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A Complete Set Of Vintage The Land Before Time Kid's Meal Toys
1997 THE LAND BEFORE TIME BURGER KING KIDS CLUB TOYS
DETAILS:
It Is The Dawn Of Time, The Land Of The Dinosaur!
Step back into the prehistoric playground of the late '90s with this complete 1997 The Land Before Time Burger King Kids Club toy set — an irresistible blend of nostalgia, charm, and classic fast-food collectibles. This full set includes all six beloved dinosaur characters, each with its own unique interactive action, making it just as fun to display as it is to demonstrate.
Each toy comes in its original 1997 packaging, complete with a pamphlet featuring instructions, a Burger King Kids Club application, and a The Land Before Time VHS rebate offer — an authentic time capsule from the golden era of kids' meal collectibles. To make things even more special, every package includes one of twelve collectible dinosaur trading cards, adding an extra layer of nostalgia and collectibility.
Whether you're a longtime fan of The Land Before Time franchise, a vintage toy collector, or simply someone who appreciates quirky and rare '90s memorabilia, this complete Burger King Kids Club set is a standout addition to any collection. Rarely found as a full set in original packaging, this is your chance to own a charming piece of childhood history that's as fun today as it was in 1997.
The 1997 Burger King Kids Club The Land Before Time Toy Set Includes The Following Characters:
Littlefoot ("Lumbering Littlefoot") - Give him a wind and let him go. Littlefoot will walk along, moving his head from side to side and sweeping his tail back and forth.
Cera ("Run-Around Cera") - Pull back, let her go, and off she charges! If she bumps into something, she just goes backward.
Ducky ("Tumbling Ducky") - Wind her up, set her down and watch Ducky as she tries to perform up to three back-flips!
Petrie ("Squirting Petrie") - Push down on his legs and watch as his wings flap and water shoots out of his mouth! His head and neck even change color in different temperatures.
Spike ("Mealtime Spike") - Pull on the cluster of leaves, let him go, and Spike will gobble up his snack and wag his tail.
Chomper ("Chomp, Chomp, Chomper") - Wind up this baby T-Rex and off he rolls with his mouth snapping open and shut.
CONDITION:
New in package. Each toy is new in package; packaging, paper insert, and card have storage wear and extent differs. The Ducky toy packaging is a special case as it does not have the seam line that seals the package (a manufacturing error). Littlefoot and Chomper packaging contain some holes. Please see photos.
To ensure safe delivery all items are carefully packaged before shipping out.
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*ALL PHOTOS AND TEXT ARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF SIDEWAYS STAIRS CO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.*
"The Land Before Time is a 1988 animated adventure drama film directed and co-produced by Don Bluth from a screenplay by Stu Krieger and a story by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss. Its executive producers are Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall. The film stars the voices of Judith Barsi (posthumously), Burke Byrnes, Gabriel Damon, Bill Erwin, Pat Hingle, Candace Hutson, Will Ryan, and Helen Shaver. It is the first film in the Land Before Time franchise. Produced by Amblin Entertainment and Sullivan Bluth Studios, it features dinosaurs living in prehistoric times. The plot features a young brown Apatosaurus named Littlefoot, who ends up alone after his mother dies protecting him from a villainous Tyrannosaurus rex. Littlefoot flees famine and upheaval to search for the Great Valley, an area spared from devastation, where the adult dinosaurs have moved on to. On his journey, he meets four young companions: Cera, an orange Triceratops, Ducky, a green Saurolophus, Petrie, a brown Pteranodon, and Spike, a green Stegosaurus.[6] The film explores issues of prejudice between the different species and the hardships they endure in their journey as they are guided by the spirit of Littlefoot's mother and forced to deal with the Tyrannosaurus rex that killed her.
The Land Before Time is the only Don Bluth film of the 1980s in which Dom DeLuise did not participate (instead, he starred in Disney's Oliver & Company released that same day), and the only film in the Land Before Time series that is not a musical, as well as the only one to be released theatrically worldwide. It was also the last film that Bluth directed that was scored by James Horner, executive produced by Spielberg, and distributed by Universal Pictures.
The film was released by Universal Pictures on November 18, 1988, to generally positive reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing $84.5 million against a $12.3 million budget. Its success, along with An American Tail and the 1988 live-action/animated film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, led Spielberg to found his animation studio, Amblimation. The first film spawned a franchise with thirteen direct-to-video sequels, a television series, video games and merchandise, none of which had Bluth, Spielberg nor Lucas' involvement (though Amblin Entertainment was involved in the television series like it was for Fievel's American Tails). It is currently Don Bluth's second highest-grossing animated film, only behind Anastasia (1997).
Plot
During the age of the dinosaurs, a famine forces groups of dinosaurs to look for an oasis known as the Great Valley. A "longneck" dinosaur hatches a single baby named Littlefoot. Years later, Littlefoot encounters and plays with Cera, a young "three-horn" dinosaur[7] until she has her father send him away. In the evening Littlefoot plays with Cera again until a large "sharptooth" dinosaur pursues them. Littlefoot's mother eventually comes to their rescue but is fatally wounded. During the struggle, an earthshake strikes and splits the land, swallowing up the sharptooth and dividing Littlefoot, Cera, and other dinosaurs from their herds; several die in the process. Before dying, Littlefoot's wounded mother gives him some words of advice about finding the Great Valley: "let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen closely". Confused, and in-grief, Littlefoot meets Rooter, an old "clubtail" who is initially hostile towards him, but proceeds to console him after he opens up about his mother. Littlefoot is then guided by his mother's voice telling him to follow the sun to the Great Valley. First, he must pass several landmarks, such as a rock formation that resembles a Longneck and the "Mountains that Burn".
Later on, Littlefoot meets a young[8] "bigmouth" dinosaur named Ducky and a young[9] "flyer" dinosaur named Petrie, themselves separated from their families during the earthshake, who accompany him on his journey. Looking for her own kind herself, Cera finds the unconscious sharptooth inside a ravine and inadvertently wakes him up. She escapes and bumps into Littlefoot, Ducky, and Petrie. While describing her encounter, she accidentally flings Ducky in the direction of a lone hatching "spiketail" egg,[10] from which a male emerges; Ducky names the hatchling "Spike" and inducts him into the group. Seeking the Great Valley themselves, Littlefoot and the others discover a cluster of trees, which is depleted by a herd of longnecks. Searching for remaining growth, they discover a single leaf-bearing tree, and obtain food by stacking atop each other and pulling it down. Cera remains aloof, but at nightfall, she and everyone else gravitate to Littlefoot's side for warmth and companionship.
The next morning, Littlefoot and the group are attacked by the sharptooth but manage to escape through a tunnel which is too small for him to follow. They discover the landmarks mentioned by Littlefoot's mother. At the Mountains that Burn, a clash between Littlefoot's intention to follow his mother's directions and Cera's insistence on leaving the group results in a fight between them which causes the others to follow Cera, forcing Littlefoot to continue alone. When Ducky and Spike become endangered by lava, and Petrie gets stuck in a tar pit, Littlefoot returns to rescue them. Cera gets ambushed by a group of "domeheads" who live in the Mountains that Burn; the rest of the group pose as a tar monster, scaring away the domeheads and frightening Cera. After realizing who it really is, Cera angrily leaves the group and breaks down in tears, ashamed of her selfishness. Later, while crossing a pond, Petrie overhears the sharptooth nearby. The group devises a plan to lure him to the pond and drown him in the deep side using a nearby boulder. During the ensuing struggle, a draft from the sharptooth's nostrils enables Petrie to fly for the first time.
The plan nearly fails when the sharptooth begins attacking the boulder while the group attempts to push it onto him. However, Cera, having overcome her sorrow, reunites with the group and headbutts the boulder, causing the sharptooth to fall into the water, the boulder crashing into him in the process. The sharptooth momentarily takes Petrie down with him, but Petrie emerges unharmed while the sharptooth has drowned. Littlefoot, alone and about to give up on the search, sees his mother as a cloud; she guides him to the Great Valley, and Littlefoot is then joined by the others, who realize he was the same person who met them before. After arrival, the five are reunited with their families: Petrie impresses his family with his newfound flight; Ducky introduces Spike to her family, who adopt him; Cera reunites with her father; and Littlefoot finds his grandparents. The group reunites at the top of a hill and embrace each other in a hug.
Cast
Main article: List of The Land Before Time characters
Pat Hingle as Narrator
Hingle also voices Rooter, a "Clubtail".
