WHO REMEMBERS? The UK Nostalgia Podcast
Join amateur historians Andrew and Liam (thrice bronze medalists in 'The South Yorkshire Rememberers Chalice') as they take a trip back to life in Britain during the eighties, nineties and noughties to discuss the pop culture moments that defined a nation.
Do you remember when Del boy fell through the bar, when Marathon bars changed their name to Snickers or when Paul Sykes punched a shark? If so then come and remember with us. If not then stick around and we will remember for you. This is literally a no lose siduation (situation).
WHO REMEMBERS? The UK Nostalgia Podcast
Who Remembers........Ronald McDonald?
Remember that flicker of excitement when Ronald McDonald appeared on your TV? Or how Tony the Tiger convinced you that sugar-coated corn flakes were somehow the breakfast of champions? Food mascots weren't just selling products—they were selling childhood dreams, one spoonful of sugar at a time.
The cereal aisle gave us some of the most memorable characters—from Tony the Tiger's booming "They're Grrrreat!" to the mischievous Snap, Crackle and Pop. We discover how these characters were created by the same design team that brought us the Jolly Green Giant, and how some countries have banned them in efforts to combat childhood obesity.
Join us for this delightful journey through the pantry of your past. Which food mascot do you miss most? Share your memories with us on social media —we'd love to hear which advertising character still makes your mouth water years later.
Hello, and this is the podcast. Who Remembers this episode? We are remembering Ronald McDonald.
Speaker 2:The very first draw in Britain's new national lottery. Sinclair believe they're C5, britain's first mass-produced electrical car.
Speaker 1:From something called the internet.
Speaker 2:Stop shocking, say stupid, but none of the locals go paddling. Yeah, that's for me. No paddlers get. I can't speak, so this was originally an idea. This is history. This is history. We're running out. We're running out. This is history. So this was originally an idea, sort of, from Sam, who does the wonderful Pinch magazine and podcast, and he asked us to do Captain Birdseye. But we've changed the title because Captain Birdseye is still going, so it won't really work as a who Remembers Captain.
Speaker 1:Birdseye. To be fair, we didn't know that. So we thought, yeah, we could remember Captain Birdseye. But then yeah, you've looked into it and we'll keep you on tenterhooks with that one. We might discuss a bit of Captain Birdseye, but yeah, he's still around.
Speaker 2:So what we're going to do in this one, realistically, is on. Realistically is go through some food mascots. Some of them are still around, I suppose, but I suppose it's just food mascots that we remember from his childhood, and obviously the most famous one is sir ronnie mcdonald in it 1963. Um, he started, ronnie, yeah, um when, when did well?
Speaker 1:obviously america, I was gonna say, where did they start out? Because, famously, mike Parry was the first person served in the Russian McDonald's, wasn't he?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so the Russian McDonald's opened in what? 89, 90, something like that. And Mike Parry well, as he says this anyway, he claims that he was the first person to get served a McDonald's in Russia. I highly doubt that.
Speaker 1:I can't see how he? He's never made anything up before, though has he?
Speaker 2:No, that's true. To be fair, You've got to take his word for it, haven't you? So people might be listening, especially older people, saying what are you on about? He's still going? Ronnie McDonald 2016,. Mcdonald's told customers Ronnie would be taking a hiatus following a disturbing killer clown craze that actually originated in Britain and it saw pranksters jump out at people dressed as spooky clowns. The statement on the McDonald's website at the time read we are afraid that Ronald McDonald no longer appears in McDonald's UK advertising, but he's still very busy working for us, so you won't get him anymore.
Speaker 2:Put him in kitchen then yeah, well, he says he remains a figure in the Ronald McDonald house charity's logo, but he's been stripped of his arm features. Have you seen, ronald?
Speaker 1:McDonald House Charities logo.
Speaker 2:But he's been stripped of his arm features. Have you seen the first one? Hmm, I want to get onto these. They're all race, they're all proper scary, I think the first one is absolutely ridiculous.
Speaker 1:That's like infant school cut for a nose, box for a head it's absolutely ridiculous.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's taken about four seconds. He's got a box for a head. I think it's like they say a cup from a nose hey.
Speaker 1:And then lots of red makeup on around his mouth Ridiculous, ridiculous.
Speaker 2:But we'll start with Roddy, though, like I say, would you say he's the most famous food mascot of our time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean we briefly discussed some others that I'm not sure you're. You're leading this one, so I'm not sure where we're going to get, but we certainly said the colonel from kfc.
