TV characters beloved by ad industry leaders when they were kids

In the streaming age, asking someone to name their favorite TV show character often depends on the moment you ask them—with new shows popping up on an almost daily basis, the choices are endless. But turn back the clock a few years—when cable TV or even just a handful of broadcast networks dominated—and the options were more limited, but also more timeless. With TV upfront season in full swing, Ad Age asked marketing industry execs to jump in the TV time machine and recall their favorite TV character from childhood. Below, a sample (and yes, some folks could not name just one). Carlo Cavallone, global chief creative officer at 72andSunny: Fozzie Bear, from “The Muppet Show” “A side character, yes, but one that influenced heavily my life, and my career. He's a failed vaudeville performer, a stand-up comedian who struggles to make the audience laugh who often bombs and gets booed off the stage. Because of that, because he's an underdog (or underbear, one should say) I started to sympathize with him and therefore I developed a love for wordplay and ‘low hanging fruit’ puns. What better inspiration for a future copywriter?” Neil Heymann, global chief creative officer, Accenture Song “My obsession with The Muppets started early in life. There was a warmth and irreverence there that I loved. The cast of characters covered such a range of personality types and all spoke to me in a different way. Even now, most days, I’m trying to get in touch with the unhinged confidence of my inner Gonzo, but more often than not I find myself just trying to manage the chaos like Kermit, or attempting to find comfort in awful jokes like Fozzie Bear. Wocka Wocka.”Jennifer Aniston, actress, chief creative officer of Vital Proteins “Oh my God, how do you decide that? There's so many. Mary Tyler Moore just pops into my head. Just a strong, confident, woman-on-the-go. I used to love Lucy, ‘I Love Lucy,’ as a kid. I wanted to be in ‘The Brady Bunch.’ I'm not choosing one. I guess I can't.” Carmen Rodriguez, managing director, chief client officer, and partner at Gut “I watched Friends a lot. I wanted to belong to a group of friends that were so unique. They lived in New York City and that cool apartment. I didn't identify personally with one character because I felt that each one of them had something that I had personally. They had different characteristics that I felt like, sometimes I'm goofy like Chandler, or I am very organized, like Monica, not to that, OCD, level, but a little bit, or I wanted to be cool, like Joey. But I wanted, I wanted to move to New York City and have an apartment with a bunch of friends. If you think about it, how did they do that? because that was impossible. I remember that I started drinking coffee because of them. I thought it was cool to go to a cafe and drink coffee, like them.”Martin Sorrell, founder of S4 Capital: Tony Hancock of “Hancock’s Half Hour” “Wonderful humour with straight man Sid James. Favourite episode - The Blood Donor.” Sign up here for upcoming events and awards Ad Age In-Depth: TV Pivot Ad Age 40 under 40 Ad Age Small Agency Conference & Awards Angela Zapeda, CMO, Hyundai Motor America: Sophia Petrillo of “The Golden Girls.” “Sophia always had the best one-liners. She reminds me of some very funny people in my own family—I loved her quick wit and modern take on people and culture!” Kerry McKibbin, president and partner, Mischief @ No Fixed Address: She-Ra Princess of Power “She was leading a rebellion, saving the world, and looking dang fine while doing it." Dara Treseder, senior VP and global head of marketing, communications and membership, Peloton: Captain Planet “I cared a lot about the environment growing up as a child and I loved the idea of a superhero focusing on addressing pollution. It’s one that still inspires me today.” Judith Carr-Rodriguez, partner and CEO, Fig “There are so many. Bagpuss—an old, saggy, plush cat who magically came to life and Statler & Waldorf—the grumpy old men from the Muppets. In various ways they both still remind me of my dad!” Natalie Lam, chief creative Officer, APAC & MEA, Publicis Groupe: Doraemon “A space cat who could pull out all kinds of gadgets from his magic pocket. He’s afraid of mice as they bit his ears off. He’s just so cute, round, resourceful yet pure. Not your average dystopian menacing bot.” Chris Gallery, partner at Mother