Toucan Sam

Toucan Sam
“ Follow your nose! It always knows „ ― When he finds a bowl of the cereal
Vital statistics
Names	Toucan Sam
Gender	Male
Race	Toucan
Occupation	Mascot
Origin	Fruit Loops Commericals (1963)
Alignment	Good
Age	Varies
Created By	Manuel R. Vega
Height	1.19m (3ft 11in)
Weight	34 kg (75lbs)

Toucan Sam is the cartoon toucan mascot of Froot Loops breakfast cereal, featured in advertising since 1963. He is known for his ability to smell Froot Loops from great distances, often finding a hidden bowl of the cereal while saying, "Follow your nose! It always knows!" or "The flavor of fruit! Wherever it grows!" In commercials from the late 2000s, he says "Just follow your nose!" with his nephews replying, "For the fruity taste that shows!"

Biography

Toucan Sam was created by Manuel R. Vega and first voiced by Mel Blanc in an American accent, with early commercials using Pig Latin (calling the cereal "OOT-fray OOPS-lay"). The character later adopted a British accent, with Paul Frees voicing him in the style of Ronald Colman. After Frees' death, Maurice LaMarche voiced the character from 1986 to 2021, followed by Matthew Curtis in 2020. In July 2021, Toucan Sam was redesigned with a British accent, now voiced by Colin Cassidy. The character also had a cousin named Arty Artin in a few commercials.

The animation for Toucan Sam's commercials was produced by various companies, including Thumbnail Spots, contributing to the character's development over time. Originally, his nose featured two pink stripes, but in the 1970s, it was changed to represent the colors of the cereal pieces, though this color scheme is no longer accurate with the addition of new colors.

In 2010, the Maya Archaeology Initiative (MAI) filed a trademark application for a logo featuring a toucan, which Kellogg's contested due to similarities with Toucan Sam's logo. The dispute ended with Kellogg's and MAI forming a charitable partnership in 2011.

Since 1994, Toucan Sam has appeared with his nephews, Puey, Susey, and Louis, voiced by Frank Welker and Jim Cummings, though they are never named in the commercials. The commercials have included various cereal-loving enemies, and in 2013, Kellogg's transitioned the Froot Loops brand to CGI animation with Nathan Love. Colin Cassidy currently voices Toucan Sam.

In 2020, Toucan Sam was redesigned with a more simplistic look, which received negative feedback for deviating from a toucan's natural appearance. In 2021, he was redesigned again to resemble his original form but with brighter colors, leading to the launch of a Froot Loops YouTube channel.