Helen Shaver as Littlefoot's mother
Gabriel Damon as Littlefoot
Bill Erwin as Grandfather, Littlefoot's grandfather (cut from the final edit, except for one wordless chuckle)
Candace Hutson as Cera
Burke Byrnes as Daddy Topps, Cera's father
Judith Barsi as Ducky, Spike's adoptive sister
Will Ryan as Petrie
Production
Development
During production of An American Tail, talk began of the next feature with Bluth and executive producer Steven Spielberg. Bluth and Spielberg wanted to do a film similar to Bambi, but with dinosaurs. Steven Spielberg's longtime friend George Lucas was also brought in on the project after being interested with it. The three persuaded An American Tail writers Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss (both of whom were also prominent writers for Sesame Street) to write the screenplay for the film. Their initial draft was based on their early ideas, but when it was felt the story was too juvenile, Stu Krieger was brought on to revise their draft.[11] Early into story development, the film was about a group of young dinosaurs looking for a wise, older dinosaur.[12] Later on, Bluth explained, "...we came up with another idea that none of these dinosaurs get along with each other, they all hate each other. They're taught from the time they were born not to associate with each other, that's racism".[11] An early working title for the film was The Land Before Time Began.[13] Bluth, Spielberg and Lucas originally wanted the film to have no dialogue, like The Rite of Spring sequence in Fantasia, but the idea was abandoned in favor of using voice actors in order to make it appealing to children.[11]
Animation
As work on the script continued, Bluth delegated some of the animation staff to begin creating concept art. As with his previous films, Bluth handled the storyboarding, but with final revisions by Larry Leker. Production was initially delayed by several months as the studio moved to Ireland. Production would eventually begin in spring 1987, a few months after the release of An American Tail.[12]
The production was preceded by extensive research, including visits to natural history museums in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. Skeletons, fossils, and paleoart from the turn of the century were consulted to help create a credible landscape and animals. Further research was conducted using live-action footage of quadrupedal modern animals, including elephants and giraffes.[14]
Editing
Late into production, The Land Before Time underwent a severe cutting and editing of footage. Spielberg and Lucas thought that some scenes in the film would appear too dark and intense for young children. At a screening in Soho Square, London in late April 1988, six months before the film was completed, Spielberg told Bluth while looking at the scenes from the film: "It's too scary. We'll have kids crying in the lobby, and a lot of angry parents. You don't want that".[15] A total of 19 fully animated shots from the sharptooth attack were cut from the final film. Examples can be seen in the storyboards of the chase sequence in the briar patch. POV shots of sharptooth's snapping jaws were deleted, and shots were rearranged to shorten the sequence.[16][17] This results in continuity errors, depicting the Tyrannosaur with his right eye still open after it had been blinded.[18][19]
Perhaps just weeks before the film's release, more than 10 additional minutes of footage was cut from the film by Spielberg "to be sure it would not disturb parents or their children", according to producer Gary Goldman, reducing the runtime from 80 to 82 minutes to just 69 minutes. Much of the cut footage also consisted of sequences of the five young dinosaurs in grave danger and distress. An extended scene involving the introduction of Spike was deleted, as was some of the "Green Food" sequence. Petrie's apparent death scene originally went longer, and was followed by a group hug where Littlefoot says "Now we'll always be together" (this line survives in the form of a Pizza Hut promotional advertisement for the film). The film's final act was also heavily altered and rearranged; originally, Littlefoot was to find the Great Valley on his own before turning back to rescue his friends, kill sharptooth, and enter the valley as a group. This ending survives in multiple book adaptations, and the music accompanying it still exists in the official soundtrack release. Some screams were re-voiced using milder exclamations.[15] The scenes are believed to be destroyed, but some did make it into multiple advertisements and trailers created before the release of the film, and multiple stills can be found in storybook adaptations and press kits for the movie. Much of the unused music from the film score was meant to play over the deleted scenes. Many animation cels and drawings from the deleted scenes have surfaced on the internet.
Music
Main article: The Land Before Time (soundtrack)
The music for The Land Before Time was composed by James Horner, who had previously provided the soundtrack for Bluth's An American Tail, and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and the Choir of King's College. An official soundtrack was released on audio cassette and vinyl record on November 21, 1988, and later on CD by MCA Records; it features seven tracks from the film: The Great Migration, Sharptooth and the Earthquake, Whispering Winds, If we Hold on Together, Foraging for Food, The Rescue/ Discovery of the Great Valley, and End Credits.[20] The film's theme song "If We Hold on Together", written by Horner and Will Jennings, was sung by Diana Ross and released as the lead single on November 5, though not included in the soundtrack;[21] The album was digitally released on January 22, 2013, by Geffen Records.[22] An expanded version of the soundtrack album was released by Intrada Records on October 27, 2020.
Release
Along with Disney's Oliver & Company, The Land Before Time opened on November 18, 1988. Attached to the film, Universal and Amblin issued Brad Bird's Family Dog short from their television anthology Amazing Stories.[23]
Reception
Box office
During its opening weekend, the film opened at number one in the United States and Canada, grossing $7.5 million; the largest opening for an animated film at the time.[24][25] By the end of its theatrical run, it had grossed $48.1 million at the US and Canadian box office, slightly more than Don Bluth's previous film, An American Tail, but $5 million less than Oliver & Company which was released at the same time.[26] Overall, The Land Before Time grossed $84.5 million worldwide....
Accolades
The Land Before Time was nominated for "Best Family Animation or Fantasy Motion Picture" at the 10th annual Youth in Film Awards, losing out to Tim Burton's Beetlejuice.[40] It received a nomination for "Best Fantasy Film" at the 16th Saturn Awards ceremony in 1990, beaten by Who Framed Roger Rabbit.[41]
Award Nomination Nominee Result
Saturn Award Best Fantasy Film The Land Before Time Nominated
Youth in Film Award Best Family Animation or Fantasy Motion Picture The Land Before Time Nominated
Home media
The Land Before Time was released on VHS by MCA Home Video on September 14, 1989, and on November 22, 1991, as well as LaserDisc in regular pan and scan[42] and "Special Collector's Edition" CAV-play editions by MCA/Universal Home Video in North America, and CIC Video internationally.[43] According to the book The Animated Films of Don Bluth, the original release had "very successful business" on the home video market, and included a promotional tie-in with Pizza Hut in North America, which was offering rubber hand puppets based on the film at the time.[44] Pizza Hut also had its partnership with the film's VHS release in Australia.[citation needed] The VHS version was made available once more on February 20, 1996, under the Universal Family Features label,[45] and was later packaged with following three films in the series as part of the Land Before Time Collection on December 4, 2001.[46]
The film was released on DVD for the first time on April 30, 1997,[47] and re-released on December 2, 2003, as the "Anniversary Edition" for the movie's 15th anniversary, which included games and sing-along songs.[48] The Anniversary Edition was later included with An American Tail and Balto as a three-movie pack in November 2007.[49] A widescreen Blu-ray version was available for the first time on October 13, 2015, which included digital HD and UltraViolet copies,[50] which was accompanied by a new widescreen DVD release on the same day.[51] The Blu-ray was re-released on January 15, 2019.[52]
Legacy
Main articles: The Land Before Time and The Land Before Time (TV series)
The film generated 13 direct-to-video sequels, which differ from the original by adding "sing-along" musical numbers. Bluth, Spielberg, and Lucas have no affiliation with any of the film's sequels. The sequels have generally been met with mixed reception: many fans of the original disregarded the sequels, while others have embraced the sequels into the canon of the story.
In 2007, a television series was released in North America. It follows the style of the sequels in terms of the morality and the musical numbers (with some of the songs being shortened and reworked)." (wikipedia)
"The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure is a 1994 American direct-to-video animated adventure musical film directed by Roy Allen Smith without any involvement, support and input from Don Bluth. It is the second installment and a sequel to the 1988 film The Land Before Time. It was first released by MCA/Universal Home Video on LaserDisc on December 23, 1994,[1] for retail availability[2] – and on VHS on December 26, 1994, for national-availability advertising,[2] six years after the original and was the first in the series to be a direct-to-video production.[4]
Plot
Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike live a carefree life in the Great Valley under their families' watchful eyes. One day, the gang attempts to get to the sheltering grass to play, but land in the sinking sand surrounding it. The adults rescue them and chastise them for their recklessness. The next night, the children have a secret meeting and decide to prove their bravery and maturity by venturing into the Mysterious Beyond, a location outside the Valley that is inhabited by Sharpteeth. Before they leave, they notice two eggnappers, Ozzy and Strut, stealing an egg from the nest of Ducky's mother. The children pursue the intruders into the Mysterious Beyond. During a thunderstorm, an ensuing landslide damages the Great Wall that surrounds the Valley and protects it from the Sharpteeth, and the stolen egg rolls safely back to the nest, but the group does not notice this in the confusion.
In the Mysterious Beyond, the group discover another, larger egg and mistake it for the original. The gang transports the egg into the Valley, and despite finding the original egg back in Ducky's nest, they decide to hatch it. The gang doesn't realize it's from another nest. The egg eventually hatches, revealing a baby Sharptooth. Although Littlefoot's friends are frightened off, Littlefoot quickly realizes that the baby Sharptooth is not yet dangerous, and decides to raise the newly christened "Chomper" as his parent.
This task proves difficult as Chomper is not an herbivore, and Littlefoot has no experience raising a child. Ozzy and Strut appear to exact revenge on the group for foiling their earlier theft, but are driven away by Chomper's enlarged shadow, which they mistake for that of an adult Sharptooth. The rest of the gang meets Chomper and they accept him as part of the group until he hungrily bites Cera by accident. The group's knee-jerk reaction causes Chomper to run off in tears. The others follow him to a smoking mountain, where Ozzy and Strut attempt once more to attack the children, but are stopped when the mountain's eruption sends them plummeting down a canyon. After the group escapes, they encounter two adult Sharpteeth, who have managed to enter the Valley through the opening in the Great Wall. The whole Great Valley population drives the Sharpteeth off, and the children make it back to their families, but Chomper feels left out and runs away again.
The adults inquire as to how the Sharpteeth entered the Valley, prompting the children to explain the events that resulted in the landslide. The adults set off to put together a plan to close the opening for good, telling the children to stay behind. Littlefoot runs to the forest to find Chomper. After finding him, they are chased and cornered by the two Sharpteeth. Chomper roars at them, and they recognize him as their son and leave with him. Littlefoot is then kidnapped by Ozzy and Strut, who plan to throw him off the Great Wall. Chomper hears Littlefoot screaming and leads his parents to Littlefoot's location.
Chomper's parents rescue Chomper from an attempted intervention, and inadvertently do the same thing for Littlefoot by chasing Ozzy and Strut back into the Mysterious Beyond. Littlefoot bids Chomper farewell as he follows his parents, and he returns to the Valley to assist the adults in sealing up the entrance between the Valley and the Mysterious Beyond. Following his experiences, Littlefoot tells his grandparents that being young is not so bad after all, but decides he still looks forward to growing up.
Voice cast
Main article: List of The Land Before Time characters
Scott McAfee as Littlefoot
Candace Hutson as Cera. Hutson was the sole cast member to reprise her role from the original film.
Heather Hogan as Ducky
Jeff Bennett as Petrie / Ozzy
Rob Paulsen as Spike / Strut / Chomper
Kenneth Mars as Grandpa Longneck
Linda Gary as Grandma Longneck
Tress MacNeille as Petrie's Mother / Ducky's Mother / Maiasaura
John Ingle as Narrator / Topsy
Production
By July 1993, Universal Cartoon Studios began the production on a direct-to-video sequel to The Land Before Time; a release date was not set at that time.[5]
Music
This was the film that introduced the musical format to the series and every subsequent film has followed this style ever since. Even though the film features an original score by Michael Tavera, it contains musical cues from James Horner's score of the original film. Tavera has been the main music composer for the sequels ever since.
