Hillbillies Were Beloved Mascots
Companies were quick to capitalize on the popularity of hillbilly culture with mainstream audiences. In the early 1960s, Kellogg’s introduced Sugar Stars cereal. While the cereal had little do with hillbillies or the unique rural delicacies of the southern region, Kellogg’s created characters that would link the cereal with the culture, mascots Hillbilly Goat and Huckleberry Hound. Huckleberry Hound, with his slow drawl and relaxed attitude, cross-promoted an Emmy-winning Hanna-Barbera cartoon already embraced by audiences. Soda brand Mountain Dew’s mascot was the gangly Willy the Hillbilly. He was the face of the soda between the 1940s and the late 1960s. In 1969, the brand tried to capture a younger generation and retired Willy. He was brought back in the 2010s in “throwback’ can and bottle designs, but was retired again when the campaign ran its course. Willy temporarily tied Mountain Dew back to its mountain roots.