When I was a young kid growing up in Houston, Texas (trust me, that was
a very LONG time ago, ha ha), like a lot
of other American kiddos, I really looked forward to Saturday mornings.
Why? Well, for one thing there was NO SCHOOL! Yay! Also, as a result,
Saturday morning TV programming was almost exclusively for children…
cartoons, kids shows, Disney programs, game shows, etc.
So naturally, all of the TV commercials were directed towards us
youngsters… toys, games, candy, breakfast cereals, you name it.
Through the years I came to admire my favorite cartoon character by the
name of Tony the Tiger (トニー・ザ・タイガー). Born in 1952, Tony is the mascot
for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes
breakfast cereal, known in Japan as Corn Frosty (コーンフロスティ).
I always loved it at the end of Tony’s TV commercials when they would
ask him what he thought of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes and he would always
say in a deep bass voice, "They're
gr-r-reat!"
Well, you might imagine the impact that made on a very impressionable
5-year-old at the time, and now over 6 decades later, I still use that
phrase in my everyday life, ha ha.
The humor in his expression, although somewhat subtle, is that because
tigers make a "gr-r-r-rowling" sound, Tony's way of saying "gr-r-r-reat"
approximates the voice of a real tiger. By all means, be sure to listen
to his voice in the audio file and TV commercials video shown
below.
My wish today is that you too will come to admire and love Tony the
Tiger as much as I do! Long live Tony the Tiger, because in my heart
and soul, he will always
be GR-R-REAT!
Q: Tony, what do you think of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes?
A: They're
GR-R-R-R-REAT!!!
(click link above to hear Tony's voice)
FOUR Tony the Tiger
TV commercials, the last 2 in Japanese (日本語)
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
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like a lot
of other American kiddos, I really looked forward to Saturday mornings.
New! Add your comment
Have your say about this page! Feel free to comment in the box below: