View source for Charlie the Tuna

{{Use American English|date=June 2024}}
{{Short description|Mascot and spokes-tuna of StarKist}}
{{distinguish|Charlie Tuna|Chali 2na}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox character
| image      = Modern Charlie.png
| image_size = 150px
| 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]] brand. He was created in 1961 by Tom Rogers<ref name="Holley" /> of the [[Leo Burnett Agency]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=All About Charlie |url=http://starkist.com/charlie/all-about-charlie |access-date=November 13, 2016 |website=StarKist |archive-date=November 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114004153/http://starkist.com/charlie/all-about-charlie |url-status=live }}</ref> StarKist Tuna is owned by [[Dongwon Industries]], a [[South Korea]]{{En dash}}based [[Conglomerate (company)|conglomerate]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 8, 2008 |title=Del Monte Wraps Up Sale of StarKist |url=http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?l=e&ndb=1&id=30059 |website=[[fis.com]] |access-date=January 16, 2009 |archive-date=September 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929162707/http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?l=e&ndb=1&id=30059 |url-status=live }}</ref> Charlie is one of the most recognized characters in American advertising.<ref name="Adweek" />

==History==
===Creation===
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 |last=Aaron |first=Jane |date=April 6, 2017 |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 |url-status=dead |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=November 7, 2017 |access-date=November 1, 2017 |work=[[Lincoln Journal (Georgia)|The Lincoln Journal]]}}</ref>

===Campaign===
The advertisements depicted Charlie (voiced by actor [[Herschel Bernardi]]) as a [[Hipster (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!"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Elliott |first=Stuart |date=January 12, 2012 |title=In New Ads, Stirring Memories of Commercials Past |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/13/business/media/stirring-memories-of-commercials-past.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=February 5, 2025 |archive-date=November 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128013625/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/13/business/media/stirring-memories-of-commercials-past.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 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>{{Cite news |last=Saxon |first=Wolfgang |date=May 10, 1986 |title=Herschel Bernardi, 62, Played Tevye in 'Fiddler on the Roof' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/10/obituaries/herschel-bernardi-62-played-tevye-in-fiddler-on-the-roof.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=2014-09-22 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</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 |last=McCarthy |first=Michael |date=November 17, 1997 |title=Charlie the Tuna Returns to Ads and More Corporate Rejection |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB879703843391593500 |access-date=December 8, 2019 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |archive-date=December 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206054745/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB879703843391593500 |url-status=live }}</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 |last=Klara |first=Robert |date=August 16, 2019 |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/ |access-date=December 8, 2019 |work=[[Adweek]]}}</ref>

Dark died on June 13, 2004, while Rogers died on June 24, 2005.<ref name="Holley">{{Cite news |last=Holley |first=Joe |date=July 8, 2005 |title=Charlie the Tuna Creator Tom Rogers Dies |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/07/AR2005070702136_pf.html |access-date=December 8, 2019 |work=[[The Washington Post]] |archive-date=December 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206101444/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/07/AR2005070702136_pf.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Legacy==
{{refimprovesect|date=December 2024}}
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.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 21, 1999 |title=Fish out of Water: 'Charlie the Tuna' Returns to TV |url=http://www.cnn.com/FOOD/news/9905/21/charlie.tuna/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214819/http://www.cnn.com/FOOD/news/9905/21/charlie.tuna/ |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |work=[[CNN]]}}</ref>{{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 2017 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 |last=Utichi |first=Joe |date=December 27, 2017 |title=On Set for 'The Shape of Water': Guillermo Del Toro "Bled" to Realize His Most Ambitious Project Yet |url=https://deadline.com/2017/12/guillermo-del-toro-interview-on-set-shape-of-water-1202232620/ |access-date=December 8, 2019 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |archive-date=December 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208094105/https://deadline.com/2017/12/guillermo-del-toro-interview-on-set-shape-of-water-1202232620/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

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

Charlie the Tuna was shown in [[Mastercard|MasterCard]]'s 2005 "Icons" commercial which was shown during [[Super Bowl XXXIX]], and depicts many famous advertising mascots having dinner together.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 6, 2005 |title=MasterCard - Icons |url=https://adage.com/videos/mastercard-icons/655 |access-date=February 5, 2025 |website=[[Ad Age]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.starkist.com/ StarKist Tuna]

[[Category:Advertising campaigns]]
[[Category:Male characters in advertising]]
[[Category:Cartoon mascots]]
[[Category:Corporate mascots]]
[[Category:Fictional characters based on real people]]
[[Category:Mascots introduced in 1961]]
[[Category:Fictional fish]]
[[Category:Fish mascots]]
[[Category:Food advertising characters]]
[[Category:Tuna]]
[[Category:Beatniks]]