Editing Chester Cheetah (section)

== History ==

=== 1986–2003: Animated Era ===
Cheetos’ original mascot was the [[Cheetos Mouse]], who appeared in 1971 but was retired around 1979. Chester Cheetah was introduced in 1986, created by Brad Morgan, who directed and designed the commercials, with Stephen Kane scripting the original ads. Animator Richard Williams brought Chester to life with a 24-frame animation style. Chester, the smooth-talking, mischievous cheetah, quickly became the face of Cheetos, delivering the iconic slogans "It's not easy being cheesy" and "The cheese that goes crunch!" from 1986 to 1997, when the tagline evolved to "Dangerously cheesy!"

During the late 1980s and early 2000s, Chester starred in commercials where he would cunningly attempt to steal other people’s Cheetos, often through Looney Tunes-style antics and slapstick humor. These spots, initially directed by Keith Van Allen and later by David Feiss (creator of ''Cow and Chicken''), featured Chester's rhyming speech and bold stunts, like riding a motorcycle off a bridge or swooping down from the sky to swipe Cheetos.

In 1992, Chester was set to star in his own animated show, ''Yo! It’s the Chester Cheetah Show!'' on Fox Kids, but the show was canceled before airing, following ethical concerns raised by Action for Children's Television over using a mascot as a lead character in children’s programming. The organization’s early petition against the show was historic as it protested a program before it even aired. In 2019, a petition emerged on Change.org advocating for the series to be produced for Nickelodeon.

In 1997, Chester’s character received a makeover along with the "Dangerously cheesy!" slogan. Pete Stacker replaced Joel Murray as Chester’s voice actor, and the commercials shifted to a live-action/animated hybrid format, bringing Chester into the real world. This update presented Chester as a smoother, more charismatic character who could finally enjoy his beloved Cheetos rather than simply coveting them from others.

=== 2003–2009: CGI Transformation ===
In 2003, Chester transitioned to a CGI character in U.S. advertising, although he continued to appear in traditional animation in other countries. In 2006, Chester starred in a series of commercials centered on a baking competition where he outperformed competitor Chef Pierre to create Baked Cheetos. This led to the ''Chester Goes Undercover'' campaign, where Pierre steals the Baked Cheetos formula, and Chester tracks down Pierre and his goons—Twisty McGee, Flamin' Hot Fiona, and The Cruncher—until he recovers the formula. An interactive web campaign accompanied these commercials, adding to the campaign’s immersive appeal.

=== 2008–Present: OrangeUnderground Redesign ===
In 2008, Cheetos shifted to targeting an adult audience with Chester promoting ''OrangeUnderground.com''. Chester, now with photorealistic CGI textures, spoke with a mid-Atlantic accent, encouraging consumers to use Cheetos in playful acts of mischief, like silencing a snoring man or messing with a coworker’s cubicle. Referred to as "Papa Chester," this version was voiced by Adam Leadbeater.