Speaker 2:Yeah, quite iconic he's still going, though, isn't it? I mean, he's dead, but he's still going. He's big face is still over everywhere, isn't it?
Speaker 1:yeah, I think frank skinner often reminds people on his podcast that he was buried in his full white suit, but apparently so yeah um, why would he make it up? But then I think, uh, exactly, yeah, if you did suggest, maybe they should have, uh, put him in portions and battered him. I also said that if I've just made that up, that's horrible joke. But yeah, I'm pretty sure I've heard somebody say that somewhere, so it's not my brilliant but like you say, but I think i've've sent you an ad recently.
Speaker 2:I'm trying to think of others that we haven't mentioned.
Speaker 1:I mean, there's a few we're going to get to in terms of cereals.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:But in terms of restaurants, yeah, I think you're probably right.
Speaker 2:I think so. I genuinely had a recurring dream as a kid where I was in a big white room and it sort of is an advert. This I've seen, I've found since, and they were like do you know the John Lennon video, imagine?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah yeah, when he's in that complete white room with a white piano.
Speaker 2:It was that and it was just me in this big white room with a piano. And then I'd turn around and I'd like Ronald McDonald's face would be like right next to me. But when I turned it gone you know, like a little glance I'm doing it now, you can't see it, but I'm doing a glance and it was like a genuinely recurring nightmare. I always found him scary. I know it's like cliche to say he's scary, but I genuinely always found him scary. What about?
Speaker 1:you the killer. Clown craze wasn't based on him, was it? It was just clowns.
Speaker 2:No, it was just clowns.
Speaker 1:in general, I mean about him in 2011 because they said like a, a funny mascot, shouldn't be, uh, promoting fast food. I never found him creepy but I never quite got it as a selling point, like I never sort of as a kid thought oh god, that's creepy, but I always kind of thought why is he selling burgers? Like what's? I found it correct.
Speaker 2:let us know in the in the in the comments hit smash smash a like and let us know in the comments uh, if a like and let us know in the comments. If you were scared by Ronald McDonald but the British equivalent, liam, what would you say? You know the British equivalent of Ronald McDonald?
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, but I thought that was American as well. Are you going to say Wimpy?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, no, no. Mr Wimpy started. He was the first person to serve hamburgers in the UK in 1935. And there's still 60 Wimpies across the UK, which surprised me.
Speaker 1:I think I am with you in that we had a birthday party in Wimpy on the moor in Sheffield when we were young, didn't we? I certainly did.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, and he turned up Mr Wimpy. Obviously, if you don't, people don't know where I'm, mr Wimpy. Obviously, if people don't know where I'm from, mr Wimpy, I'm sure he's British. He is British, isn't?
Speaker 1:he Wimpy as a restaurant isn't, so I don't know why Mr Wimpy would be a British thing.
Speaker 2:I've got him dressed in a beef eater's outfit. He doesn't dress like that, does he?
Speaker 1:Yeah, something like that. He's got like a big heart low down on his. I'm a sort of squat little man isn't.
Speaker 2:I. So it's founded. You're like Diego Maradona. It's a fast food chain that was founded in the United States, but it's found its success mainly in the United Kingdom and South Africa. So any Americans listening, let us know if you had Wimpy. Yeah, so, same as you, I had a birthday party. It was the first time I'd ever had hot apple pie and I didn't like it. I think I started crying.
Speaker 1:I'm not playing Mr Wimpy for that.
Speaker 2:Do you remember what you got for a present? Ooh, no, now you're testing me.
Speaker 1:So I think I do. I think I got given like a sort of polystyrene box to open and I thought, oh wow, what's in this? And it was a wimpy mug, which I mean don't get me wrong, so got it no.
Speaker 2:I'm absolutely. I've got lots of badges. I might post them actually on the Twitter and Blue Sky account. I've got loads of old badges from those sort of things you know, like wimpy badges and McDonald's and maybe not Burger King, he's actually Burger King.
Speaker 1:The King is one I've not got. Remember the King, yeah, I think he's more recent.
Speaker 2:The King wasn't he, but he's another one. He's not there anymore.
Speaker 1:But they're all criticised. I'm not sure. I don't want to put my name on this, but I think I'm right. There's in St Ives on the front in Cornwall. There's a bar there called the Rum and Crab Shack now, but it used to be a burger place. I'm pretty sure it's Wimpy. But when you go in the men's toilets they've still got the old board with the pricings on from the burgers.
