What Was Chick-Fil-A's Mascot Before The Cows?

You've probably seen the billboards on the side of the highway with those unmistakable black-and-white cows graffitiing the phrase "Eat Mor Chikin" on a white background. By this point, customers are more than familiar with Chick-fil-A's marketing tactic of using cows to promote the chicken restaurant, but this wasn't always the case. Before the friendly cow wearing a Chick-fil-A jersey began making appearances on the side of the road or vandalizing road signs, a plucky little mascot named Doodles represented the company for several decades.

Sometime between the late 1950s and early 1960s, over ten years after first opening its doors, Chick-fil-A introduced Doodles (here's what you can still order from Chick-fil-A's original 1946 menu, by the way). The original costume was a yellowish body with a large head that looked more like a person in a chicken costume than the Disney-like mascots that were common at the time. Doodles was technically a rooster, as evidenced by the bright red crown at the top of his head, but he was mostly advertised as a chicken, given the name of the restaurant. The costume and character design underwent several changes during its time as the Chick-fil-A mascot, but it was ultimately retired in the late 1990s when those naughty cows stole the spotlight.

Back when Chick-fil-A only operated in malls and food courts and before it became America's favorite fast food chicken sandwich chain, Doodles the chicken made meet and greet appearances as an actual character. He used to invite shoppers to try "the best thing that ever happened to chicken," as the company's old slogan used to say. While there was never an official statement explaining Doodles' retirement, the change in mascots occurred in 1995, when Chick-fil-A partnered with the Richards Group to create a billboard campaign in Atlanta, Georgia, that showed two life-sized cows encouraging people to visit the chicken restaurant. In 1997, the mischievous cows made their first appearance as a meetable mascot, and Doodles was quietly removed as the brand's headliner.

Before the cows, Doodles appeared on merchandise everywhere, from stickers and plush dolls to baseball caps and pins. Chick-fil-A wanted to compete with McDonald's' Happy Meals when it came to appealing to children, especially in the '90s when Doodles experienced his final character redesign (speaking of Happy Meals, here are 14 vintage McDonald's Happy Meal boxes we wish would come back). 

Today, you can still find Doodles' legacy gear out there on the internet, even if Chick-fil-A doesn't outwardly acknowledge him anymore. The brand didn't forget about Doodles entirely, though! You'll still see his face every time you look at the Chick-fil-A logo, as he's the little chicken sketched inside the 'C' on every wall, Styrofoam cup, and paper bag out there.