The Burger King
The Burger King as seen in Burger King's Wake Up with the King commercial
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| Agency | Crispin Porter + Bogusky |
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| Client | Burger King |
| Title | Wake Up with the King |
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| Release date(s) | 1955 – late 1980s, 2003–2011, 2015–present |
The King in a Simpsons / Burger King commercial
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| Agency | Crispin, Porter + Bogusky |
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| Client | Burger King |
| Title | The Simpsons Movie King |
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| Release date(s) | 2007 |
The Burger King is a character created as the advertising mascot for international fast food restaurant chain Burger King that has been used in numerous television commercials and advertising programs. The character has undergone several iterations over the course of its company's history. The first iteration of the King was part of a sign at the first Burger King restaurant in Miami, Florida in 1955. Later signs showed the King sitting on a "burger throne" as well as atop the BK sign while holding a beverage. In the early 1970s Burger King started using a small, animated version of the King called "Kurger Bing" in its children's advertising where the animated Burger King was voiced by Allen Swift. In 1976, the original animated King was replaced by the "Marvelous Magical Burger King". This is a red-bearded, Tudor-era king who ruled the Burger King Kingdom and performed magic tricks that were mostly sleight-of-hand, but sometimes relied on camera tricks or involved his "Magic Ring" which could summon copious amounts of food. The children's ads featuring the King were phased out by the late 1980s in favor of the BK Kids Club Gang and other subsequent programs.
When advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky took over the advertising account of Burger King in 2003, they devised a caricatured variation of the Burger King character from the Burger King Kingdom advertising campaign, now simply called "the King". During the use of CP+B's new version of the King, ads generated significant word of mouth for its new use of what various trade publications and Internet articles labeled "the Creepy King" persona, an appellation that BK came to favor and CP+B used in its ads. However, the use of the King failed to provide a consistent message regarding the company and its products.
Upon the takeover of Burger King by 3G Capital in 2010, the company terminated its relationship with CP+B. In August 2011, Burger King announced that the character would be retired as the primary mascot for the brand.
However, the company resumed using the King beginning in May 2015 with a paid appearance as a member of Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s entourage before the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight. The next was an appearance in the grandstands at the 2015 Belmont Stakes, with the character standing behind Bob Baffert, the horse trainer of American Pharoah.
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Wikipedia