Speaker 2:Things are like.
Speaker 1:I took a picture of it somewhere, but it's something like five pence for a cheeseburger. It might be 12 pens for a cheeseburger, five pens for a drink. It's like just ridiculous, we're getting out of scent eyes these days?
Speaker 2:I'll tell you that, Certainly not. No, no, this is the most old manny thing we've ever done. I think this, by the way, Proper, like hey, you remember. That is proper remembering, isn't it? But, like I say, he was criticised a lot.
Speaker 1:Sorry, just on Wimpy and if anyone can correct me on this or agree, I'm pretty sure they used to do a good fish and chips in a box, which I don't know why you'd get that from Wimpy, but I'm almost certain I've once had a nice fish and chips in Wimpy.
Speaker 2:Would you say Wimpy were more popular than McDonald's for us at our age group?
Speaker 1:No, I think it was a pretty even split when I was really young, but then it quite quickly, I think as soon as I started going to Crystal Peaks and there was a cinema there and a McDonald's there. No, I think Wimpy quite quickly got overtaken. Burger.
Speaker 2:King were a bit later, weren't they?
Speaker 1:Yeah, they seemed to come on the scene a bit later and to me they're better burgers, but they're a bit pricey. I'll try to ask you that.
Speaker 2:That's my next question. What is your favourite? Obviously, you can't really. I suppose you could have Wimpy if you've had one recently. But what is your favourite of all the fast food burgers?
Speaker 1:like Five Guys and that Probably go. I know Five Guys are supposed to be good. I've only had that a couple of times. Yeah, this is proper Best burger. I think I might have mentioned it.
Speaker 2:I know I might have been blased, but I mentioned it On the way back from Wembley. Last time I went to Wembley, yeah, I had a spicy McChicken and it was honestly hotter than a fucking vindaloo curry. It was obviously a different sort of heat but it was so spicy I was like crying, but I enjoyed it Still. Enjoyed it Still enjoyed it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, back to mascots.
Speaker 2:Yeah, back to the mascots. So cereal mascots were also criticised. One of the most famous Do you reckon he's the most famous cereal mascot, Tony the Tiger.
Speaker 1:Tony Tiger is what I would have guessed you were going to say yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's banned in Chile, anyway. What's?
Speaker 1:he doing in Chile.
Speaker 2:Just because the consumption of sugar, sweets and drinks dropped dropped by 25 in 18 months after chili banned him because they said this cartoonish figure. Uh, obviously, promoting such a sugary snack as frost is which I forgot he did. Frost is.
Speaker 1:Until I looked it up, I don't know what yeah, because straight away I thought what's he gonna do with tony? How much sugar's in him? It's not his fault. But I suppose what they're saying is it's creating a cartoon character for kids for such a high sugar product, isn't it? Yeah, it's not Tony's fault.
Speaker 2:No, it's not Tony's fault. Tony's Italian American, by the way.
Speaker 1:Hey yeah.
Speaker 2:Apparently he's an Italian oh and he was actually created by the quartet company, who also designed snap crackle and pop and the motherfucking jolly green giant. So they all, like, did they did the same one, snap crack. So they all, they did the same ones Snap Crackle and Pop. Were I had all those figures you used to get them out of the. Yeah, rice Krispies, rice Krispies.
Speaker 1:Yeah, rice Krispies so they didn't have any sugar on, did they? You had to add your own sugar to them, so were they alright in Chile?
Speaker 2:they don't have been banned in Chile, as far as I know. What I do. Well, I have got a fight for you. You never got which 90s? I don't know if it's 90s. Anyway, which legend voiced Cackle from 1987 to 1990? I'll give you a clue, give me the dates again. Let me try and do it by dates 1987 to 1990. This weren't his peak years. I want to say, oh right.
Speaker 1:That's kind of ruled out what I was going to say then.
Speaker 2:I was thinking bobby davro, you're not that far off. It was yeah, keith checkers, check win. Chagas does pop, chagas does snap, crackle and pop.
Speaker 1:I could kind of hear that now you said it yeah yeah, yeah, so he did crack he won't remember it, though will he well? Not now obviously not now, but I mean even in his late years. He, uh, famously don't remember years of his life doesn't he?