All tracks are written by The Roches.
No. Title Performer(s) Length
1. "Peaceful Valley" Scott McAfee, Candace Hutson, Heather Hogan & Jeff Bennett
2. "Eggs" Jeff Bennett & Rob Paulsen
3. "You're One of Us Now" Scott McAfee, Candace Hutson, Heather Hogan & Jeff Bennett
4. "Peaceful Valley (Reprise)" Scott McAfee, Candace Hutson, Heather Hogan & Jeff Bennett
Release
In the United States, the film was originally released on LaserDisc on December 23, 1994,[1] for retail availability[2] – and on VHS three days later (which was the 26 of that same month and year) for national-availability advertising.[2]
Reception
In 2011, Total Film ranked it as 7th among the "50 Worst Kids Movies".[6] In August 2014, the New York Post ranked each of the 13 Land Before Time films released up to that point and placed The Great Valley Adventure at number 5. The New York Post wrote that out of each film, The Great Valley Adventure "does the best job of maintaining some of the darker tone of the original movie while broadening its humor for younger audiences. But it's also responsible for introducing the musical format, so, boo".[7] The film received a nomination for "Best Animated Video Production" at the 23rd Annie Awards in 1995, losing to The Gate to the Mind's Eye.[8]
Award Date Nomination Nominee Result
Annie Award November 11, 1995 Best Animated Video Production The Land Before Time II Nominated" (wikipedia)
"The Land Before Time is a franchise consisting of American animated adventure family films centered around dinosaurs, including a theatrical movie, various straight-to-home video sequels, and a spin-off TV series. Based on an original story by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss and distributed by Universal Pictures, the franchise began in 1988 with the eponymous film, directed and produced by Don Bluth and executive produced by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Its success spawned an additional thirteen direct-to-video musical sequels before expanding into other media including video games, soundtracks, and related merchandising. Notably, the additional movies and TV show did not include the collaborative participation of Bluth, Lucas, nor Spielberg.
The 14 films were released as a Complete Collection DVD set on June 14, 2016.[1]
Plot
The films follow the friendship of a group of young reptiles (four dinosaurs and a pterosaur) named Littlefoot (a male Apatosaurus), Cera (a female Triceratops), Ducky (a female Saurolophus), Petrie (a male Pteranodon), and Spike (a male Stegosaurus). After finding the Great Valley, they raise a carnivorous baby (a male Tyrannosaurus whom they name Chomper), survive a drought, a cold snap, and witness a solar eclipse. Throughout the films they embark on adventures, learning lessons about life, teamwork, and friendship along the way.
Films
Theatrical
Film Year Director Screenwriter Story by Producer(s)
The Land Before Time 1988 Don Bluth Stu Krieger Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy
Direct-to-video
Film Year Director Screenwriter(s) Producer(s)
The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure 1994[2] Roy Allen Smith John Loy, John Ludin and Dev Ross Roy Allen Smith
The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving 1995 Dev Ross Roy Allen Smith and Zahra Dowlatabadi
The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists 1996 Roy Allen Smith
The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island 1997 Charles Grosvenor John Loy Charles Grosvenor
The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock 1998 Libby Hinson and John Loy
The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire 2000 Len Uhley
The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze 2001 John Loy
The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water 2002 Dev Ross
The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration 2003 John Loy
The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses 2005
The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers 2006
The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends 2007 Jamie Mitchell
The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave 2016 Davis Doi Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser Lisa Melbye and Deidre Brenner
Television series
Main article: The Land Before Time (TV series)
Series Season(s) Episodes Originally released Showrunner Executive producers Status
First released Last released Network
The Land Before Time 1 26 March 5, 2007 January 21, 2008 Cartoon Network Charles Grosvenor Charles Grosvenor and Diane A. Crea Ended
A spin-off television series based on the films began airing on YTV in Canada on January 5, 2007. It consisted of one season of 26 episodes, and officially premiered on Cartoon Network in the United States on March 5, 2007, after the DVD release of The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers.[3] The TV series takes place after the events of The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends. It has since been collected and released on 6 DVDs, each containing 4 episodes, in the United States and the UK. The complete series was released on DVD in 2022.
Cast and characters
Main article: List of The Land Before Time characters
List indicator
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.
An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
D indicates an appearance as a character's disguised voice.
S indicates an appearance as a character's singing voice.
Characters Films Television Short Film
The Land Before Time The Great Valley Adventure The Time of the Great Giving Journey Through the Mists The Mysterious Island The Secret of Saurus Rock The Stone of Cold Fire The Big Freeze Journey to Big Water The Great Longneck Migration Invasion of the Tinysauruses The Great Day of the Flyers The Wisdom of Friends Journey of the Brave The Land Before Time
(The Series) Littlefoot
1988 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2016 2007–2008 2026
Narrator Pat Hingle John Ingle John Ingle Tony Amendola Sam Retic
Littlefoot Gabriel Damon Scott McAfee Brandon LaCroix
Thomas DekkerS Thomas Dekker Alec Medlock Aaron Spann Nick Price Cody Arens
Logan ArensD
Anthony SkillmanS Felix Avitia Cody Arens
Anthony SkillmanS Summer‑Joules Saunders
Cera Candace Hutson Anndi McAfee Cristina Vee
Ducky Judith Barsi Heather Hogan Aria Noelle Curzon Sarah Natochenny
Petrie Will Ryan Jeff Bennett A. J. LoCascio
Spike N/A Rob Paulsen Jeff Bennett Rob Paulsen Joey Lever
Chomper Rob Paulsen Cannon Young Issac Brown Max Burkholder
Ruby Meghan Strange
Grandpa Longneck Bill Erwin (deleted role) Kenneth Mars Does not speak Barry Bostwick Kenneth Mars TBA
Grandma Longneck Does not speak Linda Gary Miriam Flynn Does not speak Miriam Flynn TBA
Daddy Topps Burke Byrnes John Ingle Does not speak John Ingle George Ball John Ingle Mark Meer
Ducky's Mother Does not speak Tress MacNeille Tress MacNeille Tress MacNeille Does not speak Tress MacNeille Does not speak Does not speak Meghan Strange Tress MacNeille TBA
Petrie's Mother Does not speak Tress MacNeille Tress MacNeille Does not speak Tress MacNeille Tress MacNeille Does not speak Anndi McAfee Tress MacNeille TBA
Kosh Rob Paulsen Jeff Bennett Rob Paulsen Pete Sepenuk
Jeff Bennett
Littlefoot's Mother Helen Shaver Flashback Flashback Larissa Loeffler
Chomper's parents N/A N/A
Hyp Whit Hertford Mikey Kelley
Nod Scott Menville Scott Menville
Mutt Jeff Bennett Jeff Bennett
Ali Juliana Hansen Nika Futterman
Old One Carol Bruce Jessica Walter
Doc Kris Kristofferson Jeff Bennett
Mr. Thicknose Robert Guillaume Dorian Harewood
Tippy Jeremy Suarez Cree Summer
Tippy's Mother Susan Krebs Susan Krebs
Stegosaurus Leader Rob Paulsen Rob Paulsen
Mo Rob Paulsen Does not speak Rob Paulsen Rob Paulsen
Shorty Brandon Michael DePaul Elizabeth Daily
Bron Kiefer Sutherland Scott Whyte Cam Clarke
Tria Camryn Manheim Jessica Gee Jessica Gee
Guido Rob Paulsen Rob Paulsen
Tricia Nika Futterman Meghan Strange
In other media
Albums
The Land Before Time (1988) Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The Land Before Time: Sing-Along Songs (1997): Songs from the first four movies (movies I, II, III, and IV). The album was later released in a VHS format which included facts about the dinosaurs featured in the franchise.
The Songs from The Land Before Time (1997): Songs from the first four movies (movies I-IV)
The Land Before Time: More Sing-Along Songs (1999) Songs from movies V and VI (the last two of the first 6 movies) and An American Tail film series (movies III and IV).
The Best Songs from The Land Before Time (2016) Songs from movies I, VI, VIII, IX, X, XI, and XIV.
Video games
Main article: List of The Land Before Time video games
The series has spawned 14 spin-off games, eight for PC, one for the Game Boy Color, two for the Game Boy Advance and three for the original PlayStation. The PC games are usually educational games aimed for preschool and kindergarten. Games for the Game Boy Color and Advance include The Land Before Time and The Land Before Time: Into the Mysterious Beyond, in which the original six characters must search for Chomper. Games for the PlayStation include The Land Before Time: Big Water Adventure, a spin-off of Journey to Big Water, The Land Before Time: Great Valley Racing Adventure and The Land Before Time: Return to the Great Valley. All characters in these games are voiced by Lani Minella." (wikipedia)
"This is a list of characters in The Land Before Time, a series of animated feature films and a television series. The main characters include Littlefoot (Apatosaurus[1]), Cera (Triceratops[2]), Ducky (Saurolophus[3]), Petrie (Pteranodon[4]), Spike (Stegosaurus[5]), and in the spin-off television series and the fourteenth film, Chomper (Tyrannosaurus[citation needed]) and Ruby (Oviraptor[citation needed]). Other characters include the families of the main characters, the residents of their home, the Great Valley, and outsiders to the Great Valley.
Creation and development
The idea for The Land Before Time came during production of An American Tail. Steven Spielberg's studio Amblin Entertainment was interested in doing a film about dinosaurs, which were popular at the time, leading Spielberg, director Don Bluth, and producer George Lucas to develop the prehistoric setting and its cast. Inspired by the dinosaur-themed "Rite of Spring" sequence from Disney's Fantasia, Spielberg had originally intended for the movie to have no speech, with music cues and body language telling the story, effectively rendering all the characters mute. However, it was decided that the film could not carry a story without dialogue, and each character was given a speaking language accordingly. The film's artists used the Fantasia sequence and characters as guides when creating their first concept art.[6]
Bluth had to learn most of his information about specific dinosaur species before work began, stating "I had to do lots and lots of research because I never was a fanatic about dinosaurs as a kid. But in many ways it became a fictional fantasy because it's about these young children who are taught to hate each other; anyone who is different from him. When they are separated from their parents, these five little children have to learn to get along with each other for survival. So there is a bit of a moral in it, too".[6] The films creators decided to have a Tyrannosaurus as the main villain.[6]
While Bluth had originally wanted to portray a more "forceful, dramatic" representation of prehistoric times, the idea was sometimes at odds with studio executives who wanted a more child-friendly "get-along gang" approach, which called for the main characters becoming cuter, but still distinctly detailed, as a compromise.[6] After the release of the first film, neither Bluth, Spielberg, nor Lucas had further creative input in the series, with character development and design tweaks now guided by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and associated studios.
