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Forum » Retro Products » BJ and the Chef (Original Kid Cuisine Mascots)
RetroSnob88

Ah, Kid Cuisine - Making children everywhere grow up and say "I can't believe I used to put that garbage in my body!" We knew these things were disgusting but still ate them. Anyway, since about 1993, their mascot has been a slim penguin named KC (You'll never believe what's that short for: Kid Cuisine) who has since promoted this trailer trash meal, but prior to him, the tv dinner had 2 other mascots in the beginning: A chunkier penguin named BJ and his polar bear friend The Chef. For years I remember KC being the mascot but not the original. All I remembered for years was there was a polar bear and like 2 other friends said bear had but that was it. I didn't think about it often because eww and the original mascot thing was driving me nuts as I had no internet back then so I had no way of confirming the original Kid Cuisine mascots. I recently Googled the original Kid Cuisine mascots and here's what popped up





Like I said, I remembered the polar bear, not so much the penguin but these mascots weren't around for very long (probably because no kid my age even got the whole BJ and the Bear thing which is what I can assume the names are a parody of/nod to either way you look at it)



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Benjanime

on very rare occassions my parents would actually let me have these, and by rare occassions i mean i'd only get a chance to eat one every couple of years. i wonder what made them change these macots to the "totally radical '90s" penguin.


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RetroSnob88

I've wondered myself that too 


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Suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
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RetroSnob88

 



Before they were phased out for KC, BJ and the Chef were given a "radical 90's" makeover that apparently didn't go over as well. They slimmed BJ down, gave him and skateboard, and worst of all, they made him wear pants (ugh!). And The Chef was made to look like a stereotypical high school jock


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Suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it if I please

~The chorus to the love theme from M*A*S*H (one of the greatest franchises of yesteryear)
Mr Magic

I feel like I've seen those two before.


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RetroSnob88

@Mr Magic - That's the original Kid Cuisine mascots that were used from 1990 (when the tv dinner was released commercially. Prior to that, it was a test market item in 1988) until 1993 when they were suddenly phased out for KC. Not much in the way of BJ and the Chef stuff exists except for some old stickers and a few old Kid Cuisine commercials starring them


Quote Disable Sigs
Suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it if I please

~The chorus to the love theme from M*A*S*H (one of the greatest franchises of yesteryear)