Speaker 2:yeah, because that is a mad interview, should probably cover that. Actually, when he does this morning and he just says, like I am an alcoholic, it's horrible, really weirdly bad. I don't know. Like if he went on thinking, I'm gonna say that we'll have to cover that one, though yeah, it's just darkest moment. Yeah, so there's the same company also did Jolly Green Giant. In Minnesota there's a 55-foot fiberglass statue of the Jolly Green Giant. Wow, what do?
Speaker 1:you think?
Speaker 2:his catchphrase is Ho ho ho green giant.
Speaker 1:So I thought that, but then I thought no, because that's Santa in it. Ho, ho, ho. So is it yo? Ho, ho, ho, ho ho.
Speaker 2:Green Giant.
Speaker 1:I think it might be.
Speaker 2:Yo-Ho-Ho Liam, do some live researching, I'm doing it, I'm on it. Ho-ho-ho Green Giant, and he had a mate, didn't he? A little mate called P. I don't know about P. I certainly remember Green Giant 1954. He first appeared on our screens. Obviously, the most famous thing I think about Jolly Green Giant is Michael Jackson had a statue of the Jolly Green Giant in his house, because it's that scene off Post-Elector when he meets Craig David. Because you come to see my motherfucking Jolly.
Speaker 1:Green Giant. No, you're right, it is ho ho ho.
Speaker 2:Some of the lessons imparted on him include oh no, this is the story of Green Giant Sprout. Oh oh, but it's Sprout, not Little P. I'm thinking it might have been Sprout, with the side character actually. Ho ho ho, green Giant, green Giant.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll go with Ho Ho, ho, ho Ho.
Speaker 2:Ho On to chocolate bars. Liam Milky Bar Kid 1961. The Milky Bar Kid, the young Spectacle wearing child Dressed as a cowboy, whose catchphrase was obviously come on, liam.
Speaker 1:Milky Bars are on me. Yeah, I was in a wild way, I never got on with him, to be fair. No, I'm saying I mean you're good at what you did, but not for me.
Speaker 2:In 2010,. Milky Bars went woke and had a bloody woman as the Milky Bar Kid.
Speaker 1:I don't remember that at all. No, when did Yorkie do that? Only for blokes or something? Oh yeah, only for men.
Speaker 2:Yeah, maybe 2010. But they were almost the opposite, weren't they? I suppose they had to drop the tagline, didn't they?
Speaker 1:I wonder if they created it as a pushback to that sort of thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they'll have to do all the taglines of an episode, but can you remember the theme tune for it? Yeah, yeah, go on then.
Speaker 1:Yeah, go on then the milky bar kid is strong and tough. Only the best is good enough. The chocolate is white, the future is bright, and only the best in milky bar. I think that's not quite right.
Speaker 2:No. So it used to end with the goodness that's in milky bar, but they had to get rid of that because obviously there is no goodness in a milky bar. There's literally no goodness in a milky bar. No, there's no goodness's in milky bar. But they had to get rid of that because obviously there is no goodness in a milky bar.
Speaker 2:There's literally no goodness in it. No, there's no goodness in the milky bar, so they had to change it, uh, to the good taste that's in milky bar, which I remember more of actually I'd even debate. There's none of that, actually, because I've gone right off white chocolate I don't mind a bit of white chocolate. White tall brown is pretty nice actually I used to gabble now and again.
Speaker 1:But then when we had the kids, they get a lot of white chocolate when they're young, so I'd sort of nibble on bits of that and I was too sweet, too sickly these days.
Speaker 2:Well let me hit you with some facts, then, because Milky Bar itself was invented by accident in 1936. While creating a vitamin-enriched children's formula called Nestravoi, Developers at developers at Nestle experimented by adding cocoa butter to create a solid eating tablet of the mixture, realising they had now created a form of white chocolate.
Speaker 1:All the vitamins were removed and Milky Bar was developed and launched, like Oppenheimer, isn't it Like when he created the nuclear bomb, created the Milky Bar Created the Milky Bar Another British, because that were a British master.
Speaker 2:Do you know what?
Speaker 1:Why not just leave the good stuff in? Why can't they immediately strip that out, the good?
Speaker 2:stuff. That's a milky bar. Get rid of that. So straight away. Another British mascot, as we talked about earlier Captain Birdseye. So this is the episode we're going to be called this because this is what we got requested, but, like I say, we didn't want to call it. Still, going um sam, who messaged me about. He said he basically just started off as a randy pirate and then now he's like this sort of I don't know like sort of, really like sort of proud old pirate in a like do you know, I mean like a really sort of cool pirate.