London: Inspector Gadget “Apple couldn’t even compete with the amount of innovation this man pumped out there. And the theme tune!” Javier Campopiano, worldwide chief creative officer at Grey, global chief creative officer at OpenX: Ralph Hinkley, “The Greatest American Hero” “It had all the things that I love in a story: a human character, sort of a loser, but with a talent for something that he still doesn’t quite understand or control. And a lot of humor, the flying sequences were hilarious (at least with the latinoamerican dub job).” There was also a sci-fi element to it (the aliens had given him the suit), so for me it was full circle. And that song. Finding it back some years later playing a central role in ‘Seinfeld’ just made my nerd heart melt." Alex Lopez, president and global chief creative officer at McCann Worldgroup “TV was my lifeblood, my entertainment, and my escape. Anything I could watch I did. Perhaps this dates me, but a lot of the NBC sitcoms were my favorite. While my ego says that Alex P. Keaton from ‘Family Ties’ is my favorite because of the shared first name, my favorite characters were Arnold Jackson (Gary Coleman) from ‘Diff’rent Strokes’ and Punky Brewster (Soleil Moon-Frye) from, well, ‘Punky Brewster.’ Both Arnold and Punky were young but wise beyond their years, small in stature but filled the room with their presence, and were different from what everyone else on TV looked like. I wanted to be them when I was young and maybe still do.” Amani Duncan, CEO of BBH USA: Jaime Sommers, from “The Bionic Woman” “I watched the show religiously and even had The Bionic Woman action figure. I was amazed at how strong and fearless she was, never one to walk away from a crisis or shy away from a fight against the ‘bad guys.’ I wanted to be bionic, too. Funny, people always ask me why I ‘run towards fire.’ Recounting this memory, I guess I still believe I am a bit bionic myself, fighting the good fight." Rafael Rizuto, chief creative officer of BBH USA: Angus “Mac” MacGyver of “MacGyver” "I love how he was a nonviolent problem solver with multiple skills to solve the trickiest situations. His resourcefulness and can-do attitude reminds me in a way of what we do in our industry. I am a strong believer that nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it."Ryan Ostrom, CMO, Jack in the Box: Angus “Mac” MacGyver of “MacGyver” “His ability to solve problems using everyday items, and his out-of-the-box thinking always had me on the edge of my seat. Even though I’m not breaking out of jams using a paper clip and gum in my everyday career, I do find myself using my inner MacGyver to come up with unique solutions that help drive the Jack brand to better reach its core consumer.” Luis-Miguel Messianu, founder and chairman of Alma, global chief creative officer of DDB’s McDonald’s account: Pink Panther “I thought he was as cool and slick as James Bond.” Nika Rastakhiz, co-head of strategy, Mojo Supermarket: Daria Morgendorffer of “Daria” “Queen of introverts, pioneer of the monotonous voice, and perpetually dissatisfied with mediocrity and mainstream joy. She was high school angst and snark embodied in the most endearing fictional character. I loved her so much that I had a Daria graphic tee (from none other than Urban Outfitters).” Bill Koenigsberg, CEO and founder of Horizon Media: Link, Julie and Pete from “The Mod Squad” “They were cool, collected and protected against evil. Also, I loved that their characters showed the power of diverse representation, brought socially uncomfortable issues to the forefront of ‘mainstream’ America, and pushed the envelope of societal acceptance by exploring meaningful issues.” John Moore, global CEO at Mediahub: Larry Tate from “Bewitched” “He was the classic ad exec of the '60s, and I loved his reactions when Darrin Stephens always pulled a rabbit out of a hat.” Mark Penn, CEO of Stagwell: Perry Mason “Perry Mason, along with Della Street, his trusted aide, were sure to get to the bottom of the weekly mystery, solving it with keen observation, intelligence and able cross-examination. There was only one verdict possible when you had Perry Mason as your lawyer—not guilty.” Rob Schwartz, Chair of TBWA’s New York Group: Oscar Madison of “The Odd Couple” “He was from New York, I was from NY. He loved sports, I loved sports. He was a writer, I thought I could do that, too. Oscar was street smart and human. He had