Editing Tony the Tiger (section)

== Biography ==
In 1951, Eugene Kolkey, an artist for Leo Burnett, originally sketched Tony the Tiger for a contest to find a new mascot for Kellogg's new breakfast cereal. Tony, named after ad man Raymond Anthony Wells, competed with other mascots such as Katy the Kangaroo, Elmo the Elephant, and Newt the Gnu. Tony quickly became the favorite, and by the end of the year, he was the sole mascot, with the other characters being dropped.

Tony was first voiced by Dallas McKennon, but soon after the initial advertisements, Thurl Ravenscroft took over and voiced Tony for the next five decades. Ravenscroft’s deep voice, along with the famous slogan created by copywriter John E. Matthews, became central to Tony’s character. Tony’s popularity soared, and in 1958, he began to appear on cereal boxes alongside characters from Hanna-Barbera, such as [[Huckleberry Hound]] and [[Snagglepuss]].

In the 1970s, Tony was given more of a backstory, including an Italian-American nationality and an expanded family, with characters like Mama Tony, Mrs. Tony, and a daughter named Antoinette. Tony became a symbol of Italian-American pride, and in 1974, he was named "Tiger of the Year," coinciding with the Chinese Year of the Tiger. During this time, Tony even appeared on the covers of Italian GQ and Panorama magazines.

Tony’s son, Tony Jr., also became a mascot in the 1970s and was given his own cereal, Frosted Rice, in 1975. Although this cereal was short-lived, Tony Jr. made a comeback in the 2000s and temporarily replaced his father as the official mascot for Frosted Flakes.