Stuff to share with friends

Boy, How You've Changed: Nine Big Mascot Makeovers

Vicki Passmore

How can a company revitalize interest in its product or brand? One option: Make over its "famous face." That's what's in store for Punchy, the longtime Hawaiian Punch mascot. According to a Dow Jones report, the "very Hanna-Barbera" surfer (left pic), who was first introduced in 1961, will get a facelift in February (right pic). The goal? To make him more appealing to 13-year-olds who "live in a Pixar world."

In addition to the new three-dimensional look of Punchy, the Hawaiian Punch formula has also been revamped. Splenda will be used to cut 25% of the drink's calories.

But Punchy is not the only brand mascot to go under the "knife." From Mr. Peanut to the Sun-Maid girl, we take a look at eight more brand icons that have gotten the most major makeovers in the last few years.

2. Mr. Peanut - 2010
According to the Planters' website, Mr. Peanut was born in 1916 when a schoolboy submitted his sketch to win the company's contest for a brand icon. A commercial artist later added the top hat, monocle and cane. But after almost 94 years of being a silent (and nearly nude) pitchman, the much-loved mascot got a voice (a la Robert Downey Jr.), new coloring (from yellow to light brown) and several old-school outfits. Mr. Peanut is also now modern enough to have his very own Facebook page. WalletPop reviewed the new ad campaign when it rolled out in November 2010.

3. Dora the Explorer - 2009
Trying to hold onto preschool fans as they age, Dora the Explorer's parent companies, Nickelodeon and Mattel, gave her a hip new look as a tween with fashionable clothes and lush long hair. The companies initially released just a silhouette of the new tween Dora, but the Bratz-like shadow caused such an uproar -- with parents incensed at the thought of their child's wholesome Dora being sexed up -- that the full look was released early to quell the uprising. The brand extension (