Main characters
Littlefoot
"Littlefoot" redirects here. For the hominid fossil, see Little Foot.
Littlefoot, voiced by Gabriel Damon (I), Scott McAfee (II-IV), Brandon LaCroix (V), Thomas Dekker (singing voice, V; singing and speaking, VI-IX), Alec Medlock (X), Aaron Spann (XI), Nick Price (XII), Cody Arens (XIII, TV series), Logan Arens (XIII), Anthony Skillman (singing voice, XIII, TV series) and Felix Avitia (XIV), is a brown male Apatosaurus, or "Long Neck".[1] He was born in the beginning of the very first film. When his mother dies protecting him from a sharptooth, he is forced to travel through the harsh wilderness alone to find his surviving grandparents. After meeting several young dinosaurs along the way who would become his best friends, they arrive in the verdant Great Valley where the series primarily takes place. In Journey Through the Mists, Littlefoot is introduced to his female cousin Ali, a member of another Longneck herd.[7] He eventually meets his father, Bron, in the film The Great Longneck Migration. Bron adopts an orphan named Shorty, who becomes his foster brother.[8]
Littlefoot has been called a Brontosaurus,[9][10][11] a Brachiosaurus,[12] and also an Apatosaurus.[13][1]
He was originally named "Thunderfoot" by the creators of the first film, until it was discovered that a Triceratops character from a children's book had the same name.[14] The original name was kept very late into production, up until just before the film's release.[15] Littlefoot has been compared to characters such as Disney's Bambi,[16] and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, on how he goes on a strange journey and meets many new friends along the way.[10]
Cera
Cera, voiced by Candace Hutson (I-IV), and Anndi McAfee (V-XIV, TV series) is an orange female Triceratops or "Three Horn".[17] Like Littlefoot, she hatches in the first film, and is later separated from her parents and sisters during an earthquake. She accompanies Littlefoot to the Great Valley where she is eventually reunited with her father. She is stubborn, boastful, sometimes reckless, and occasionally belligerent, but is often made to look foolish when she is proven wrong. The initial film, and a few sequels, attributed an ego to her species, especially to herself and her father, but this is diminished in later appearances. In the Invasion of the Tinysauruses, her dad begins a new relationship with a Threehorn named Tria, who Cera initially dislikes, but eventually comes to accept.[18] By the following film, Tria and Cera's father have become mates, and have a child named Tricia, Cera's half-sister.[19]
The character was originally conceived as a male Triceratops named "Bambo",[14] but was changed to a female named "Cera" at the suggestion of producer George Lucas midway through animation of the first film.[6] Hal Hinson of The Washington Post called Cera "a fiercely cute and rambunctious little dynamo" in his review of the 1988 original,[20] with critic Mark R. Leeper likewise calling her "cute and pugnacious".[21] She was the main character of the 2001 children's book The Land Before Time: Cera's Big Day Out by Molly Goode, Judy Freudeberg, and Tony Geiss,[22] as well as the 2007 book Cera's Shiny Stone based on the TV series episode "The Canyon of Shiny Stones".[23]
Ducky
Ducky, voiced by Judith Barsi (I), Heather Hogan (II-IV) and Aria Noelle Curzon (V-XIV, TV series), is a green female Saurolophus,[24] known colloquially as a "Big Mouth", "Duck Bill" or "Swimmer". She was one of the young dinosaurs who accompanied Littlefoot to the Great Valley when she was separated from her family. After arriving in her new home, her mother adopted the orphaned Spike, who became her foster younger brother. She has numerous biological siblings, with many being born in the original film and Journey of the Brave. Characterized as having an energetic, cheerful and child-like personality, she speaks enthusiastically, often replying to things in triplicate ("Yep, yep, yep!" or "Nope, nope, nope!") and usually avoiding the use of contractions.
The series' official website referred to her as a Parasaurolophus,[24] while other sources have referred to her as an Anatosaurus.[14][25][10]
Petrie
Petrie, voiced by Will Ryan (I) and Jeff Bennett (II-XIV, TV series), is a brown male Pteranodon,[26] or "Flyer". He is characterized as panicky and anxious, and traveled with Littlefoot to find his mother and siblings in the Great Valley while learning the basics of flight along the way. He is talkative, but speaks in broken English, usually omitting such linking verbs as "is", "are", and "am", using "me" in place of "I", and referring to himself in third person. He was originally meant to have a larger role in his debut, but much of his screen time was given to Ducky due to how impressed the producers were with Judith Barsi's performance.[6] He was a central character in the twelfth film The Great Day of the Flyers.[27]
The producers of the original film had difficulty deciding on a voice for the character until it was suggested by Steven Spielberg's son, Max, that he sound similar to Digit from the previous Don Bluth film, An American Tail. Digit's voice actor Will Ryan was then asked to fill the role.[6] Petrie is the only one of the original five principal characters that is not a dinosaur.[28]
The series' official website referred to him as a Pterodactyl.
Spike
Spike, possibly effects by Frank Welker (I), then voiced by Rob Paulsen (II-V, VII-XIV, TV series) and Jeff Bennett (VI), is a green male Stegosaurus[29] or "Spiketail". Despite being the largest, he is actually the youngest of the original main characters; his hatching being witnessed by Ducky whose parents later adopted him. He is characterized as gluttonous, laid-back and rarely speaks, communicating mostly in grunts or scat singing. During the fourth film, Journey Through the Mists, he speaks for the first time, calling Ducky's name, and again in the eighth film The Big Freeze, where he calls out to his mother. In the same film, it is mentioned that his birth parents were probably lost in the earthquake of the first film, and becomes close friends with another Stegosaurus named Tippy.[30] The TV series episode "Through the Eyes of a Spiketail", is told largely from Spike's point of view, where he speaks, internally, with a low voice, and can "hear" the song of plants that guide him to them.
Spike's design was based on Bluth's pet Chow Chow, Cubby, with the director commenting that he had a personal fondness for the character, calling him "a pure soul, simple, accommodating, and eager to please".[14] He has been described by journalists as the "fat kid" of the group,[31] "quiet and shy",[10] and a "tagalong".[32]
Chomper
Chomper, voiced by Rob Paulsen (II), Cannon Young (V), Max Burkholder (TV series), and Issac Ryan Brown (XIV) is a purple male Tyrannosaurus[33] or "Sharptooth". He first appeared in the second film, The Great Valley Adventure, as a newborn hatchling whom Littlefoot and the others attempt to raise before returning him to his parents.[34] He re-appeared as a supporting character in the fifth film The Mysterious Island, in which he is now able to speak the language of both Sharpteeth and leaf-eaters, but must convince his parents and Cera that both groups can get along.[35] He became a main character in the TV series, having migrated to the Great Valley under the care of Ruby, and attempts to discover how its residents can live in harmony so he can pass this knowledge to his own kind. He is also known for having an amazing sense of smell, which comes in handy on occasion. Chomper also appears in the fourteenth film Journey of the Brave, when he attempts to greet Wild Arms, who passes out.
In his debut in The Great Valley Adventure, Steve Rhodes of Rotten Tomatoes UK commended the character's design, calling him "a real scene stealer".[34] Chomper is the star of the children's book The Lonely Dinosaur, based on the TV series episode "The Lonely Journey".[36]
Ruby
Ruby, voiced by Meghan Strange, is a pink female Oviraptor[37] or "Fast Runner", who first appeared in the television series, debuting in the inaugural episode "The Cave of Many Voices". Originally from the Mysterious Beyond, she meets Chomper and agrees to accompany him to the Great Valley after being separated from her parents and two siblings from being ambushed by a Sharptooth named Red Claw. Later, she reunites with her family in the episode "Return to Hanging Rock", but returns to the Valley in order to keep looking after Chomper as she promised his parents. She made her film debut in the fourteenth film Journey of the Brave. Ruby is characterized as being the wisest of her friends, giving advice or encouragement,[37] and often makes repetitive or redundant statements ("Hello my friends, my friends hello" or "I think I need to go do some thinking at my thinking place").
Secondary characters
Grandpa and Grandma Longneck
Grandpa Longneck, voiced by Bill Erwin (I) and Kenneth Mars (II – XII, TV series) and Barry Bostwick (XIV), and Grandma Longneck, voiced by Linda Gary (II – IV) and Miriam Flynn (V – XIV, TV series), are two elder bluish gray Apatosaurus and are Littlefoot's maternal grandparents. They are his primary caregivers after his mother's death; whereas Grandpa Longneck, together with Topsy, serves as a leader of the combined herds of the Great Valley. Littlefoot idolizes his grandfather. Although both elders seldom fight, each is fully capable of opposing a tyrannosaur.
Grandma and Grandpa Longneck appear in all of the Land Before Time films, and in many episodes of the TV series. Their names have never been given: all the characters (even they themselves) address them by title, or by the species name of "Longneck". Only Bron, their son-in-law, calls them something different, identifying them as "Papa and Mama Longneck".
Ducky and Spike's Mother
Ducky and Spike's mother, voiced by Tress MacNeille (II-XI, TV series) and Meghan Strange (XIV), is a brown Saurolophus who appears in most of the films. Ducky and Spike's father appears in the initial film and The Big Freeze. Their mother is a kindly, attentive figure, and is treated with respect by all children and adults in the Great Valley. She occasionally has doubts on whether to raise Spike in keeping with her own values or with those of his racial heritage; this was seen in The Big Freeze when a herd met and befriended Spike, but Spike recognises her as his mother and remains with his adoptive family rather than the herd.
