Smith brothers.

Rastus (the Cream of Wheat chef) goes back to 1890.

I was going to suggest the Morton Salt girl, but she only goes back to 1914.

So far, it looks like our Quaker frind is the champ.

7

If a mascot can be a body part, the arm and hammer of Arm & Hammer baking soda was introduced in 1867. And it’s not just a random guy’s arm, it is the arm of Vulcan. So the arm even has a name. Okay, I’m reaching here … it is more like a logo than a mascot.

8

The Bull Durham bull has been around since 1864.

9

If you google “oldest corporate mascot” you get a number of sites that claim that the winner is, indeed, the Quaker Oats Man.

10

I don’t know if it counds as a “mascot” but the Wells Fargo stagecoach has been in use since 1852.

11

Are Bull Durham cigarettes still sold?

12

They were about 10 years ago.

13

No idea but the company that owns the mark is still in business.

14

Hmm… It looks to me like the Bull Durham bull has a legitimate claim against the Quaker. This page shows a Bull Durham ad that it dates to around 1870. And this page gives a bit of backstory, although without specific dates. But this page says that the Bull Durham trademark was the most recognizable in the world by 1900. And finally, this page pins the emergence of the trademark to “a few years” after 1858 but before 1866. I think. If I read it correctly.

15

The bull been knocked out of contention. I just found that the Baker’s Chocolate baker has been in use since at least 1836.

16

Then the horses that pull them are the mascot.

Wells Fargo has a fleet of 40 stagecoaches today, nearly half of which see active use in parades. Ten are original, dating back to 1852, and the rest are reproduction display models.

17

Not according to the Baker’s Chocolate website:

Which brings us back to the question of whether the Bull Durham mascot is “currently active” as per the parameters of the OP.

And we’re going to need a judge’s ruling on whether a stagecoach is a mascot.

18

Okay, I’ve search the USPTO database for trademarks that date back to the late 18th Century and haven’t found anything else that could be considered a mascot. If there are any older than that baker, it won’t be found there.

19

From the USPTO regarding registration number 0378713(sorry for the all-caps) :

20

That takes out the stagecoach and its horses as well.

They’re still using her, albeit in silhouette.