vices for days, but a heart of gold. I loved the theme music to the show. And of course, I memorized the iconic intro which I can quote at the drop of a hat.” Sarah Kettler, VP, brand, consumer and enterprise marketing, SeatGeek: John Madden “Not sure if this qualifies as a ‘TV character’ but I grew up glued to all things football, so John Madden was the voice of my childhood and some epic sports memories (yes, I cried when he retired and again during tributes this past year). As far as TV shows, my family loved Home Improvement, and my all-time favorite character was Wilson (the neighbor whose face was always hidden) because of his wit, wisdom, and fence-inspired mystery. I’m still waiting for my ‘Wilson’ to move in next door!” Darla Price, president of DDB New York: Martin Lawrence of “Martin” “He played five or six characters throughout every season and was hilarious and ahead of his time!” Sarah Kramer, CEO of Spark Foundry: Tootie from “The Facts of Life” “I always loved I loved her pigtails, roller skates, and confidence! :)” Liz Taylor, global chief creative officer, Ogilvy: Angela Chase from "My So-Called Life" “You remember what it was like to be 15, right? Angela was the first teen character that wasn't traditionally pretty or perfect. She was complex - insecure, brave, frustrating, thoughtful, and wonderful all at once. She thought deeply about everything. I felt seen.” John 'JP' Petty, executive creative director at W+K: Will Smith, aka “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” On this side of The Oscars, this take is a bit controversial, but it’s, for me. The Philadelphia narrative obviously tugged at my heart strings, but it was the confidence he exuded in a foreign place that made him an admirable character. As an adolescent, I took that part for granted a bit. I just thought Will was the coolest to ever do it. Kick game was mean. His girlfriends had to be the baddest in the neighborhood. I mean ... Tyra Banks. Nia Long. Tisha Campbell. He dated them. I mean ... wow. He also wore his school uniform blazer inside out ... and was still somehow a dripfest. As an adult, especially at this particular moment in my life, I know how difficult it is to tap into that version of yourself when you’re mostly surrounded by people who either don’t understand that or don’t want you to carry yourself that way. Shout out to Will for putting a battery in my back, and neither one of us knowing it!” Joel Yashinsky, chief marketing officer, Applebee's: Arthur Fonzarelli of “Happy Days” “The Fonz was an icon in my childhood. Cool, tough, but with a big heart. Ayyyyyyyyyy!” Mat Baxter, global CEO of Huge: George Costanza from “Seinfeld” “Just his ability to get himself into the worst situations and messes. Love ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ with Larry David. And when I was growing up that was the R-rated version of George. His ability to speak his truth in a way that was really authentic, he never really held back. He'd always say what he was thinking and put himself out there, obviously in a comedic way. I'm not saying I agreed with everything that he was saying really but I just love that personality trait.” Fernando Ribeiro, global chief strategy officer of Gut: Bart Simpson, “The Simpsons” “Was the kid that I would look up to. I would skateboard when I was a kid. I have two sisters. I was basically Bart Simpson in real life.” Danny Robinson, chief creative officer of The Martin Agency: Kato, “The Green Hornet” ”Come on. It’s Bruce Lee—calm, cool, a man of few words who would kick ass weekly. What’s not to like? The dude would take down opponents using real skill. And way before LaVar Ball coined the phrase, Kato never lost and not just because the script said so.” Jeff Goodby, co-chairman and partner of Goodby Silverstein & Partners: The Three Stooges “Three stooges. I needed role models.” Margaret Johnson, chief creative officer, GS&P: Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries I grew up reading and watching Nancy Drew. She was one badass detective–smart, had a habit of one-upping the boys and always spoke her mind. She paved the way for other strong-willed, hyper-curious characters like Scully from the X-Files, Veronica Mars and an art director at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.

TV characters beloved by ad industry leaders when they were kids

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