Did you know that Domino’s once had a mascot?
Probably not, because it was discontinued in 1995, the same year the pizza giant forayed into the Indian market.
The ‘Noid’ was an anti-hero clad in a red bunny suit whose sole purpose was to disrupt pizza deliveries.
From 1986 to 1995, the villain featured in numerous Domino’s commercials trying his best to stop pizzas from being delivered in under 30 minutes. Though highly persistent, he failed each time.
This Noid character was quite sensational – he became a pop culture icon featuring on t-shirts, video games, and was even seen in The Simpsons.
However its reign came to an end when a mentally ill person named Kenneth Noid took two Domino’s employees hostage for he felt that Domino’s had created the character to specifically mock him.
He was charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault and theft by extortion but found not guilty by reason of insanity. Despite being found not guilty, his mental health deteriorated and he died by suicide in 1995.
Quite dark, eh?
But the Noid is back, and this time, it’s facing off with the pizza chain’s newest delivery executive – the self-driving Nuro bot that’s delivering pizzas in Houston.
The character will also be appearing as a mini-boss in the new Crash Bandicoot mobile game.
So the next time you order a pizza from Domino’s, be on the lookout for this little guy and make sure you ‘Avoid The Noid!’
