Charlie the Tuna: Difference between revisions

| colorimage = Modern = BlueCharlie.png

| name = Charlie the Tuna

| creator = Tom Rogers

| first = 1961

| voice = [[Herschel Bernardi]]<br>[[Tex Brashear]]<br>Ron Hawking<br>[[Jeff Bergman]]

| species = [[Tuna]]

| occupation = [[Mascot]] of [[StarKist]]

| gender = [[Male]]

|}}

'''Charlie the Tuna''' is the cartoon mascot and spokes-[[tuna]] for the [[StarKist Tuna|StarKist]] brand. He was created in 1961 by Tom Rogers<ref name="Holley"/> of the [[Leo Burnett Agency]].<ref>[http://starkist.com/charlie/all-about-charlie All About Charlie] StarKist. Accessed November 13, 2016.</ref> StarKist Tuna is owned by [[Dongwon Industries]], a [[South Korea]]{{En dash}}based [[Conglomerate (company)|conglomerate]].<ref>[http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?l=e&ndb=1&id=30059 Del Monte wraps up sale of StarKist], [[fis.com]], October 8, 2008.</ref> Charlie is one of the most recognized characters in American advertising.<ref name="Adweek"/>

Charlie the Tuna was based on Tom Rogers' friend [[Henry Nemo]]. Nemo is known as the "creator of jive", which resembles the loose-lipped slang used by Charlie the Tuna.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Aaron|first1=Jane|title='Sorry, Charlie' reminiscent of 1940s yet steadily fades from modern speech|url=http://www.lincolnjournalonline.com/news/2017-04-06/Front_Page/Sorry_Charlie_reminiscent_of_1940s_yet_steadily_fa.html|accessdate=1 November 1, 2017|newspaper=[[Lincoln Journal (Georgia)|The Lincoln Journal]]|date=6 April 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107020949/http://www.lincolnjournalonline.com/news/2017-04-06/Front_Page/Sorry_Charlie_reminiscent_of_1940s_yet_steadily_fa.html|archive-date=7 November 7, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The advertisements depicted Charlie (voiced by actor [[Herschel Bernardi]]) as a [[BeatnikHipster (contemporary subculture)|hipster]], originally a lower class New York accented [[beatnik]] wearing a [[beret]] and thick glasses who believes that his hip, cultured "good taste" make him a perfect catch for StarKist, but he is always rejected. Announcer [[Danny Dark]] explains to him "Sorry, Charlie!"{{refn|1=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/13/business/media/stirring-memories-of-commercials-past.html}} Some advertisements ended with Charlie encouraging viewers to "Tell 'em, Charlie sent you". Earlier advertisements would have some other form of sea life saying "But Charlie, StarKist does not want tunas with good taste; they want tunas that taste good." These commercials were animated by [[DePatie-Freleng Enterprises]].<ref>Interview with David Depatie; extra feature on the ''Here Comes The Grump'' box set</ref> "Sorry, Charlie" became a popular American [[catchphrase]].<ref name="WSJ"/>

The Charlie character appeared in more than 85 advertisements for StarKist until the 1980s, when the campaign was retired. Herschel Bernardi, the original voice of the character, died on May 9, 1986.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0076453/ Hershel Bernardi profile] at the [[Internet Movie Database]]</ref> Charlie made a comeback in 1999, when StarKist revived him to introduce a new line of tuna products marketed as healthy.<ref name="WSJ">{{cite news |last1=McCarthy |first1=Michael |title=Charlie the Tuna Returns to Ads And More Corporate Rejection |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB879703843391593500 |accessdate=8 December 8, 2019 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=17 November 17, 1997}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/FOOD/news/9905/21/charlie.tuna/|title=Fish out of water: 'Charlie the Tuna' returns to TV|website=www.cnn.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214819/http://www.cnn.com/FOOD/news/9905/21/charlie.tuna/|archive-date=3 March 3, 2016|date=21 May 21, 1999}}</ref> He has been the mascot of the company since then and is one of the most-recognized brand mascots in American advertising.<ref name=Adweek>{{cite news |last1=Klara |first1=Robert |title=How Charlie the Tuna Became One of the Best-Known Brand Mascots in American History |url=https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-charlie-the-tuna-became-one-of-the-best-known-brand-mascots-in-american-history/ |accessdate=8 December 8, 2019 |work=Adweek |date=16 August 16, 2019}}</ref>

Dark died on June 13, 2004, while Rogers died on June 24, 2005.<ref name="Holley">{{cite news |last1=Holley |first1=Joe |title=Charlie the Tuna Creator Tom Rogers Dies |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/07/AR2005070702136_pf.html |worknewspaper=Washington Post |accessdate=8 December 8, 2019|date=8 July 8, 2005}}</ref>

Los Angeles radio personality and voiceover artist [[Charlie Tuna]] (real name: Art Ferguson) chose his on-air name early in his career upon the departure of another [[Oklahoma City]] disc jockey.{{fact|date=December 2024}} All disc jockeys at KOMA were told to draw their on-air names out of a hat, and by the time [[Chuck Riley (voice actor)|Chuck Riley]] picked his on-air name out of a hat, every name had been drawn except for "Charlie Tuna". Riley used the name for a week, and then left. His replacement, Art Ferguson, inherited the name, and he would keep the Charlie Tuna name upon relocating first to Boston and then Los Angeles.{{fact|date=December 2024}}

American football head coach [[Bill Parcells]] earned the nickname "The Big Tuna" when he responded to an obviously false statement from a player with the incredulous "Who do you think I am? Charlie the Tuna?"{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

American hip-hop star [[Chali 2na]] chose his rap name by slightly modifying the name Charlie Tuna, a nickname his uncle gave him in his youth.{{fact|date=December 2024}}

During the production of the 20182017 film ''[[The Shape of Water]]'', director [[Guillermo del Toro]] remarked of the creature in the film: "[The] character is called 'Charlie' on the call-sheet by reference to the StarKist mascot Charlie the Tuna. 'We wanted to play the ad on TV', he says, 'but StarKist didn't want to have anything to do with a movie like this. The nickname stayed{{'"}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/12/guillermo-del-toro-interview-on-set-shape-of-water-1202232620/|title=On Set For 'The Shape Of Water': Guillermo Del Toro "Bled" To Realize His Most Ambitious Project Yet|first1=Joe|last1=Utichi|date=December 27, 2017|website=deadline.com[[Deadline Hollywood]]|accessdateaccess-date=8 December 8, 2019}}</ref>

Charlie the Tuna makes a cameo appearance in the 2012 computer-animated film ''[[Foodfight!]]'' Heand is also featured on the North American home video cover art of theit.{{fact|date=December film.2024}}

Charlie the Tuna was shown in [[Mastercard|MasterCard]]'s 2005 "Icons" commercial which was shown during [[Super Bowl XXXIX]], and it depicts many famous advertising mascots having dinner together.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mastercard Priceless {{!}} Experiences make life more meaningful. |url=https://www.priceless.com/m/ |access-date=2023-01-January 19, 2023 |website=Priceless |language=en-US}}</ref>