Petrie's mother
Petrie's mother, voiced by Tress MacNeille (II-XII, TV series) and Anndi McAfee (XIV), is a cerulean Pteranodon and has major appearances in The Mysterious Island, The Stone of Cold Fire, and The Great Day of the Flyers. In the seventh film, she flies to the "Mysterious Beyond" to find Petrie and Ducky, blaming her brother Pterano for endangering them.
Ducky and Spike's siblings
Ducky and Spike have several siblings. In the first film, Ducky's parents' nest contained about half a dozen eggs, whereas in the second film, Ducky's parents have another nest from which several are hatched.
Daddy Topps
Daddy Topps, voiced by Burke Byrnes (I), John Ingle (II – XIII, TV series) and George Ball (XIV), is a dark grey Triceratops and Cera's father. He was credited as "Daddy Topps" in the first film and is otherwise called "Mr. Threehorn". In Invasion of the Tinysauruses, Tria refers to him by the pet name "Topsy", much to the annoyance of Cera. He is portrayed as belligerent, domineering, sometimes hostile and stubborn like his daughter.
Tria
Tria, voiced by Camryn Manheim (XI – XII) and Jessica Gee (XIII, TV series), is Topps' second mate. Tria is introduced in Invasion of the Tinysauruses, where she is opposed by Cera until later in the story. Tria and Topps have a child in The Great Day of the Flyers.
Tricia
Tricia, voiced by Nika Futterman (XII) and Meghan Strange (TV series), is Topsy and Tria's daughter and Cera's half-sister. Tricia is introduced in The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers.
Recurring characters
Ali
Ali, voiced by Juliana Hansen (IV) and Nika Futterman (TV series), is a young female pink (IV) & purple (TV series) Apatosaurus, who first appeared in The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists. She quickly befriends Littlefoot, but is wary of the other main characters since they are not Longnecks. However, she befriends them after they all cooperate against common danger. She is their guide through the 'Land of Mists' through which her family formerly traveled. Ali appears again in the TV episode "The Brave Longneck Scheme".
Old One
Old One, voiced by Carol Bruce (IV) and Jessica Walter (TV series), is an old female Apatosaurus who is the matriarch of the tribe of migrating longnecks, which includes Ali, who first appeared in The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists. She is old and wise and bears a prominent scar (or perhaps just advanced age creases) on the left side of her face. Her long life of constant migration has given her much life experience, allowing her to speak on topics that others find hard to believe. Old One appears again in the TV episode "The Brave Longneck Scheme".
Mr. Thicknose
The elderly Mr. Thicknose is voiced by Robert Guillaume (VIII) and Dorian Harewood (TV series) is an old male Pachyrhinosaurus. In his first appearance, The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze, he is a very respected resident of the Great Valley, having convinced the others that he has been everywhere and seen everything. When snow falls in the Valley for the first known time, and he is unable to explain it, the other adults lose faith in him. While stranded in the Mysterious Beyond, he reveals to the children, to whom he acted as a teacher, that most of his knowledge comes from secondary sources. Despite this, he is able to use the knowledge he learned to guide them back to the Great Valley.
Shorty
Shorty, voiced by Brandon Michael DePaul (X) and E. G. Daily (TV series) is a young dark green Brachiosaurus who first appears in The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration. When Bron found Shorty, he was defending a group of much younger dinosaurs. Shorty bullies Littlefoot at first; he antagonizes him until Littlefoot decides that he can be his adopted older brother, and Shorty accepts. In the end, while Littlefoot decides to stay with his grandparents, Shorty stays with Bron.
Tippy
Tippy, voiced by Jeremy Suarez (VIII) and Cree Summer (TV series), is a pinkish orange Stegosaurus who first appeared in The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze in which his herd migrates into the Great Valley temporarily, after which he quickly befriends Spike. Unlike Spike, Tippy, though with limited use of words, is very vocal.
Bron
Bron, voiced by Kiefer Sutherland (X) and Cam Clarke (TV series), and Scott Whyte (XIV) is a brown Apatosaurus, the father of Littlefoot, the adoptive father of Shorty, and the son-in-law of Grandpa and Grandma Longneck. He first appears in The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration, wherein Bron reveals that he was separated from his wife and in-laws before Littlefoot hatched. Although Littlefoot and Bron are affectionate, they separate at the end of the film, promising to reunite. Bron eventually fulfills this in the TV episode "The Big Longneck Test", in which he test's Littlefoot's skills at leadership. He reappears in the 14th film Journey of The Brave, where he is trapped near a volcano and is hurt, which urges Littlefoot and his friends to journey there to rescue him. He is shown to have great admiration for Littlefoot's friends and is deeply proud of the children's determination to save him.
Hyp, Mutt and Nod
Hyp, Mutt and Nod are a trio of adolescent dinosaurs, who first appeared in The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving, in which they often quarrel with Littlefoot, Cera, and the others. It is also implied and later revealed near the end of the film that Hyp the gray Hypsilophodon, behaves in this manner because of the aggressive treatment that he receives from his father. His lackey, Mutt the green Muttaburrasaurus, is shown to be much softer-hearted, as well as dim-witted, whereas Hyp's other lackey, Nod the green Nodosaurus, frequently emphasizes Hyp's statements, as well as allowing him to ride on his back. They become friends with the others after all eight cooperate against a pack of "Fast Biters".
The trio appear again in the season one finale of the television series, "The Great Egg Adventure".
In the film, they were voiced by Whit Hertford (Hyp), Jeff Bennett (Mutt), and Scott Menville (Nod). In the TV series, Bennett and Menville resume their roles, but Hyp is voiced by Mikey Kelley.
Mo
Mo, voiced by Rob Paulsen, is a colorful Ophthalmosaurus who first appeared in The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water. The character is bilingual, speaking a broken form of the herbivore language, as well as his native dolphin-like language. He is very playful, and becomes popular with the main characters aside from Cera, who is at first annoyed by his playful antics.
Though the character's only prominent roles are in the ninth film and in the TV episode "The Missing Fast-Water Adventure", he has made a few appearances in the films. In The Great Longneck Migration, he jumps out of the water during the song "Adventuring", and he says "And fly!" during the song "Flip, Flap and Fly" in The Great Day of the Flyers.
Doc
Doc, voiced by Kris Kristofferson (VI) and Jeff Bennett (TV series), is a nomadic elderly grayish blue Diplodocus. In his first appearance, The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock, he saves Littlefoot shortly after arriving in the Great Valley and Littlefoot idolizes him thereafter as the legendary "Lone Dinosaur", who purportedly saved the Great Valley from a particularly powerful Sharptooth long before; Doc's own statements about having visited the Great Valley before, as well as a large scar on his face resembling one of the legend, support Littlefoot's ideas. At the end of the film, after Doc and Grandpa Longneck defeat two marauding dinosaurs together, Doc leaves the Valley. He appears again in the TV episode "The Lone Dinosaur Returns", in which he now has a lady-friend. During the episode, he is initially appalled by Littlefoot's friendship with Chomper, but is gradually convinced to respect the latter.
Guido
Guido, voiced by Rob Paulsen, is a teal Microraptor who first appears in The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers. He is convinced that he's the only one of his kind, having never seen another of his kind before. His origins are unknown, as he apparently has no idea what he is or where he came from. Though he tries to fly, he can only glide for a brief period of time. He reappears in the TV episode "The Hermit of Black Rock", in which he meets an old blind purple Harpactognathus named Swooper (voiced by Jess Harnell) and learns to fly properly. Guido often appears neurotic or panicky at times, and easily confused.
Supporting characters
Chomper's parents
Chomper's parents are featured in Chomper's first two film appearances. They are sexually dimorphic, with Chomper's father being dark green and his mother having an olive green color. They are very protective of their son, as when they invade the Great Valley to search for his egg in The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure, and fighting to protect him in The Mysterious Island. Although the two initially treat the protagonists as prey, they promise to spare them, as a reward for rescuing Chomper. They are unique among Sharpteeth as the audience is shown what they are saying via subtitles. They entrust Ruby to take care of Chomper in the Great Valley after Red Claw separated them from their families.
Littlefoot's mother
Littlefoot's mother, voiced by Helen Shaver, dies in the first film to save Littlefoot and Cera from the Sharptooth pursuing them. Before her death, she is Littlefoot's teacher and caregiver, and introduces the story's principal themes. After death, she appears as a ghost to reveal his destination. She is also shown in a flashback scene in The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration.
Rhett
Rhett (voiced by Elizabeth Daily) is a new friend of Littlefoot's friend Ali, who is introduced in the TV series episode "The Brave Longneck Scheme". He initially had an arrogant personality and tried to pass himself off as a hero.
Tippy's mother
Tippy's mother (voiced by Susan Krebs) is a kindly female Stegosaurus who invites Spike to spend time with her herd upon learning that he has been adopted by another species and has not spent time around his species. She later invites him to travel with the herd when they leave the Valley in search of food during the freeze. She and her son, together with their herd, reappear in the episode "The Forbidden Friendship".
Ruby's Family
Ruby's Family (both voiced by Rob Paulsen, Nika Futterman) is a family of Oviraptors, who is first appeared in "The Star Day Celebration" and "Return to Hanging Rock".
Mrs. Twoped
Mrs. Twoped was an unseen friend of Tria around the time of Tricia's hatching. After Tricia ran for the very first time in The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers, Tria remarked that she could not wait to tell Mrs. Twoped about it.
Allies
Tinysauruses
The Tinysauruses are an underground colony of Mussaurus who appear in The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses. Their leader is old and cranky but warm-hearted with a huge voice, named Big Daddy (voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan) along with his daughter Lizzie (Cree Summer). Other individuals include Skitter (Leigh Kelly), Dusty (Ashley Rose Orr) and Rocky (Nika Futterman).
The Tinysauruses make a brief appearance in The Great Day of the Flyers, and later are mentioned in the TV episode "Stranger From the Mysterious Above".
