Chester Cheetah
| Chester Cheetah | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | 1986 |
| Voiced by |
Joel Murray (1986–97) Pete Stacker (1997–2008) Johnny Michaels (5 spots; early 2000s) Adam Leadbeater (2008–present) |
| Information | |
| Species | Cheetah |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Mascot of Cheetos |
Chester Cheetah is a fictional character and the official mascot for Frito-Lay's Cheetos brand snacks and Chester's Puffcorn.
Cheetos' original mascot was the Cheetos Mouse, who debuted in 1971 and disappeared around 1979. In 1986, Chester Cheetah was created by Brad Morgan, who art directed the commercials and designed the character, and Stephen Kane who wrote the original scripts for television commercials. The original 24-frame animation was done by Richard Williams. After Chester's introduction, the sly, smooth voiced cheetah began starring in more commercials and eventually became Cheetos' official mascot. He used the slogans "It ain't easy bein' cheesy" and "The cheese that goes crunch!" from 1986 to 1997, until it became "Dangerously cheesy!" from 1997 onward.
From the mid-1980s to early 2000s, television adverts often featured Chester's desperate attempts to eat other people's Cheetos. The self-described "hip kitty" was often seen sneaking up on an unsuspecting stranger at a beach or public park. The result would always involve cartoon violence in the vein of Looney Tunes, such as Chester riding a motorcycle off a bridge, getting thrown to the top of a coliseum, or plunging miles through the air to unwittingly grab a hang gliding bodacious babe, only to cast her aside in favor of Cheetos. These spots were first directed by Keith Van Allen, and later by Cow and Chicken creator David Feiss.
In 1992, Chester's own television program called Yo! It's the Chester Cheetah Show! was under development for the Fox Kids Saturday morning fall lineup; however, an ethics debate erupted over Chester's status as an advertising character, and likely due to the protests of Action for Children's Television, the show was prevented from airing. Their petition marked the first time that the organization protested something before it actually became a program.
Chester's character underwent slight revamping in 1997. With the introduction of the "Dangerously cheesy!" slogan and Pete Stacker replacing Joel Murray as his voice actor, Chester began appearing in live-action/animated hybrid advertisements that saw him entering the real world. During this time, the ads began portraying him in a less antagonistic manner; his personality went from being bumbling to being suaver and cooler, as well as him actually managing to eat Cheetos unlike in the older commercials.
...
Wikipedia