Speaker 2:Why the?
Speaker 1:look, I don't know how randy was, but the the first one, the one we would have remembered. So john hewer played him from yeah, uh, 19 was it 1967, I think 1967 to 1998.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that but then I, somewhere in my head, have sort of mixed him up with this sort of pirate type figure, but but he's not. I know he's a bit more madcap than the sort of calm modern version, but that doesn't. Who are we mixing him up with, then? Who's the sort of slightly crazy pirate type man? No, I think it's him. I think it's him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think they just changed him. Now it's like a rugged, dark-haired man now, isn't it? We're like designer stubhulls, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:To be fair, john, Hewer, who played him in 1961, was in a film called Striptease Murder.
Speaker 2:So you could see the sort of that yeah, yeah, yeah, he was actually killed off in 1971, and he had an obituary in the Times, but they brought him back in 1974.
Speaker 1:Did you know, Like eminent Harold Bishop. He died, but they needed to bring him back.
Speaker 2:That was so weird, that Harold Bishop storyline where he did get missed for like four years and he had amnesia and then, I don't know, he came back and he saw someone in a Salvation Army band or something, so he remembered everything. Yeah, didn't he fall in the sea? And he just should get him on here who remembers like yeah, the bishop in the UK, obviously the big sitcom, only Fools and Horses. What did Derek Trotter once call Uncle Albert er?
Speaker 2:John Hewer that'd have been imagine how more subtle yeah imagine how much of a niche joke that'd have been if he started calling him John Hewer. Oh he's here, like John Hewer. What doing that? What do you mean, dale Boy? What do you mean about Dale Boy? The ones that I will be watching a lot of genuinely are the Tetley T folk, who obviously Tetley T because they're obviously a really broad joke. Remember them. Cartoons.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I'm sure when you mention this, you mention the monkeys as well, but they're obviously You're getting mixed up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're getting mixed up with your Ts mate. Tetley tea folk and PG PG Sips had the gorilla.
Speaker 1:I think we talked about it on a Maidly pod actually how completely unfair it was that they used to take these chimps out of their environment and perform all these things but made for great entertainment so you know, I know you're not as far into it, but like XFM, where Carl Pilton's on about it and he said something about yeah, they're stuck in cages all day, but they preferred it when they were pushing a piano up the stairs, at least to go out, I'm paraphrasing something like that he thought they were actually doing the job.
Speaker 1:Though what do you mean? I know.
Speaker 2:You might have told me this before. It definitely rings a bell.
Speaker 1:There's certain things Carl Pilton says that you kind of think that he can't believe that, but he genuinely seems to at the time with some of his monkey news. I don't know.
Speaker 2:Anyway. But the Teletee folk, completely different. Can you remember the Teletee? They were proper brawl Like nah then, where's me bastard T? They didn't say that, obviously. Nah then the bastard? No, they were proper like hey, it's all they are Get. They were proper like hey, it's all they know, get any centre T bag down here for exactly T's. But they got rid of him in 2001.
Speaker 1:I'm looking at the sort of more original guy that I don't quite remember. He's got like a yellow haired chap. Oh no, he's like the gaffer.
Speaker 2:The gaffer is the guy with the yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't think it's not him, so there's a. Well, I can't really do it over podcast. There's a small chap with like a Instead of like in the white coats. He's got a blue suit on, so I'm guessing he might be the gaffer. But didn't they call him the gaffer, the one you're on about? Yeah, the guy I'm on about is called.
Speaker 2:He's the one. What's going on down here? Get the fucking tea down here now. Come on, he were brilliant, him, um, but yeah. So they got rid of in 2001, but apparently, uh, sales fell dramatically so they had to bring them back in 2010, but they've gone again now in 2016. I don't drink tetley tea, though, to be honest.
Speaker 1:I wonder whether there was a, a sort of like oh, we're doing the right thing here because they're advertising Tetley, but to me I would probably think Yorkshire tea, mmm.
Speaker 2:Where is Tetley's from?
Speaker 1:Frostwires. Well, it don't matter, does it? If you go into a shop and you think, oh, what's that? One with little characters and there's Yorkshire tea bags there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but Tetley's there first. I don't know what were they? Typhoon, oh, not Typhoon. Typhoon's a tea as well, yeah yeah, I think they had a character as well, like a bear Tetley is, where's it from? Come on, give me the history of Tetley's man.