Kosh
Kosh, voiced by Rob Paulsen (III, XI – XII), Jeff Bennett (V, TV series) and Pete Sepenuk (TV series), is a gluttonous, pink Ankylosaurus who appears in some of The Land Before Time films and the TV series. He is almost always seen eating, and usually ends up having his meal disturbed or interrupted in some way. He is also rather quick to anger. He is usually the first to agree with Mr. Threehorn, but often argues with him too.
Rooter
Rooter, voiced by Pat Hingle (who also narrated the first film), is an old male Scolosaurus turquoise dinosaur who consoles Littlefoot after his mother has died. His only appearance was in the first film.
Foobie
Foobie, voiced by Pete Sepenuk, is a mute "Yellow Belly" who is considered the wise one of his herd. Foobie makes friends with Spike. He appears in The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends.
Hidden Runner
Hidden Runner, voiced by Rob Paulsen, is a green and blue Ornithomimus whose only appearance is in the TV series episode "The Spooky Nighttime Adventure". Hidden Runner has the ability to blend in with its habitat due to its multi-colored markings.
Loofah and Doofah
Loofah and Doofah are two "Yellow Bellies" who appear in The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends. Loofah is voiced by Cuba Gooding Jr. and Doofah by Sandra Oh. Loofah is the cheerful leader of a herd of Yellow bellies who are looking for the Berry Valley. Doofah is a prominent female in her herd, and is equally friendly and optimistic. Both of them have short-term memory loss and are motivated by impulsive needs.
Milo, Lydia and Plower
Milo, Lydia and Plower are three Ceratogaulus featured in the TV episode "Stranger From the Mysterious Above". They believe Spike to be "The Big Wise One". Milo was voiced by Rob Paulsen, Plower by Meghan Strange, and Lydia by Anndi McAfee.
Archie
Archie is a male Archelon who lives in a cave system just outside the Land of Mists. He appears in The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists where he guides Littlefoot and his friends through the caves. He is voiced by Charles Durning.
Tickles
Tickles is a Megazostrodon who appears in The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists. He is voiced by Frank Welker.
Elsie
Elsie is a green female Elasmosaurus who returns Littlefoot, Ducky, Cera, Petrie, and Spike to their families at the end of The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island. She is voiced by Christina Pickles.
Dinah and Dana
Dinah and Dana are Cera's niece and nephew who appear in The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock. They are voiced by Sandy Fox and Nancy Cartwright.
Sue
Sue is a female Supersaurus who saved Littlefoot from a Belly Dragger by crushing its face in The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration. Sue is kind and gentle. She is voiced by Bernadette Peters.
Pat
Pat appears in The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration and is voiced by James Garner.
Saro
Saro is a male Alamosaurus who is an old friend of Grandpa Longneck, who has been interested in the stories of the longnecks all his life. He appears in the episode of the TV episode "The Legend of the Story Speaker". He is voiced by Pete Sepenuk.
Rainbow Faces
Rainbow Faces are a pair of Gallimimus who appear in The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire. They show scientific knowledge exceeding that attributed to other characters. The male Rainbow Face also appears in The Invasion of the Tinysauruses. The male Rainbow Face is voiced by Charles Kimbrough, The female Rainbow Face is voiced by Patti Deutsch while B.J. Ward does her singing voice.
Dara
Dara is a wandering female Diplodocus who first appeared in the TV episode "The Lone Dinosaur Returns". She is the lady-friend of Doc, the "Lone Dinosaur". She is voiced by Susan Blu.
Swooper
Petrie and Guido meet the blind and elderly Swooper in Black Rock in the TV episode "The Hermit of Black Rock". He is voiced by Jess Harnell.
Skip
Skip is a multituberculate who appears in the episode "Return to Hanging Rock". He is voiced by Jeff Bennett.
Etta
Etta is a yellow Pteranodon who appears in The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave. After Littlefoot meets her while looking for shelter during a "Sand cloud", she forces Littlefoot into a cave. To cheer up the downtrodden Longneck, Etta tells Littlefoot to "look for the light". Etta has a burn mark on her arm when a small lava bomb hit her when she was near a volcano called Fire Mountain. She is voiced by Reba McEntire.
Wild Arms
Wild Arms is a Nothronychus who notifies Littlefoot and the rest of the valley that Bron has been imperiled in the Mysterious Beyond. Appearing in The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave, Wild Arms is selfish, cowardly and somewhat mean spirited. He is narcissistic and reluctant to help others. He is voiced by Damon Wayans Jr.
Villains
Sharptooth
Sharptooth is a strong, athletic, and powerful dark green Tyrannosaurus and the main antagonist of the first film, injured in pursuit of Littlefoot and Cera, and the slayer of Littlefoot's mother. Having fallen into a crack in the earth during an earthquake, he remains comatose until awoken by Cera and thereafter pursues them until the end of the film, wherein they drown him in a lake.
In the book adaptation of the first film, he appears to have a grudge against them after Littlefoot inadvertently injured his right eye; during his first encounter with him.
Egg Stealer
An "Egg Stealer", that almost took Littlefoot's egg, appeared in the first film.
Ozzy and Strut
Ozzy and Strut are a pair of Struthiomimus brothers who appear in The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure. They are driven from the Valley by Chomper's parents. Ozzy and Strut are voiced by Jeff Bennett and Rob Paulsen, both with British accents.
Dil and Ichy
Dil and Ichy appear in The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists. Dil is a female "big-mouthed bellydragger" (Deinosuchus), while Ichy is a male "sharp beak" (Ichthyornis). They pursue Littlefoot and his friends throughout the film, but often quarrel among themselves, partly because of the lack of food and partly because Dil is very nearsighted. Dil is voiced by Tress MacNeille and Ichy by Jeff Bennett.
Pterano
Pterano, voiced by Michael York, is an orange-brown Pteranodon from The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire who is Petrie and his siblings' uncle, but exiled from the herd for abandoning his own followers.
Rinkus and Sierra
Rinkus and Sierra are the henchmen of Pterano in The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire. Rinkus is a pink Rhamphorhynchus voiced by Rob Paulsen with a Cockney accent and Sierra is a brown Cearadactylus voiced by Jim Cummings with a somewhat Southern accent.
Red Claw
Red Claw is a gray Tyrannosaurus, voiced by Pete Sepenuk. He has a distinctive scar extending from his left eye to his left hand and bright red claws. He separated Chomper and Ruby from their families leading them to move to the Great Valley. He appears as the main antagonist of the show.
Screech and Thud
Screech and Thud are a pair of Deinonychus, voiced by Pete Sepenuk and Rob Paulsen, respectively, and are companions of Red Claw.
Great Hideous Beast
The Great Hideous Beast (voiced by Dorian Harewood) is a Microceratus who lives in the caves alongside horned gophers. He appears in the TV episode "Stranger From the Mysterious Above".
Scuttle
Scuttle (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) is the leader of the "Sand Creepers" appears in the TV episode "March of the Sand Creepers".
Unnamed sharpteeth
Many "sharpteeth" are featured in Land Before Time films and television:
A Dimetrodon appeared in the first film.
A Tyrannosaurus that looks like Chomper's dad appeared in the opening narration of The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure.
A trio of "Smallbiter Sharpteeth" (Ornitholestes) appeared in the opening narration to The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving.
A duo of "Quilled Fast Biters" (Dromaeosaurus) appeared in the opening narration of The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving battling a Chasmosaurus.
A pack of Fast Biters (Velociraptors), voiced by Frank Welker, appeared near the end of The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving.
A Pliosaurus appeared in the opening narration in The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists.
A Mosasaurus also appeared in the opening narration in The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists.
A Tyrannosaurus also appeared in the opening narration to The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists chasing a flock of Dryosaurus.
A "Swimming Sharptooth" (Hydrotherosaurus) appeared near the end of The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists chasing Dil away.
A Tyrannosaurus that looks like Chomper's mom appeared in the opening narration of The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island.
A "Swimming Sharptooth" (Cretoxyrhina) appeared in The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island.
A "Plated Sharptooth" (Giganotosaurus) appeared in The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island.
The "biggest, meanest, most ferocious Sharptooth ever" (Tyrannosaurus) appeared in The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock film during Littlefoot's grandpa's story of the Lone Dinosaur.
A "Browridge Sharptooth" (Allosaurus), voiced by Danny Mann, appeared in The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock and in a recreated flashback in “The Lone Dinosaur Returns”.
A Tyrannosaurus appeared along with the Allosaurus in the climax of the sixth film. More Tyrannosaurids would appear in opening narrations and in “The Legend of the Lone Dinosaur” song.
A pack of Fast Biters (Deinonychus) appeared in The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire in a flashback.
An Albertosaurus appeared in The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze wandering around the landscape during a blizzard.
A pliosaur "Sharptooth Swimmer" (Liopleurodon) appeared in The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water.
A Tyrannosaurus appeared in the opening narration to The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration fighting an Apatosaurus.
A Bellydragger (Sarcosuchus) appeared in The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration.
A trio of Sharpteeth (Daspletosaurus) appeared in The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration.
A pair of large Fast Biters (Utahraptors) appeared in The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses.
A "Sailback Sharptooth" (Spinosaurus) appeared in The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers.
A Gorgosaurus appeared in the opening narration to The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends chasing a massive pack of Achillobators.
A quartet of "Hookthumb Sharpteeth" (Baryonyx) appeared in The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends, led by a purple-brown Baryonyx with a scar running over its jaw.
Pairs of fantasy Sharpteeth (Tarbosaurus/Tyrannosaurus) appeared in Rhett's story in the episode "The Brave Longneck Scheme".
A trio of Fast Biters (Deinonychus) appeared in the episode "The Lonely Journey".
A stampede of Fast Biters (Herrerasaurus) appeared in the episode "The Lonely Journey" being pursued by Red Claw.
A family of Sharpteeth (Acrocanthosaurus) also appeared in the episode "The Lonely Journey".
A pair of fantasy Tyrannosaurus and a Deinonychus appear in the episode “The Spooky Nightmare Adventure” in a spooky legend.
