The Names Just Don't 'Ad' Up! Quiz | Marketing

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Do you remember the Budweiser frogs? What were their names?

Answer: Bud & Weis & Er

We were first introduced to Bud, Weis, and Er, the Bud Beer frogs during Super Bowl XXIX in 1995. Their director also directed some of the 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' movies. They were so popular that a couple of chameleons named Frankie and Louis were invited to join them in the pond. To get more of the spot light, the lizards hired an inept hit man who just happened to be a ferret.

The ferret was never successful in getting rid of the frogs. But in 1998, the chameleons were successful in replacing the frogs because the frogs were well known and liked by children who were not of drinking age. Ya' just never know who to trust!

2. And while we're on the subject of lizards, do you know the name of the GEICO gecko?

Answer: Martin

Martin was introduced as the spokes-lizard for GEICO in 1999 during an actor strike. Kelsey Grammer of 'Frazier' fame was the gecko's original voice. As CGI improved, the gecko's appearance changed somewhat. His accent changed too. Martin was named after the ad agency that created him.

3. Do you remember the Wendy's commercial with the elderly lady asking 'where's the beef'. Do you recall her name?

Answer: Clara Peller

Clara Peller's career as a spokesperson for Wendy's restaurant began in 1984. Originally, there were three older ladies but Clara's line made her the stand out and she continued with Wendy's ads until she made a Prego commercial in 1985. In 2011, Wendy's answered their own question with another ad phrase - 'Here's the beef'. Not nearly as catchy!

4. Remember the white dog with dark ears sitting with his/her head slightly cocked to one side in front of a phonograph? What was the dog's name?

Answer: Nipper

Nipper was born in 1884 and was a male terrier of some sort. Nipper died in 1895 and was buried in England. His owner painted a picture of Nipper looking at a phonograph three years after Nipper had gone to puppy heaven. The painting with some modifications was eventually sold to RCA. After that, Nipper and RCA became inseparable in print and on TV.

5. The manager of an actor/comedian got his client an audition with an ad agency. The ad they were making was for Isuzu. The car manufacturer, Isuzu, liked the ad and the actor and he was hired. His name just happened to be Joe Isuzu.

Answer: False

The Isuzu car commercials starring David Leisure as Joe Isuzu started in 1986. He was very popular with the Super Bowl XXI watchers in 1987. His lies were so outrageous, no thinking person would believe him. During the 1988 debates, Dukakis said "If Bush keeps it up, he's going to be the Joe Isuzu of American politics". If you own an ad agency or a car company, that moment is when you know your ad has been VERY successful!

6. Remember a tiny little dog with big ears and an even bigger attitude? This puppy dog with a big ego earned a paycheck from a fast food giant, Taco Bell. Do you recall his or her name?

Answer: Gidget

Gidget was the lucky dog to represent Taco Bell from 1997 to 2000. There were rumors that the ads were discontinued due to Gidget's death but they were cancelled due to a drop in Taco Bell sales. Gidget went on to do some guest appearances and ads, notably, a GEICO commercial. She was euthanized in 2009 after a stroke.

7. Kentucky Fried Chicken, or KFC as they are now known, has always been fronted by a distinguished looking southern gentleman in a white suit. Do you know his name?

Answer: Colonel Sanders

The second largest chain restaurant and the largest fried chicken chain was fronted by its creator, Colonel Harland Sanders. He started selling chicken by the roadside in Kentucky during the depression and built an empire through franchising. Sanders died in 1980 and actors have been portraying him in ads ever since then.

8. Meow. A large tabby tom cat is pushing a can of 9Lives cat food toward me. I've seen him on TV for years now but don't know his name. Do you?

Answer: Morris

Morris and 9Lives (owned by Del Monte Foods) have been associated since 1968. The original Morris was a rescue kitty just as all the 'replacement' Morris' have been. Morris and his stand-ins have been in movies and on TV in roles other than promoting cat food. One that Morris is most proud of is supporting Humane Societies and rescue shelters. Morris The Cat has a Facebook page.

9. The man in the ads for Dos Equis beer is called 'The Most Interesting Man In The World'. He's handsome, suave, debonair, a world traveler, and on and on. But he's not human, not real. He is actually a CGI creation based on many men.

Answer: False

His name is Jonathan Goldsmith and he's not only real, he's friends with Fernando Lamas, another handsome, suave, debonair man who Goldsmith says his character is inspired by. The commercials started in 2006 and are still running in 2012. The company that makes Dos Equis says sales have increased yearly in the U.S. and tripled in Canada. Looks like they got their money's worth with "I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I drink Dos Equis".

10. I saved my favorite for last. The actor's name is Dean Winters but in these Allstate Insurance ads, he calls himself something (or does he).

Answer: Mayhem

Dean was a successful actor before doing ads for Allstate. He had regular roles on several TV shows but in 2010 he became the face of Mayhem and one of my favorite people to watch on TV. Since then he has been a deer frozen in your headlights, a recalculating GPS system in your car, a guard dog watching robbers steal you blind, worn out windshield wipers causing you to run into orange barrels, a teenage girl driving erratically in a parking lot, and on and on. Winters may know something of death and mayhem first hand. Before taking the Allstate job, he contracted an infection and his heart stopped for almost three minutes while in an ambulance on his way to a hospital.

Source: Author suzi_greer

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor trident before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The Names Just Don't 'Ad' Up! Trivia Quiz

Sometimes we wish we would never see another print ad or watch another commercial but there are those ads that are amusing or have characters/actors we like and it makes the ad more palatable. This quiz is about naming those characters.

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