Speaker 1:Largest company of tea in the United Kingdom and Canada and the second largest in the united states by volume.
Speaker 2:Wow, is it what's number one then? Ah, now, then they get this into orders field um is uh, what's the most popular tea in the world? Then let's have a look. More live research. This is unbelievable. This is like being it's a fantastic podcasting. Imagine if this is first episode you tuned into this is technology now, isn't it?
Speaker 1:We can?
Speaker 2:do it live Back in ID. You couldn't do any of this shit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just move on, I'll have a look.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, but yeah, I mean I think I have like that red tea. I'll have any tea, though to be honest, I haven't really got a. I'm more of a coffee man than a tea man. If I'm going to be completely honest, it's like a John Shuttleworth show this.
Speaker 1:I'm not keen on any hot drinks, to be honest.
Speaker 2:What Any? What about hot chocolate? A nice cup of cocoa.
Speaker 1:No, I don't really go for hot drinks.
Speaker 2:I like it to be nice and cold. I think hot chocolate looks really nice. And then when you drink it, you're a bit disappointed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because when you make it sort of all frothy and you think, oh, something like that, but it's not, it's just, it's just flat underneath it after a horlicks I could find best. I could find like the ranked teas, but that's not really what we want, is it? We want best selling best selling to you brand.
Speaker 2:let me have a look. I'm on, yah, yahoocom for some reason. I don't know how I got onto that, but I wonder what the Chinese are buying. Well, they love it, don't they Down there.
Speaker 1:Lipton.
Speaker 2:Lipton. The world's best-selling tea brand is Lipton, don't they do iced tea, though? That's cheating, isn't it? Yeah, it's cheating, that isn't it? Yeah, to be fair, let me.
Speaker 1:Just have a look at it. They do normal tea as well. They do normal tea as well. Are they allowed to win then? Yeah, we'll give it them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'd love to have you ever had. I don't like iced tea at all. I'll tell you that.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, I like cold, but not hot drinks masquerading as cold drinks. It's weird, I've never had it, to be honest.
Speaker 2:Have you got any other foods like that? I hate hot tomato but I love cold tomatoes. But on the opposite side of that, I like what's the other one?
Speaker 1:I've never heard hot tomato referred to as a thing to be honest.
Speaker 2:Fried tomato. You know what I mean. Yeah, like cooked tomatoes, Not a big fan of that, but I like them cold. Can I think of something? I prefer cold carrots.
Speaker 1:You'll have a little bit of tinned tomatoes on a breakfast, won't you no?
Speaker 2:I'm not really that interested to be fair, not bothered. No, no, no, not interested. Shall, we move on. Yeah, it's time. A couple of controversial ones here, which I didn't want to touch on, but we'd like to take a risk. So, from 1946, uncle Ben's stir-fried rice. Well, is it stir-fried rice or is it just rice, uncle Ben's rice, isn't it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I think they did sauces and other things.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I think they were like yeah, just a selection of rice-based things, I think.
Speaker 2:So they carried the image of an elderly African-American man in a bow tie called Ben. But in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd Mars, who that's the company that do, uncle Ben, or what's not known as Uncle Ben anymore said they would be evolving the brand, including the logo. The move followed just hours after Pepsi changed its logo for Aunt Jemima brand which I don't remember Aunt Jemima due to accusations of racism, and advertised on 23rd of 2020, they replaced the name Uncle Ben's with what's now just called Ben's Original, which I'd never have guessed that. I would never have guessed that that were not called Uncle Ben's anymore.
Speaker 1:And what was the accusation of racism then? I don't get this. They just made up a guy to sell it. Yeah, so it's an African, If I'm being ignorant here let me know please Presumably that's a real man that they paid to use his image, or did they not?
Speaker 2:No, this is the thing that they say that no-one's actually quite sure who this Uncle Ben character is. I don't know if it's racist. Is it racist?
Speaker 1:I don't see why it is, but somebody somewhere obviously thought it was, I don't know. Explain to us if you're listening.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you what. It's definitely racist Golly, the mascot for Robinson's Jam and Marmalade. So this was a mascot from 1910, but even as early as the 1980s it was condemned as a racist symbol. London Council stopped buying the firm's Jam and Marmalade, saying it was racist, and yet I. London Council stopped buying the firm's jam and marmalade, saying it was racist, and yet I didn't know this. It only retired in 2001. And even when it retired, the company said it wasn't retired because it was an offensive image. They said we sell 45 million jams, jars of jam and marmalade each year and they've pretty much all got golly in them. And we also sell 250,000 golly badges to collectors, because I remember people collecting them. Uh, are we going to get 10 letters a year from people who don't like the golly? Um, it's mad that that went on for so long, but when we've obviously gone to chapel st lana for our road shows, they're all over place, aren't they? Golly dolls?
