When it comes to sugary cereals, there?s nothing more necessary than a mascot. Frosted Flakes has Tony the Tiger, Lucky Charms has Lucky the Leprechaun, and Froot Loops have Toucan Sam. But amongst these long standing icons, one company has never been able stick to one mascot. That?s why today I?m here to explain the surprisingly long history of the Cookie Crisp mascots.
When Cookie Crisp was first introduced to grocery stores across the United States in 1977, the boxes featured the mascot Cookie Jarvis. He was a merlin-esque wizard who had the power to turn basically anything into Cookie Crisp. It makes me wonder if he was given the name Cookie Jarvis when he became a wizard, or if it was just a coincidence that those were his powers. Cookie Jarvis was voiced by Lennie Weinrib, known for being the original voice of Scrappy-Doo and Prince Lotor.
In 1985, eight years after he was introduced, Cookie Jarvis was replaced by the duo of the Cookie Crook and Cookie Cop (formally known as Officer Crumb). The former would try to steal a real life bowl of cereal with different gadgets, while the latter would stop him. Originally the Crook and Cop where mouse-sized animated characters in the real world, but their ads ended up becoming full animation. In 1990 Cookie Crook found help in Chip the Dog, who really did nothing to stop the vigilant Cookie Cop.
A big change occurred in 1997 when General Mills bought the trademark and booted Cookie Crook and Cookie Cop from their mascot spots. Chip went straight and ditched his criminal mask to become the face of Cookie Crisp. Chip would now give children a bowl of delicious Cookie Crisp, and could change the opinions of even the strictest adults with the taste of the cereal.
However, in 2003 Cookie Crisp went worldwide to Asia and Europe, and those countries got the mascot of Chip the Wolf. So, at one point both the friendly Chip the Dog and the criminal Chip the Wolf were advertising the same breakfast of cookies in a bowl. But, as has been seen throughout Cookie Crisp history, the new always wins, and in 2005 Chip the Wolf became the new worldwide Cookie Crisp mascot. He currently has the longest tenure of a mascot at 16 years in total, 14 years in America. He?s back to Chip the Dog?s criminal roots, but is more similar to the Trix Bunny as his plans are always foiled either by kids or his own machinations.
The Cookie Crisp mascot has changed positions many times, but the cereal remains the same, cookies for breakfast. While some people grew up with Cookie Jarvis, others with Cookie Crook, Officer Crumb, and Chip the Dog, and the newest generation having Chip the Wolf. The good thing is that Cookie Crisp is still on store shelves though, and for generations to come kids will get to eat cookies for breakfast. Plus, the mascots aren?t gone forever, as recently Cookie Crook and Officer Crumb were seen on the back of a Cookie Crisp box. It just goes to show mascots are temporary, but cookies are forever.
Cookie Crook and Officer Crumb on the back of a 2018 Cookie Crisp box
