For a 62-year-old comic-strip kid, Bazooka Joe's never looked better.
The pop icon and longtime spokes-character for Topps' bubble-gum brand Bazooka is getting a modern makeover, courtesy of illustrator Victor Intrasombat.
Fans were able to voice their opinion on more than 100 different options sketched by Intrasombat, Benjamin Balistreri (How to Train Your Dragon), Nickelodeon's Robert Lilly and others, with more than 100,000 votes cast. The chosen one, however, was "a bit of a runaway," says Nicole Rivera, senior brand manager for Bazooka Candy Brands.
"He is an evolution of Joe but he is still very true to what Joe has looked like in the past. It's just funny to see how he has remained relevant across generations. It's younger folks voting and teens and adults as well, and they all landed in the same place for what he should look like."
The new Joe is slated to appear on the front of Bazooka wallet packs as well as in a new series of comics, games and other activities inside. Plus he'll be the star of TV spots this summer.
Topps plans to leverage Bazooka Joe in digital ways, too — beginning today, the character stars on a special signature baseball card with Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout as part of Topps' BUNT digital trading-card app.
Joe's had a few facelifts since he started appearing on gum wrappers in the early 1950s, including a touch-up in the 1960s as well as the '90s. The new refresh isn't too drastic — his trademark eyepatch is still there, the jeans and sneakers are trendy, but there are detailed tweaks, too, like a freckled face to reflect the children of today, according to Rivera.
The kid's also sporting a backward red baseball cap instead of the old-school blue hat worn frontward. That was an artistic decision, Rivera says. Topps owner Michael Eisner is a big Bazooka Joe fan, and during a meeting "he said, 'You know what, I really love this red hat.' He gravitated toward the hat in the grand scheme of all this."
Joe's pal Mort joins his friend in the upcoming comics and is getting a makeover himself — "Let's just say he got a haircut," Rivera says — though Jane, Herman, Metaldude and the rest of the old gang are staying in the dugout for the time being.
Brands need to freshen up their icons like Bazooka Joe often to maintain relevancy, especially now in a high-tech world, according to Rivera.
"Planters has touched up Mr. Peanut and even Aunt Jemima has new look and feel," she says. "But with something like Bazooka where we have these comics and a digital presence, it's even more important. Our character icon is ever-present and you just have to make sure you're where the people are and talking to them in the channels they play in."