Speaker 1:I don't know about all over place, I think in every window.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, but yeah honestly, like all the tat shops you can buy them in there all the time Different.
Speaker 1:Well, it kind of is like going back in time, though, isn't it? So it's like another time.
Speaker 2:It's interesting actually because when we do Chapel St Leonard's on the road show because we can get away with it, now we're just going to do who remembers chapel st leonards? Because it is like going back to the night in what would you say um 80s, mid 80s, maybe even before 80s, I don't know 80s, I don't know. Like, well, let's have a look when we go around and pick out like what, what era, what's gonna be a lot of fun in it.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, a lot of laughs in chapel, st Leonard's yeah.
Speaker 2:Have you got any more mascots?
Speaker 1:There was an attempted murder there last week, by the way.
Speaker 2:What Chapel? St Leonard's, yeah, why, what did your wife do? Are?
Speaker 1:you married. No, I'm not married. Well, Jodie's auntie told me that there was a house taped off and some local man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Speaker 2:To be honest, when I was there once there murder. To be honest, when I was there once, there were a massive row that went on in a kebab house and um, yeah, and then just about three guys came on, um, like motorbikes, driving around the corner. I was just having a pint across at Archer's and, um, just watching it all and they were like Can you see someone trying to run somebody?
Speaker 2:down once. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So the guy like who were on the kebab house were like sort of trying to get away. They're trying to run him over madness back in the 80s. But if you want to join us on that, on that trip, let us know. But yeah, I'm all out of mascots. So if you've got any more mascots, obviously we could do a couple of episodes no, I mean you've, you've covered the, the big hitters.
Speaker 1:To be honest, I think obviously there's the the coco pops monkey, which sounds, but I take it you know his name.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Coco.
Speaker 1:Yep, there was the. I'd forgotten this one, but there's. Do you remember the Honey Nut Loops emblem mascot? Whatever you want to call them? Was it a bee? It was a bee. Yeah, don't know what it was called, though I've got a feeling it was Lupe, but I've not written it down.
Speaker 2:That rings a bell. What about? Obviously we didn't talk about the Honey Monster. Somehow he's still going, Even though he's like the most promoting honey. He's called the Honey Monster and he's like still on your screen. I don't think Honey's like.
Speaker 1:I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying they're good for you, but I think there are some health benefits to Honey, isn't there? He must be clinging onto that.
Speaker 2:The best thing about Honey Monster is when he did that album with Kevin Keegan Album Advert with Kevin Keegan, album with Kevin Keegan he did release a song, didn't he, kevin Keegan Head?
Speaker 1:Over Heels. Not with Honey Monster, not with Honey Monster.
Speaker 2:That advert for Struggle Post where he's a footballer. For some reason, honey Monster and Keegan goes. Yeah 1, bring the big man on. He comes in and scores an header. Got a lot of time for the honeymoon, so I have to admit Apologies.
Speaker 1:By the way, to the emblem, it's Honey Bee, it's not Loopy. Oh, no wait, A male character called Loopy yeah and has now been replaced. Ah, they've gone woke Now being replaced by a female bee called Honey Bee. So it could still be unhealthy hello, hello, you still there yeah, yeah, when did you lose me?
Speaker 2:you went, it says your internet connection is unstable. It says you said apologies, by the way, and then it went. I'll do it again from there then, in case they record we've only got 8 minutes left I think it's been pretty good actually considering what we wanted to. Apologies, by the way, it wasn't loop think it's been pretty good, actually, considering what we wanted to.
Speaker 1:Apologies, by the way, it wasn't Loopy, it's Honeybee. No, wait a minute, hold on, hold on, they've gone woke. Oh, here we go.
Speaker 2:What do you mean?
Speaker 1:It was Loopy and it's now. He has now been replaced by a female character called Honeybee.
Speaker 2:They're always getting bloody involved, aren't they? Women always have to get involved. The other one I thought was the next quick bunny I don't know what it's called, though Nesquik, yeah, nesquik speaking of that, they were the caramel bunny, weren't they?
