McDonald's Used To Have A Mascot For Its Iconic Filet-O-Fish Sandwich
The McDonald's menu is full of popular, classic offerings like the Big Mac and its distinctly shaped McNuggets, which keep customers coming back. Even seasonal items like the McRib and Shamrock Shake have earned a massive following over the years, but the fast food brand's mascots may be just as iconic as its menu items, and as identifiable as the chain's golden arches.
McDonald's first mascot was a chef with a hamburger for a head named Speedee, who promised fast service. He was replaced by Ronald McDonald in 1963, who has been the most prominent face of the company ever since. Through the years, the fast food chain has created a ton of characters to promote new arrivals and appeal to new generations of kids. However, not every McDonald's mascot has remained relevant over the course of the brand's nearly 70 years in business. McDonald's characters like CosMc, Mayor McCheese, and Birdie the Early Bird all had their time to shine, but were found to be a bit too niche for a long-lasting fan base. One long lost character in particular was as unique and fishy as the sandwich he represented: Phil A. O'Fish. That's right — the McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich once had an aquatic mascot who encouraged customers to try the fried seafood creation. Sadly, he left the public eye almost as quickly as he arrived, making him possibly one of the most commonly forgotten McDonaldland resident.
Phil A. O'Fish only promoted McDonald's Filet-O-Fish for a year
The Filet-O-Fish debuted in 1962 after a franchisee owner found that offering a white fish option could increase sales amongst Roman Catholics who would not eat red meat during Lent. After a competition between the Filet-O-Fish and Ray Kroc's idea for a Hula Burger, the fish sandwich won in a landslide and has remained a staple menu item ever since. While there's controversy amongst customers (some people turn their noses up at the idea of eating fish at a fast food restaurant), ride or die fans of the Filet-O-Fish have kept the sandwich in demand over the years. Sadly, Phil A. O'Fish did not have the same support during his brief time as mascot and swam away without explanation just one year after arriving.
Much like the Grimace lore we didn't know we needed until the purple guy basically broke the internet in 2023, Phil A. O'Fish deserves to have his backstory heard. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot to be found on the erstwhile '70s mascot. After over a decade on menus, McDonald's debuted Phil A. O'Fish in 1976 to promote the Filet-O-Fish. In the printed ad campaign, Phil is drawn next to a Filet-O-Fish, encouraging customers to try one for themselves. One advertisement even included a coupon for a free Phil A. O'Fish bumper sticker with the purchase of a 45-cent fish sandwich ... talk about a deal.
No one knows exactly why Phil A. O'Fish was put into early retirement
Unlike some of the popular McDonald's characters that children are more often scared of than they are excited to see promoting their favorite fast food (looking right at you, Ronald), you could argue that Phil A. O'Fish is pretty adorable in his sailor costume, his sweet little fins pointing you in the direction of a Filet-O-Fish.
It is worth noting, however, that people may have questioned why Phil would be promoting a fish sandwich since he, himself, is a fish. Could it be that McDonald's quickly realized that having a fish encourage you to eat fish just didn't make sense? While this is purely speculation, it really puts his line, "Surprisingly good taste" into a whole different perspective. Smithsonian Magazine reported that Phil A. O'Fish was replaced by an ad in 1977 that depicted a Filet-O-Fish in a nautical background, but it was no longer accompanied by the affable mariner. While no one knows for sure why Phil A. O'Fish did not stand the test of time, many customers are no doubt relieved that at least his favorite McDonald's fish sandwich did.