Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: What 1960s General Mills character shares a name with an NBA mascot?

Lucky the Leprechaun
Buzz the Bee
Chip the Wolf
Trix Rabbit

The correct answer is Lucky the Leprechaun

So why is this answer correct? : Lucky — no relation to the mascot of the Boston Celtics — was the idea of product developer John Halahan. He first appeared on a Lucky Charms cereal box in 1964 And has been a staple of the brand’s ads and box design ever since, save for a period in 1975 when he was replaced by a sneaker-wearing wizard named Waldo. Waldo lasted less than a year before Lucky was brought back.

Trivia: Which fast food character debuted in 1963 wearing a cup on his nose?

Jack in the Box
Ronald McDonald
Hamburglar
The Burger King

The correct answer is Ronald McDonald

So why is this answer correct? : Ronald McDonald’s look has come a long way since his debut, portrayed by actor and future “Today” show mainstay Willard Scott in a series of early television commercials. He wore a cup on his nose, fast food tray on his head, and the signature red-and-white-striped tunic. Ronald is still one of the most popular corporate mascots in history and the namesake of an international nonprofit dedicated to children.

Trivia: Esso (later Exxon) promised to put which animal in your tank?

Unicorn
Tiger
Cheetah
Dolphin

The correct answer is Tiger

So why is this answer correct? : The tiger was a staple of the Esso gas company’s advertising, which promised to “put a tiger in your tank.” Esso changed its name to Exxon in the U.S. in 1972, and as the business expanded Exxon continued to use the big cat to market food and co

Trivia: According to the 1967 slogan, “Beans meanz” which famous food brand?

Heinz
Kraft
Bush’s
Nabisco

The correct answer is Heinz

So why is this answer correct? : The genesis of this phrase is a classic example of how a new setting can inspire creativity. In 1967, Maurice Drake and his colleagues at the London ad agency Young & Rubicam were struggling with slogan ideas for new client Heinz. The team decided to visit a local pub, where inspiration struck over sandwiches and beer as Drake was scribbling on a notepad.

Trivia: What term for a broken car was used in a 1960 Volkswagen ad?

Junker
Clunker
Lemon
Rustbucket

The correct answer is Lemon

So why is this answer correct? : In the post-war era, many Americans were still skeptical of the German car brand — including the reliability of its vehicles. But thanks to a series of classic ads by Madison Avenue agency Doyle Dane Bernbach, and the popularity of the Beetle among the anti-war counterculture, the brand experienced a resurgence in the 1960s. By the mid-1970s, it was one of the world’s best-selling cars.

Trivia: What 1962 jingle boasted “a wonderful toy” that’s “fun for a girl or boy”?

Jacks
BB Gun
Stick horse
Slinky

The correct answer is Slinky

So why is this answer correct? : The Slinky was invented in 1943, when engineer Richard Thompson James knocked over a box of spare parts and saw a spring appear to “walk” down stairs. James created the first 400 Slinky toys by hand, but the popularity soon exploded, earning him and his family a fortune. In 1962, his wife Betty James took over the company and commissioned a new TV jingle that cemented the product in the minds of children for decades.

Trivia: Which American drink was promoted as “the real thing” starting in 1969?

Gatorade
Budweiser
Coca-Cola
Pepsi

The correct answer is Coca-Cola

So why is this answer correct? : By the end of the 1960s, Coke had been advertised under a number of taglines. In 1948, “Where there’s Coke, there’s hospitality” stressed that the soda was fit for gatherings, while 1957’s “Sign of Good Taste” helped cement it as a style marker. To return to its roots, the soft drink was marketed as “the real thing” in 1969, a precursor to the famous “I’d like to buy the world a Coke” campaign of 1971.

Trivia: “Poppin’ Fresh” is the real name of what food mascot created in 1965?

Gerber Baby
Mr. Peanut
Kool-Aid Man
Pillsbury Doughboy

The correct answer is Pillsbury Doughboy

So why is this answer correct? : Like many classic food characters, the Pillsbury Doughboy was created by a forward-thinking ad agency. According to legend, the copywriter Rudy Perz came up with the idea while testing Pillsbury dough at home in his own kitchen. Today, the Poppin’ Fresh mascot — known for his ticklishness — ranks among the most recognizable characters in the world: At one point, he was receiving around 200 fan letters a week.

The 2006 movie “Blood Diamond,” which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, is mainly set against the backdrop of what country’s civil war?

Sierra Leone
Namibia
Liberia
Rwanda
Somalia

The correct answer is Sierra Leone

In the 1994 film “Legends of the Fall,” the sons of Anthony Hopkins’ character, Col. William Ludlow, all enlist to fight in what war?

American Revolution
Mexican-American War
U.S. Civil War
World War I
World War II

The correct answer is World War I