Following Sanrio’s big reveal that Hello Kitty is not a cat, we were forced to investigate on the true identities of the other iconic characters that we thought we knew. Here’s what we found out:
Polgas, ang Asong Hindi (Polgas, the Dog Who Isn’t)
Species: Anthropomorphic dog
Unlike Sanrio, Pol Medina Jr. made it pretty clear from the start that Polgas is a “dog who isn’t”. In Pugad Baboy One, Polgas, the family pet of the Sungcal family, walked on all fours. Later on, Pugad Baboy creator Pol Medina gave Polgas the ability to communicate through the family’s housemaid Brosia. Still unsatisfied with the limited voice, Medina eventually made Polgas anthropomorphic. Polgas, ang Asong Hindi, walks, thinks, dresses, and communicates like a human. Medina explained in one of his strips that Polgas became anthropomorphic after eating Mang Dagul’s bibingka and exposure to radiation emitted by television sets.
by Pol Medina Jr.
Grimace
Myths: Ube jam, a tastebud (!?), colored turd, eggplant, jelly blob, rotten Mc Nugget that got kicked under a fryer
Fact: Mc Donald’s isn’t too sure as well. They describe him as a “purple anthropomorphic being of indeterminate species.”
Grimace was introduced in 1971 as “The Evil Grimace,” a six-armed purple monster, who lives in a cave and steals milkshakes from little kids. Realizing how creepy that storyline is, McDonald’s decided to turn things around and make Grimace one of the good guys. Now, he’s a good-natured simpleton, who’s supposed to represent the child in us.
"Hi kids!"
Bibendum a.k.a. Michelin Man
Myths: Marshmallow man, a mummy
Fact: Antropomorphic stack of tires
Founders Michel and Édouard Michelin formed the idea of the Bibendum mascot back in 1898 when they saw a stack of tires that looked like a man. Bibedum is white in color because back then, tires weren't black. It's only in 1912 when manufacturers started adding carbon to the rubber to improve durability, hence the black color that we now know.
photo from Michelin website
Michelin poster, 1898
Bibendum now
Mr. P of Pringles
Myths: He is named Julius Pringles. He is named after the inventor of the snack.
Fact: Mr. P is a man' with a Cachupoy haircut and wild moustache. No specifics were given on his origin.
The naming of this popular snack was very uneventful. P&G got the name Pringles from a phonebook. After checking for trademark availability, they gave it a go.
We can't find his backstory anywhere on the internet (those Julius Pringles stories are false), but we did find a disturbing clip of him dancing.
Early version of Mr. P
Current Mr. P
Wendy's
Myth: Wendy, as in the girl from Peter Pan
Fact: Portrait of Melinda-Lou "Wendy" Thomas, founder R. David Thomas's daughter
P.S. Hey Sanrio, this is how you draw a "little girl".
The Real Wendy's Girl
Jollibee
Species: Anthropomorphic Bee with exceptional dance skills
According to an interview with The Economist, Tony Tan chose to employ the anthropomorphic bee as the brand mascot because it "epitomized Filipino spirit of light-hearted, everyday happiness. Like Filipino working folk the bee hops around and produces sweet things for life, and is happy even though it is busy.”
As for his Jollitown companions, it's still up for debate if Popo, Twirly, and Hetty are anthropomorphic French Fries, Sundae, and Spaghetti respectively or mutant humans with food head.
Do you know of other characters with questionable identities? Let us know in the comments section and we'll help you research about them.
References:
http://mcdonalds.wikia.com/wiki/Grimace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97YXbNaAyzA
http://www.michelin.com/eng/michelin-group/profile/history-of-the-michelin-group/(date)/5024
https://www.pg.com/en_CA/product_card/bf_pringles.shtml
http://www.economist.com/node/1011021/print?Story_ID=1011021
