BURGER KING DROPS IT'S CREEPY KING MASCOT!

A popular king has been dethroned in a whopper of a marketing move.

The Burger King mascot - the iconic, almost-creepy character with the oversized head who never said a word or changed expression - will no longer reign over the fast food chain's TV commercials, the company announced Friday.

A new national ad campaign is being rolled out Saturday that focuses on Burger King's latest menu item, the California Whopper.

Instead of putting the eternally-grinning King in the midst of some bizarre scenario, the company's new advertising minds cooked up commercials that will feature close-ups of the ingredients that go into the new sandwich - including guacamole, Swiss cheese and bacon.

Burger King spokesman Miguel Piedra told the Daily News that the King's ouster was to "be true to who we are as a restaurant company," he said. "We are food-centric, and we want to appeal to a broader audience."

The first version of the King character appeared in Burger King print ads in 1955. But it wasn't until ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky got the account in 2003 that he was transformed into a pop culture icon.

The firm created a series of edgy, off-the-wall commercials that had him: breaking into a rival hamburger chain's headquarters; chased by New York cops and hit by a cab; superimposed over footage of actual football games; and popping up in a sleeping man's bed in the infamously weird "Wake Up with the King" campaign.

Purchased in 2010 by New York-based 3G Capital for nearly $4 billion, Burger King switched to a new ad agency, mcgarrybowen, last year to boost sales.

Though it seems unlikely, Piedra did not totally rule out the King returning to his advertising throne.

"He may come back in some other form," Piedra said. "But right now it's about the food."


HE F**KED WENDY & RONALD BEAT HIS A$$!

SOURCE