Bud Light just revivedits most controversial mascot of all time: Spuds MacKenzie.The beer brand debuteda commercial starring the ghost of Spuds MacKenzie during the Super Bowl. In the ad, Spuds takes on a Christmas Carol-esque role, encouraging an anti-social young man to spend more time with his friends.Spuds MacKenzie has a rich and controversialplace in Bud Lights' history.Bud Light first introduced a"super party animal named Spuds MacKenzie," duringthe Super Bowl in 1987andthe dog was an immediate hit. The Bull Terrier helped increase Bud Light sales by 20% between 1987 and 1988,The New York Times reported.Spuds was everywhere ' on t-shirts, posters, lamps, and more. Sir Mix-A-Lot even drew inspiration fromthe ads, telling the AV Club in 2003that hisiconic song "Baby Got Back" was intended to praisewomen who didn't look like"the Spuds MacKenzie girls," which he described as "little skinny chicks looking like stop signs, with big hair and skinny bodies."Spuds' time in the spotlight was short-lived, however, in part due to intense opposition from a US senator.Republican Senator Strom Thurmond accused Bud Light of using Spuds as a mascot to encourage under-aged drinking and glamorize the use of alcohol. In November 1987, Thurmond took to the Senate floor waving a stuffed "Spuds MacKenzie" doll and demanded that Anheuser-Busch halt the campaign."I am not confident in the voluntary efforts of the alcohol beverage industry to increase public awareness of the hazards of alcohol abuse," Thurmond said, according to the Associated Press. "With 12-year-olds drinking wine coolers and wearing 'Spuds MacKenzie' T-shirts, there is no basis for such confidence."Mothers Against Drunk Driving launched a campaign against Spuds, and some schools began banning apparel featuring the canine.The mascot was retired in 1989, with Bud Light saying it was simply time to move on creatively.As Spuds became an icon, the canine's personal life was put under the microscope. #throwbackthursday #throwbackthursdays#80sbaby #80s#spudsmckenzie #budlight A photo posted by joey_urtez (@joey_urtez81) on Nov 10, 2016 at 10:33am PSTon Nov 10, 2016 at 10:33am PST As part of Spuds machoimage, the dog dressed in a tuxedo, driven around in limousines, and surrounded by beautiful "Spudettes."However, itwas soon discoveredthat the party animal was in fact a female dog.People reported thatthe brand'srepresentatives went as far asshielding the canine actor, whose real name was Honey Tree Evil Eye,from cameras with their coatswhile sherelieved herself. The original party animal A photo posted by Svetlana Legetic (@svetlanabyt) on Sep 3, 2016 at 12:23pm PDTon Sep 3, 2016 at 12:23pm PDT Gossip didn't end with questions of Spuds' gender.Rumors that Spuds died in a limo crash or while strapped to a surfboard had to be debunked by People a few monthsafter the Super Bowl ad ran.Honey Tree Evil Eye died in 1993 after four years of retirement. 'Spuds McKenzie Bud Light commercial (1987) '' #bullterrier #spudsmckenzie #commercial #budlight #dogoftheday #animal #ebt #puppy #englishbullterrier #mansbestfriend #igdogs #instadog #blonde #doglover #ilovemydog #picoftheday #miniaturebullterrier #bullterrierinstagram #bullterrierpics #dog #bully #bullylife #dogstagram #bullterriersofinstagram #dogsofinstagram #bullylove #igdaily #bullterriergram #bullterrierlove #animallovers @proudbullterriers @bullterrierlovers A video posted by Vinnie The Bully (@vinnie.the.bully) on Aug 8, 2016 at 1:11pm PDTon Aug 8, 2016 at 1:11pm PDT Honey Tree Evil Eye, nicknamed Evie, spent her finalyears in North Riverside, Illinois, and was 10 years old when she passed away due to kidney failure.This isn't the first time a brand has tried to resurect a mascot.When KFC brought Colonel Sanders back from the dead in May 2015, the chain faced some backlash from customers who believed the ads to be too irreverent. However, the chain's sales have steadily grown in the almost two years since the return of the Colonel. 'SOLD'Make your reservation at Club Spuds for the summer! In the shop now. #Etsy #Vintage #Shopping #Summer #Beach #beer #Budweiser #BudLight #SpudsMcKenzie #TShirt #Shirt #VintageTee A photo posted by Pimpernel Vintage on Etsy (@pimpernelvintage) on Jun 10, 2016 at 6:06pm PDTon Jun 10, 2016 at 6:06pm PDT Colonel Sanders was not portrayed as a ghost, as Spuds will be in the ad.Here's Bud Light's Super Bowl ad, titled "Ghost Spud":var playerParam = { 'pcode': 'BhdmY6l9g002rBhQ6aEBZiheacDu', 'playerBrandingId': '6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e', 'skin': { 'config': '//player.ooyala.com/static/v4/stable/4.4.11/skin-plugin/skin.json' }};OO.ready(function() { window.pp = OO.Player.create('ooyala-post-container', '9tZWRlOTE6JCwRCXvpHt3vdrQwzlaLze', playerParam);});Join the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: Here's why malls across the US are dying
Click here to read full news..