A pair of "Sailback Sharpteeth" (Spinosaurus) appeared in the episode "The Hermit of Black Rock".
A pack of big-mouthed Bellydraggers (Sarcosuchus) appeared in the episode "The Amazing Threehorn Girl".
A mother Fast Biter (Deinonychus) appeared in the episode "The Great Egg Adventure". She and Screech are a lot alike, the only difference is that her eyes are red. The mother Deinonychus has 3 Deinonychus babies.
A Tyrannosaurus appeared in the opening narration to The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave fighting a Stegosaurus.
A pair of Featherhead Sharpteeth (Yutyrannus) appeared in The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave.
A "Horned Sharptooth" (Carnotaurus) also appeared in Journey of the Brave." (wikipedia)
"Since it was founded in 1954, international fast food chain Burger King has employed many advertising programs. During the 1970s, its advertisements included a memorable jingle, the inspiration for its current mascot the Burger King and several well-known and parodied slogans, such as Have it your way and It takes two hands to handle a Whopper. From the early 1980s until approximately 2002, Burger King engaged a series of advertising agencies that produced many unsuccessful slogans and programs, including its least successful campaign, Where's Herb?.
In 2003, Burger King hired the Miami-based advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky (CP+B), which revived the Burger King character used during Burger King's 1970s and 1980s Burger King Kingdom advertising campaign as a caricature now simply called "the King". CP+B also created a series of viral web-based advertisements to complement its television and print promotional campaigns on various social networks and various Burger King corporate pages. These viral campaigns, other new campaigns and a series of new product introductions, drew both positive and negative attention to Burger King and helped TPG and its partners earn approximately US$367 million in dividends. After the late-2000s recession, Burger King's owner, TPG Capital, divested itself of the chain in 2010; the new owner, 3G Capital, ended its relationship with CP+B and hired McGarryBowen to begin a new campaign targeted on a broader demographic.
Burger King successfully partnered with George Lucas's Lucasfilm to promote the 1977 movie Star Wars, one of the first product tie-ins in the fast food industry.
History
United States
1958
The first Burger King television commercial was broadcast on Miami's VHF station.[citation needed]
1960s–1970s
Pillsbury acquired the Burger King business in 1967, and a year later, BBDO was signed on as the company's advertising agency. The relationship continued until July 1976.[1] Since 1974, Burger King ran a series of much-lampooned but successful television commercials in which employees sing: "Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce. Special orders don't upset us. All we ask is that you let us serve it your way!" This advertising strategy aimed to contrast Burger King's flexibility with McDonald's famous rigidity. This theme has been reiterated in subsequent advertising campaigns. BBDO were believed to have been dropped because of their inability to originate a successful new campaign following their "Have It Your Way" campaign.[1]
Burger King's first successful cross-promotional campaign was in 1977. It offered several collectible items, such as posters, glasses and sticker sets that featured scenes and characters from Star Wars.[2] The promotional glasses have become collector's items.[3][4] The Star Wars tie-in continued with the remainder of the first Star Wars trilogy and the DVD release of both trilogies. During the 1984 television premiere of Star Wars, Burger King commercials were featured prominently.[citation needed]
1980s–1990s
In 1982, Burger King's television advertising campaign featured Sarah Michelle Gellar, then aged 4. In the advertisements, Gellar said that McDonald's burgers were 20% smaller than Burger King's. It was arguably the first attack on a food chain by a competitor. The campaign was controversial because prior to it, fast food advertisements only made vague allusions to the competition and never mentioned the name. McDonald's sued and the suit was settled the following year on undisclosed terms.[citation needed]
In 1984, a commercial was aired featuring the character of Mister Rodney, a Mister Rogers impersonator, complete with parted hair, cardigan sweater and friendly smile, who would walk through a door to a cozy-looking room set, greet viewers with "Hi, neighbors," and proceed to tout the superiority of Burger King's flame broiled burgers over McDonald's fried ones, asking, "can you say, McFrying?"[citation needed] The real Fred Rogers himself took issue with the commercial, saying it could confuse young children who wouldn't understand that it was a spoof and that the smiling, gentle-voiced, cardigan-clad fellow in the spot was an impersonator, and would think Mister Rogers was on TV selling them fast food.[citation needed] Rogers was adamant about never advertising to children. Also, as a vegetarian, he resented someone dressed up to look like him hawking a meat-based dish. Rogers called the CEO of Burger King, voiced his opinion and politely requested that the commercial be withdrawn. The spot, which cost $150,000 to produce, was pulled from the airwaves forthwith.[citation needed]
In November 1985, Burger King spent $40 million on the Where's Herb? advertising campaign. The campaign's premise was that Herb was the only man in America who had never eaten a Whopper. Customers recognizing Herb in any store would win US$5,000. The advertisements did not reveal Herb's appearance until the company's Super Bowl XX commercial, where Herb was revealed to be a bespectacled man in an ill-fitting suit. Herb toured stores across the country, appeared on The Today Show, and served as a guest timekeeper during WrestleMania 2. The campaign had little impact on sales and was quickly dropped. According to Advertising Age magazine, the Herb campaign was the "most elaborate advertising flop of the decade."[5][6][7] Burger King's other 1980s advertising campaigns, such as "This is a Burger King town", "Fast food for fast times", and "We do it like you'd do it" were barely more successful.
The iconic Burger King "crown", worn by Nick Van Eede in 1987
In the early 1990s, Burger King advertised its new dinner offering – dinner baskets and table service – with the "BK Tee Vee" (or "BKTV") campaign, which used the taglines "BK Tee Vee... I Love this Place!" and "Your Way Right Away!", and featured Dan Cortese as "Dan: The Whopper Man." Burger King's lack of a successful advertising campaign continued during the 1980s and 1990s.[citation needed]
2000s–2010s
In September 2002, Burger King introduced its 99¢ Value Menu in response to Wendy's 99¢ Value Menu. The advertisements featured the comedian Adam Carolla as the voice of BK's drive thru. The menu was later renamed the BK Value Menu with prices starting at US$1.[8]
Shortly after the acquisition of Burger King by TPG Capital in 2002, its new CEO Bradley (Brad) Blum set about reversing the fortunes of the company's advertising programs. The company reinstated its famous Have it your way motto and engaged Miami-based advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky (CP+B), which was known for having a hip, subversive tack when creating campaigns for its clients.[9][10] CP+B updated Burger King's image and changed its marketing strategy. The cups, bags and the company logo were redesigned with the intent to give BK an appealing, culturally aware and modern image. Humorous statements, claims and product descriptions were printed on bags, product packaging and on in-store promotional materials, including a Burger King Bill of Rights, using the slogan Have it Your Way. CP+B created an advertising campaign that focused on television spots, print, web and product tie-ins.[9][11]
CP+B reinstated the Burger King character used in the 1970s and 1980s for the Burger King Kingdom advertising campaign. The character was redesigned as a caricature of the original, now simply called the Burger King or just the King. The new incarnation replaced the singing and dancing Magical Burger King with a miming actor who wore an oversized, grinning plastic mask resembling the original actor who played King. Employing the practice of viral marketing, CP+B's advertisements generated significant word of mouth and a new use of what has become known as the Creepy King persona, an appellation that CP+B used in later advertisements.[9] In April 2009, a CP+B advertisement for Burger King's "Texican burger" was removed from television because it caused an international uproar over insults to Mexico.[12][13]
After purchasing the company in 2010, 3G Capital ended Burger King's relationship with CP+B and engaged the services of McGarryBowen. In August 2011, McGarryBowen produced its first Burger King campaign, which was for the California Whopper sandwich. The advertisements were the first in a campaign that de-emphasized the King and focused on ingredients and preparation methods.[14]
In 2017, Burger King briefly ran an ad to intentionally activate Google Home smart speakers. The end of the commercial featured an employee saying "OK Google, what is the Whopper burger," which would trigger the device to read the first sentence of the Wikipedia entry for the Whopper.[15] Shortly before the ad's release, the entry for Whopper had been edited to include lines such as "America's favourite burger" and "100% beef with no preservatives".[16] Although the ad worked for a while, after a few hours the commercial no longer triggered a search by the device, which was viewed by both The New York Times and The Verge to be a deliberate change made by Google.[17][18] According to the BBC, the voice-over for the commercial was re-recorded with a different intonation in order to bypass the block.[16] During the hours that the ad was active, many attempts were made to vandalize the Wikipedia page in question to alter Google Home's description.[16][19] Wikipedia editors in response demanded Burger King to apologise.[20][21]
In February 2019, the company launched an advertising campaign called "Eat Like Andy". The television spot which premiered during the Super Bowl LIII features archival documentary film footage from "66 Scenes from America" by Jørgen Leth of the pop artist Andy Warhol (1928-1987) unwrapping and eating a Whopper. The footage was approved for use by the fast food giant courtesy of the Andy Warhol Foundation. Meanwhile, prior to the game the mass market hamburger chain made available to viewers who ordered it in advance via DoorDash an "Andy Warhol Mystery Box" which with contains among other items a plastic bottle of ketchup and a platinum wig so one can "Eat Like Andy".[22][23]
2020s
In February 2020, to highlight the company's commitment to no artificial preservatives in their famous Whopper, Burger King ran an ad with a time-lapse of a decaying burger on Twitter.[24] The company explained that it has removed artificial preservatives from the Whopper in a number of European countries – including France, Sweden and Spain – and about 400 of its 7,346 U.S. restaurants.[24] It plans to remove preservatives from Whoppers served in all of its restaurants in 2020.[24]
In August 2020, Burger King partnered with marketing agency Ogilvy to launch a new campaign titled "The King of Stream" in which they used the donation feature of streaming service Twitch to advertise. This was done without the cooperation of the streamers that were donated to, and was poorly received as a result.[25]
In 2021, a new campaign serving as a response to the various "flavour conspiracys" regarding their burgers was launched with the slogan "It's not a secret, it's real fire" (stated in the accompanying advert as "No secrets, it's just fire").[citation needed]
In 2022, Burger King released a new series of advertisements named "You Rule", built around the melody of the original "Have it Your Way" jingle. The ads were conceptualized by the ad agency OKRP. They went viral on social media sites, such as TikTok, rising to prominence during the 2023 NFL Playoffs....
