Punchy, Hawaiian Punch's Mascot
In February 1962, the animated character of "Punchy" was introduced in a commercial for Hawaiian Punch, punching everything in sight up to and including horses, meat loaves, and kindergartners, eventually becoming the product's mascot. The character of "Punchy" was originated by artist Martin Mandelblatt, animated by Jan Svochak, and the voice provided by Len Maxwell. "Punchy" has evolved from the original design into the character as seen today. His long-time catchphrase is "How about a nice Hawaiian Punch?" which would then be followed by Punchy literally punching his unsuspecting cohort. The victim of Punchy's punch shenanigans in the initial commercials was a tourist character named Opie (sometimes referred to as Oaf), who always answered "Sure!", only to receive a wallop from Punchy. The Punchy and Opie characters and tagline remained in use until the 1990s. The punch returned in a 2003 advertisement that saw Punchy knocking people into walls at a fun house.
Some believe that the idea of Punchy came from a Hawaiian named Josefa Moe.
Punchy was animated primarily by Jan Svochak of J.J. Sedelmaier Productions. He was head animator of the character from the 1960s through the 1990s.
Punchy is sometimes shown on the scoreboard at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia after outfielder Shane Victorino (a native of Hawaii) makes an important hit. Also, former New York Mets outfielder Benny Agbayani (also Hawaiian) was nicknamed "Hawaiian Punch" after a series of clutch homers in the 2000 season.
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Famous quotes containing the word punch:
“There are two kinds of fathers in traditional households: the fathers of sons and the fathers of daughters. These two kinds of fathers sometimes co-exist in one and the same man. For instance, Daughter’s Father kisses his little girl goodnight, strokes her hair, hugs her warmly, then goes into the next room where he becomes Son’s Father, who says in a hearty voice, perhaps with a light punch on the boy’s shoulder: “Goodnight, Son, see ya in the morning.””
—Letty Cottin Pogrebin (20th century)