Kool-Aid Man: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox musical artist |
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|Name = Kool Aid Man |
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|Img = BARRYwhite.png |
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|Img_capt = White performing the song "Just The Way You Are" |
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|Img_size = |
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|Background = solo_singer |
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|Birth_name = Barrence Eugene Carter |
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|Alias = |
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|Born = [[September 12]], [[1944]]<br>[[Galveston, TX]] |
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|Died = [[July 4]], [[2003]] (age 58)<br>[[Los Angeles, CA]] |
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|Origin = |
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|Instrument = [[keyboards]], [[vocals]] |
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|Genre = [[Soul music|Soul]]<br/>[[Disco]] |
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|Occupation = |
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|Years_active = [[1973]] to [[2003]] |
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|Label = [[20th Century Records|20th Century]]<br/>[[A&M Records|A&M]]<br/>[[Mercury Records]] |
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|Associated_acts = Love Unlimited Orchestra |
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|URL = |
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|Current_members = |
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|Past_members = |
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}} |
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[[Image:Kool-AidMan.jpg|thumb|right|Kool-Aid Man.]] |
[[Image:Kool-AidMan.jpg|thumb|right|Kool-Aid Man.]] |
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'''Kool-Aid Man''' is the [[mascot]] for [[Kool-Aid]], a popular drink. The character has appeared in [[television]] and print [[advertising]] as a fun-loving and avuncular beverage provider, bursting through walls and yelling "Oh yeah!" to share the drink with kids. He is a gigantic [[anthropomorphic]] [[pitcher (container)|pitcher]], filled with Kool-Aid (usually [[cherry]], though other flavors have been used) and marked with a fingerprinted [[smiley|smiley face]]. |
'''Kool-Aid Man''' is the [[mascot]] for [[Kool-Aid]], a popular drink. The character has appeared in [[television]] and print [[advertising]] as a fun-loving and avuncular beverage provider, bursting through walls and yelling "Oh yeah!" to share the drink with kids. He is a gigantic [[anthropomorphic]] [[pitcher (container)|pitcher]], filled with Kool-Aid (usually [[cherry]], though other flavors have been used) and marked with a fingerprinted [[smiley|smiley face]]. |
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Revision as of 18:38, 28 March 2007
Kool-Aid Man is the mascot for Kool-Aid, a popular drink. The character has appeared in television and print advertising as a fun-loving and avuncular beverage provider, bursting through walls and yelling "Oh yeah!" to share the drink with kids. He is a gigantic anthropomorphic pitcher, filled with Kool-Aid (usually cherry, though other flavors have been used) and marked with a fingerprinted smiley face.
History
The smiling Kool-Aid pitcher first appeared in 1954, a year after Kool-Aid was purchased by General Foods. It was designed by Marvin Potts, an art director at the New York office of the Foote, Cone & Belding advertising agency. He was asked to illustrate the ad slogan "A five-cent package makes 2 quarts". Apparently inspired by his son drawing on a frosty windowpane, he produced three different frosted pitcher designs: one had 5¢ drawn in the frost, one had a heart-and-arrow, and one had the smiling face.
Kool-Aid Man was introduced in 1975 by adding arms and legs to "Pitcher Man".
Already well-known from its company's advertising campaign, Kool-Aid Man starred in a comic book in the 1980s, originally published by Marvel and later Archie Comics. In these comics, he battled long-tongued aliens known as the Thirstees, and later a pyromaniac named Scorch. Also in the 1980s, two video games created by M Networks, and based on the comic books out, were made for the Atari 2600 and Intellivision systems. Both involved Kool-Aid Man having to prevent the Thirstees from stealing all the Kool-Aid from the kids.
The voice of Kool-Aid Man in television commercials — known for the catch phrase "Oh yeah!" — is currently frank simms, who used to sing back-up for the pop singer Billy Joel. The current character has been modernized, sometimes wearing clothing, or talking with kids in their own slang.
Other appearances
Kool-Aid Man has also appeared on non-drink items throughout the years. There have been Kool-Aid Man Banks, T-Shirts of the famous face on a red background, stuffed toys, figurines, wacky wobblers, key chains and toys.
Not as popular an icon for Kool-Aid as it used to be, Kool-Aid Man is now often seen in media entirely unrelated to the brand at all. The character is instead parodied in television, comics, and comedy.
Cultural references
- In a scene in the first episode of Family Guy, it is revealed that Peter is going to jail. One by one, the main characters say, "Oh, No!" in turn. Immediately Kool-Aid Man bursts through the wall and says "Oh, Yeah!" in his trademark way, before retreating through the hole during the awkward silence that follows. In another episode, Kool-Aid Man is in his living room reading a newspaper when a man in a car crashes through his wall. He remarks, "Wow. You know, from the other side, that's kind of annoying." Later in the episode he is seen patching the wall, only to have it knocked out again as he finishes. He also appears as Drew Barrymore's boyfriend in Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story. He also appeared in the episode Prick Up Your Ears in line trying to get Stewie to calm down after he was told that the tooth fairy was breaking into his house.
- Kool Aid also made a cameo appearance in the animated series The Critic in a Season 2 episode titled "Eyes for the Prize". He appears in Jay Sherman's short film L'artiste est Morte, in which he does his trademark routine of punching through walls. This clip is superimposed with another clip of a nuclear explosion.
- On another episode of The Critic, Kool-Aid Man was parodied as a bottle of wine name Winey Jacques in a French commercial. Winey Jacques had similar facial features of Kool-Aid Man, as well as a pencil mustache.
- Kool-Aid Man also made small cameo appearances in the webcomics Applegeeks, Impy and Aevy, Penny Arcade, Perry Bible Fellowship, True Groove and Project Y (no longer available).
- Kool-Aid Man has appeared in the cult Flash clip Tales for the L33t.
- The cover of Bon Jovi's album "Have A Nice Day" resembles Kool-Aid Man's face.
- Dane Cook has a track on his comedy album Harmful If Swallowed in which he describes his issues with Kool-Aid Man's entrance technique. [1]
- In the Homestar Runner Halloween 2002 Cartoon Pumpkin Carve-nival, the character Pom Pom dresses up as Kool-Aid Man.
- In the film The Nutty Professor, Dave Chappelle's character works Eddie Murphy's overweight character into his stand-up comedy routine with the line, "He's so fat, that when he wears a red shirt, all the kids say, 'Yo! Kool-Aid!'"
- In The Simpsons, the recurring character Duff-Man, the mascot for Duff Beer, though he looks completely different, he is an obvious parody of the Kool-Aid Man, complete with his "Oh yeah!" catch phrase. Also, in the episode The Way We Weren't, the Kool-Aid Man makes an appearance in Homer's imaginary perfect world. Unfortunately, Homer drinks the Kool-Aid out of the Kool-Aid Man, killing him.
