100 Days of Leo Burnett, the Midwestern Master of Mascots DAY 5

Here’s this week’s Leo:

Personal satisfaction, I believe, must come in a day-to-day feeling that one has earned his or her pay.” — Leo Burnett

Green Giant Holiday Wreath
The Minnesota Valley Canning Company began in 1903, and the company introduced a large variety of pea under the brand “Green Giant” in 1925. Burnett began using the Jolly Green Giant to promote these peas in 1928. The success of the Jolly Green Giant as a mascot caused the Minnesota Valley Canning Company to change its name to the Green Giant Company in 1950. The Sprout is the apprentice of the Jolly Green Giant, and was introduced in 1972.

The town of Blue Earth, Minnesota erected a 55-foot statue of the Jolly Green Giant in 1978 to commemorate the completion of Interstate 90. The statue was permanently erected the following year, and it now attracts at least 10,000 visitors annually. Paul Hedberg was the owner of radio station KBEW and would provide his interview subjects with canned vegetables from the Green Giant Company. He got the idea to build the statue from his interview subjects, who often asked to see the Green Giant.

@LeoBurnett #100Leos #LeoBurnett #MadMenSunday #GreenGiant

Continue to Day 6

 
 
 
 

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