Inside the long, strange history of KFC's Colonel Sanders as a spokesperson, character, and romantic lead
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Mary MeisenzahlJul 24, 2022, 17:34 IST
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Colonel Harland Sanders famously founded KFC and developed its original fried chicken recipe.
He's also a symbol of the brand, and a larger pop culture figure.
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Sanders received the title of colonel in 1950 from Kentucky's governor and began dressing in a white suit and growing a signature goatee, making him a perfect, recognizable mascot and logo.
Sanders remained a symbol of the brand long after he sold it in 1964.
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After Sanders died in 1980, the company waited over a decade to fill his shoes in TV commercials.
In 1994, actor Henderson Forsythe was chosen from more than 200 competitors to play the colonel in a $18.4 million ad campaign.
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Forsythe reportedly watched old film and read Sanders' books to prepare for the role.
In 1998, KFC tapped Randy Quaid to voice an animated character called The Colonel, which continued through 2001.
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The animated ads were used to introduce popcorn chicken at the chain.
It wasn't until 2015 that KFC brought back The Colonel again, this time in live-action form played by SNL alum Darrell Hammond.
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But just three months later, comedian Norm MacDonald debuted as The Colonel.
MacDonald's ads even referenced Hammond's ad campaign, calling him an impostor.
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This became a period of many Colonel Sanders portrayals, with the next played by comedian Jim Gaffigan.
At this point, some actors started riffing on the original image.
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George Hamilton played the "Extra Crispy Colonel."
Rob Riggle played The Colonel as coach of the fictional Kentucky Buckets in September 2016.
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The series of ads was a success, and the Extra Crispy Colonel in particular was credited with boosting sales of Extra Crispy Chicken.
KFC executives touted their "distinctive and disruptive advertising and positioning," even though 20% of customers reportedly hated the campaigns.
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Colonel Sanders ad spots grew more outlandish in 2017 with "Titanic" actor Billy Zane playing the Golden Colonel to promote Georgia Gold Chicken.
A few months later, Rob Lowe played the part of The Colonel doing an homage to former President John F Kennedy to launch the chain's Zinger sandwich.
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Ray Liotta also took on the role.
2017 was also the year KFC released a romance novella featuring The Colonel, called "Tender Wings of Desire."
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The Colonel has appeared in three promotional DC comics alongside The Justice League.
KFC got meta with the next Colonel in 2018, hiring a relatively unknown actor to play the "Value Colonel."
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The ads were all about showing new deals at KFC, which said it wasn't wasting extra money on hiring celebrity spokespeople.
It wasn't long before the celebrities were back though, with Reba McEntire as the first female Colonel.
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Jason Alexander, best known for playing George Costanza on "Seinfeld," was next in August 2018 to promote family-sized buckets.
Colonel Sanders made an appearance on the soap opera "General Hospital" as a friend of one of the main characters.
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Later in 2018, Craig Fleming appeared as The Colonel alongside Mrs. Butterworth in an ad promoting KFC's chicken and waffles.
Sean Astin, best known for starring in the titular role in "Rudy", played Colonel Rudy in a nod to the famous 1993 film as the chain introduced chicken wings.
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The pop culture referenced continued with "Game of Thrones" actor Hafþór Júlíus "Thor" Björnsson advertising the Double Crispy Colonel Sandwich.
KFC debuted Colonel RoboCop in 2019 as the "latest and most enhanced security measure taken to date to protect and preserve its founder's secret blend of 11 herbs and spices."
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Next up was one of KFC's most bizarre uses of The Colonel to date: "I Love You Colonel Sanders: A Finger Licking Good Dating Simulator."
Players took a cooking class with Colonel Sanders while also trying to win his love, according to Insider's Kevin Webb.
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The next year, Lifetime made a movie starring Mario Lopez as The Colonel in "Recipe for Seduction."
Things have been quiet on the Colonel Sanders front recently, but it's a safe bet that KFC will keep bringing him back around in some form.