The Vlasic Stork (apparently named Jovny) has been the official mascot of Vlasic Pickles since 1974. He is known for speaking in a Groucho Marx-style voice and holding a pickle like a cigar. According to Vlasic, he was introduced to capitalise on the falling birth rate at the time. He is based on the myths of storks delivering babies and pregnant women having an above average craving for pickles.
Appearance[]
The Vlasic Stork is an anthropomorphic stork wearing a blue mailman hat with the Vlasic logo on it, a red bowtie and a small pair of glasses upon his beak. He is almost always seen holding a pickle in his hand as if it was a cigar.
In May 2010, he was redesigned with a slimmer, more three-dimensional look. However, this new look wasn't well received by consumers, leading Vlasic to switch the Stork back to his old look.
Use in advertising[]
The Vlasic Stork was introduced in 1974. He is voiced by Doug Preis, imitating the voice of the comedian Groucho Marx. He holds pickles in his hand like cigars and bites down on them, triggering a loud crunching sound. He then waggles the pickle up and down.
A common theme in Vlasic's advertising is the crunchiness and flavour of their pickles. This is exaggerated to comic effect, when people or the Stork bite down on Vlasic pickles, a loud crunching sound is heard. One ad shows a cat being frightened by the sound of a pickle crunching and another has a woman being frightened by the same sound.
Some adverts played up the theme of storks' association with maternity. In one ad from 1977, the Stork delivers pickles to a doctor and nurse even though the doctor informs him that it is the doctor's job to deliver babies and not the stork's. The falling birth rate is mentioned in this advert.