AW Icon Throwback: Nesquik Bunny

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“You can’t drink it slow if it’s Quik!”

In the 1950s, Nestlé’s Quik chocolate powdered flavoring mix introduced a new flavor to grocery shelves — strawberry. As cans of the delicious flavor were bought by consumers, they couldn’t help but wonder about the cartoon pink rabbit on its packaging. Who was he? Sure, we know him now as the brand mascot behind Nestlé Nesquik, so much an icon that he was even nominated in this year’s Walk of Fame! But it wasn’t until his 1973 commercial spot debut that the world would meet, and be all ears for, the Nesquik Bunny.

In his first commercial, the Bunny (voiced by Barry Gordon) stirs up a glass of Nestlé’s Quik and grabs a guitar and strums along to his own jingle.

It’s so rich and thick and choco-lik
That you can’t drink it slow
If it’s Quik!

Using a straw, he then polishes off the glass and laments that the sound of the straw hitting the empty glass is “the saddest sound I know.”

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Viewers felt his plight and overnight; the Bunny became an ally to kids and moms everywhere. In the early 1990s, the official designer for the Bunny would be cartoonist Ramon Casanyes who would continue to bring to life his upbeat and adventurous personality.

The nineties would close with the brand globally changing its name from Quik to Nesquik in 1999. Throughout this time, the Nesquik Bunny would also change in color, going from pink to brown, with an “N” on his chest for “Nesquik,” and extra attention paid to his ears to punctuate his love for Nesquik with friends.

Today, the Nesquik Bunny is still hopping the world to share the exciting news of just how tasty Nesquik is with everyone he meets. He’s active on social media, especially Instagram where he gets massages, heads to the beach, and cheers on swimmers by bringing along ice cold bottles of Nesquik. And what about his commercial spots? Ogilvy’s “Bunny Ears” campaign in 2013 showed what happens when you “break out the bunny.” From Mount Rushmore to outer space, the Nesquik Bunny photobombed everyone he encountered — how else? — with bunny ears.


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