The King
Main article: Burger King (mascot)
The original version of the King from the 1950s and early 1960s
The Burger King is a character created as the advertising mascot for the company that has been used in numerous television commercials and advertising programs. The character has undergone several iterations over the course of its company's history. The first iteration of the King was part of a Burger King sign at the first store in Miami, Florida, in 1955. Later signs had the King shown sitting on a "burger throne" as well as atop the BK sign while holding a beverage. In the early 1970s Burger King started using a small, animated version of the King in its children's advertising where the animated Burger King was voiced by Allen Swift. By the late 70s, the original animated King was replaced by the "Marvelous Magical Burger King", a red-bearded, Tudor-era king who ruled the Burger King Kingdom and performed magic tricks that were mostly sleight-of-hand, but sometimes relied on camera tricks or involved his "Magic Ring" which could summon copious amounts of food. The children's ads featuring the King were phased out by the late 1980s in favor of the BK Kids Club Gang and other later programs.
When Crispin Porter + Bogusky took over the advertising account of Burger King in 2003,[30] They began devising a caricatured variation of the Burger King character from the Burger King Kingdom advertising campaign, now simply called "The King".[31] During the use of CP+B's new version of the King, ads generated significant word of mouth for its new use of what various trade publications and Internet articles labeled "the Creepy King" persona, an appellation that BK came to favor and CP+B's used in its ads.[32] The farcical nature of the program led to the King becoming an internet meme frequently portrayed as a fiend with monstrous intents, in addition to starring in three video games published by Burger King in late 2006. However, the use of the king failed to provide a consistent message regarding the company and its products. Upon the take over of Burger King by 3G Capital in 2010, the company terminated its relationship with CP+B and in August 2011 Burger King announced that character would be retired as the primary mascot for the brand.[31]...
Logos
Evolution of the Burger King logo
Original Burger King text logo from 1953
Original Burger King text logo from 1953
Original "bun halves" logo (1 May 1969 – 29 April 1994)
Original "bun halves" logo (1 May 1969 – 29 April 1994)
Revised "bun halves" logo (30 April 1994 – 30 June 1999)
Revised "bun halves" logo (30 April 1994 – 30 June 1999)
"Blue crescent" logo (1 July 1999 – 21 December 2020)
"Blue crescent" logo (1 July 1999 – 21 December 2020)
Current redesigned "bun halves" logo (21 December 2020–present, introduced as official logo on 6 January 2021)
Current redesigned "bun halves" logo (21 December 2020–present, introduced as official logo on 6 January 2021)
The first Burger King logo used text and was introduced on 28 July 1953.[50] The first graphical representation of the Burger King character occurred in the 1960s and is sometimes called the Sitting King logo, as the Burger King character is shown sitting atop a burger holding a beverage.[51] Several versions were produced; the King is shown either sitting atop a hamburger or on an inverted trapezoid with the company name along the top and its motto Home of the Whopper below it. Some signs omitted the King and only had the trapezoid. This logo was used in various forms until 30 April 1969 when the Burger King "bun halves" logo made its debut on 1 May 1969,[52] and has continued in use until the present. The logo resembles a hamburger;[53] with two orange semi-circular "buns" surrounding the name. On 30 April 1994, BK updated the logo with a graphical tightening, replacing the "bulging" font with a smoother font with rounded edges.[54]
The "blue crescent" logo was designed by the New York-based Sterling Brands and made its official debut on July 1, 1999.[55][56] Sterling Group changed the color of the restaurant's name from red to burgundy, tilted the bun halves and the font on an axis, used a smaller bun motif and wrapped the burger with a blue crescent, which gave it a more circular appearance. Most restaurants did not acquire new signs, menus, and drive-thru ordering speakers until 2001. All secondary signage was updated with the new logo and all sign posts were repainted to match the blue coloring of the new crescent, replacing the original black.[57]
On 6 January 2021, Burger King unveiled its newest logo, a variation on the classic 1969-1994 logo.[58]
International variations
The logo of Australian franchisee, Hungry Jack's, is based on the Burger King "bun halves" design, and currently uses a variation of the second generation "bun halves" logo from 1994. When the company opened its first Russian store in Moscow, a version of the logo with Cyrillic lettering, styled "Бypгep Kинг", was used.[59] In Arabic-speaking countries, the logo is reversed and uses characters from the Arabic alphabet (برجر كنج), but is otherwise identical to the "blue crescent" English logo. In Israel, a Hebrew logo has been used for a while in 2002, and has been replaced with the English version since. The logo is reversed (like the Arabic version) and uses characters from the Hebrew alphabet (ברגר קינג), but is otherwise identical to the English logo.
Children's advertising
Children's logos
Burger King created a separate logo for its children's products with the introduction of its Burger King Kid's Club in 1990. The original logo, an inverted triangle with blue text, was used in television and print advertising, signage, toy and meal packaging. Burger King changed this logo several times and introduced several local versions in its international market. In 1992, the company replaced the original logo with one similar to its corporate "bun halves" logo, the original Burger King text logo on a single line with the text "Kids Club" text under it on two lines.[60] The most current logo in North America is for its "Club BK" program which it introduced in July 2008.[61]
Starting in the 1970s and running into the 1980s, Burger King's "Kids' Club" program gave children coupons for selected products each month, a small toy, and a surprise on the child's birthday. Burger King has been known for its paper crowns, which are sometimes redesigned to match any promotions the restaurant may be running. The original "Kids' Club" advertising featured a small, animated King character named The Burger King,[62] who would travel on a modified chopper with a throne as the seat, visit a Burger King store and present the children with small gifts. The tag line was "Burger King: Where kids are King!"
The "Marvellous Magical Burger King"
In 1976, the original animated Burger King was portrayed by Dick Gjonola as a bearded king that ruled the Burger King Kingdom.[63][64][65] The King was replaced by the "Marvellous Magical Burger King," a red-bearded, Tudor-era king, played by Fred Barton, who ruled the Burger King Kingdom and performed magic tricks that were mostly sleight-of-hand, but sometimes relied on camera tricks or involved his "Magic Ring" which could summon copious amounts of food.[citation needed]
The Burger King kingdom
Introduced in 1976, the Burger King Kingdom was Burger King's answer to McDonaldland, the setting for characters created in the commercials made by Burger King's rival McDonald's during the mid-1970s.[66] Besides the Burger King, other Burger King Kingdom characters included:
The Burger Thing (voiced by Frank Welker) - A large hamburger puppet designed to look like a 3-D painting.
Sir Shake-A-Lot (played by Bob Lydiard)[67] - A knight that wears armour made of BK Cups and has a craving for milkshakes. Sir Shake-a-lot always shivers because he drinks milkshakes so much he is always cold. Sir Shake-A-Lot's voice can be heard in the 2006 Burger King video game Sneak King commenting, "The King! He's so sneaky!"
The Wizard of Fries (voiced by Tress MacNeille) - A robot powered by the French fries in its glass dome head. It can "multi-fry" where it takes a single French fry and duplicates it endlessly.
The Duke of Doubt (portrayed by James Harder) - A duke who is the Burger King's nemesis who constantly doubted the King's magic, and who constantly tried to prove that the King's magic was not real; he always failed, and each commercial that featured him ended with the tag-line, "No doubt about it, Duke."
This campaign paralleled McDonald's McDonaldland children's commercials, which featured "Ronald McDonald", "The Hamburglar", and "Mayor McCheese", along with other characters.[citation needed]
By 1989, the Burger King Kingdom characters were phased out in favor of the BK Kids Club Gang.[68] Starting in 2003, the Burger King began to be reused in Burger King ads, albeit as a man in a mask and King costume, rather than a full live-action portrayal.[citation needed]
In September 2006, Burger King reintroduced an updated version of its 1970's animated king design. This was printed on cups, bags and in non-tie-in children's advertising. The redesigned king was portrayed as a sarcastic character who sometimes gets into trouble for his mischief-making adventures....
Crowns
Burger King uses paper crowns to advertise its restaurants. Though the regular crown is gold and similar to that of what the King wears, there have been some variants. Variants include, a Halloween skeleton variant, a Christmas hat variant, a mini version, and hats to advertise the Whopper, Chicken fries and the 2019 Melting down promotion....
Media tie-ins
Burger King's first major tie-in, and one of the first for the QSR industry, was the 1977 film Star Wars in which BK sold a set of glasses featuring the main characters from the film. From that point on, competition between the major QSR chains became an important part of advertising in the fast food industry; McDonald's partnered with Disney in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1991 Burger King signed a ten-film contract with Disney, a venture that was very successful. Burger King promoted films such as Disney Animation's Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), Pocahontas (1995), Pixar's Toy Story (1995) and Disney Animation's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996).[79] These cross promotions were rivaled only by McDonald's/Ty Beanie Babies cross-promotion in 1999–2000.
Burger King continued its partnership with Lucasfilm for the two subsequent films, The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). It also promoted the last film of the second trilogy, Revenge of the Sith (2005). Burger King lost the first run tie-in rights to The Phantom Menace (1999), to Tricon Global (KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut) (no partnership was ever made for the film, Attack of the Clones (2002), however), but had an extensive tie-in with the DVD release of the two trilogies in 2006. In 2008, Burger King again partnered with Lucasfilm and Amblin Entertainment for the release of the film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.[80]
Another long running Burger King tie-in partnership has been with 20th Century Fox's property The Simpsons. Burger King's first promotion with Fox began in 1990, when the show was launched as a full-time series. Burger King sold a set of 8-to-12-inch (20 to 30 cm) dolls featuring each member of the Simpsons family. Other Simpsons promotions included a British Kids Club toy in 1998, 2000 and 2001; a Halloween-themed Kid's Club toy in 2001 and 2002, a summertime special at Hungry Jack's in 2001 and The Simpsons Movie in 2007.[81] As part of the promotion for the Simpsons Movie, CP+B produced a commercial with a Simpsons version of the King that had yellow skin, an overbite and four fingers. A website allowed people to make a "Simpsonized" version of themselves from uploaded pictures." (wikipedia)