Speaker 1:oh, she was really fit, yeah, but didn't someone say they had her in top 10 female sexy characters, or something? Do you remember our?
Speaker 2:mate Tom who throwed him under the bus here. Don't listen, I don't think so. It's fine, yeah, sure, yeah, but me, although I think he's does his boss, well, he's got some on him if you ever play as well. I think we were talking about top 10 sexiest cartoon characters.
Speaker 1:Yeah, with Damon Stagdew.
Speaker 2:As you do. This is what lads get up to lads chewing the fat. It's a bit laddish, but it's just what it is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and someone had sort of said obviously, Hugh Frame, Roger Rabbit, whatever she was called.
Speaker 2:I think somebody said April O'Neill from Turtles, jessica Rabbit. Everyone knows Jessica Rabbit, april O'Neill.
Speaker 1:I quite like Jasmine from Aladdin. Oh, belle actually Belle, yeah, yeah. And then Tom went tell you who's nice that Nala from Lion King. So he picked just a female lion.
Speaker 2:No, it weren't that, I'm sure he said Pinocchio.
Speaker 1:What That'd be absolutely ridiculous. I'm sure he said Pinocchio, what That'd be absolutely ridiculous.
Speaker 2:I'm sure he said Pinocchio. I thought he said Nala. I thought he meant Pocahontas. Is it Pocahontas who's a?
Speaker 1:woman. He might have said that as well, but the joke was when he picked the female lion out of the Lion King.
Speaker 2:I'm sure he said he fancied Pinocchio.
Speaker 1:You might have been laughing because you thought Pocahontas was Pinocchio.
Speaker 2:Pinocchio. It's better if he fancies Pinocchio To be fair.
Speaker 1:I'm not sure which is madder out of Nala, a female lion or Pinocchio.
Speaker 2:Well, to get him on next week, you could say come on, Tom, which is the best, Pinocchio or the fucking female lion? I don't think there's anything wrong with a female lion because, obviously, if you yeah, but it's a lion.
Speaker 1:The rest are plain women, yeah, but sort of the personified her and sort of it wasn't just a rabbit. This is a lion. This is just a lion. It's not like it doesn't. They've not changed it to make it look like a person.
Speaker 2:I'm looking at the Cadbury's caramel bunny rabbit now and, yeah, they've made. They've obviously made. She's got like makeup on and that, yeah, you're trying to make it look sultry, aren't you?
Speaker 1:I mean, it's a bit like if you had Chitara out of Thundercats Not on my street, but I could kind of get where you're coming from. But Gnarla, look at Gnarla from Lion King. It's literally just a lion, isn't it? It's just a lion.
Speaker 2:It might as well just be a photo of a lion.
Speaker 1:Oh God, he Kim Possible, I mean either he said that or Betty Boo that's another.
Speaker 2:We're in another episode here. We could easily do sexiest cartoon characters Daphne's in there as well. Dora the Explorer, not for me.
Speaker 1:Would we have to cover the alternate view? Would we have to cover the male?
Speaker 2:characters. Well, yeah, we can get our first female guest on and do what they think I imagine they'll like. Do you reckon they won't like Shaggy Wool, though? Who would they like He-Man? What about He-Man? He's a sexy young man isn't he?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know, save it for another day, I think.
Speaker 2:Anyway, right, so that's mascots. We might go back toads like I can't believe. It started off as like two old men going oh, you can still get these, can't you? And then at the end we're like fucking. We've like gone to 90s with loads of magazines men behaving badly oh, is that? Have I got news for you? Very similar, but you can't do both those things. And what's the?
Speaker 1:I got news for you yeah, you can't do it you.
Speaker 2:I want some, I Got.
Speaker 1:News for you yeah, you can't do it.
Speaker 2:You just did it, but it's very similar, isn't it? No, that's from A Babe in Bad Lay. It's not.
Speaker 1:No, it is. Anyway, thanks a lot. Yeah, you can't keep going with this right, so we'll see you next time.
Speaker 2:Thank you for persevering with this if we descend, au revoir. Thank you for listening to who Remembers. If you want to get in touch with us, you can find us at whorememberspod, at outlookcom. If you are a right-wing fascist, you can find us on Twitter at whorememberspod, or if you're a Wokenor, you can find us on Blue Sky at whorememberspod. Once again, thank you for listening and we'll see you next time for more remembering.