There's not too many brand icons that can be called uniquely Canadian. Quick, what comes to mind? A slew of superstar food figures perhaps. Tony the Tiger, the Poppin' Fresh Doughboy, the Jolly Green Giant, Snap Crackle and Pop and the ever cool Sugar Bear-incidentally, all U.S. ad agency creations that have used infectious personalities, not to mention countless commercial appearances, to make their mark on our pop culture consciousness.

The Hostess Munchies are one example of a homegrown icon, but they have largely disappeared from chip packages these days. Meanwhile, another Canadian chip mascot is re-entering the marketing game. Small Fry Snack Foods, based in Kitchener, Ont., is returning Humpty Dumpty to full-time employment to revitalize the line. Humpty sort of fell off the wall in 1994, when Small Fry acquired Humpty Dumpty Foods Inc. and decided to develop a variety of premium brands like Extreme potato chips. But now he's back, still looking a little nerdy, with that old polka dotted tie. But hey, Small Fry has given the egg head a brand new Hummer to zip around in and tour Ontario.

Lynda Murray, director of marketing for Small Fry, says consumers connect with and recognize Humpty, and the manufacturer wants to build on the brand equity that he has. An aggressive event marketing campaign will take Humpty's image to the streets this summer, but no advertising campaign is planned. And while Humpty Dumpty is the official potato chip of the Maple Leafs and Raptors at the Air Canada Centre, he won't be making an appearance on the company's new Ridgie's line of chips, unveiled in grocery stores last month.

Small Fry's handling of Humpty may prove to be a bit of a gamble. Thomas Pigeon of the Thomas Pigeon Design Group, says taking an icon in and out of circulation is a dangerous strategy. He maintains the challenge in having a mascot is to keep it relevant, changing and moving with consumer attitudes and brand personality traits. "The only way that icons work well is if they're properly supported, meaning lots of advertising dollars," adds Pigeon.

Another piece of advice is to continually update your mascot and make it fun. Take a look at Cornelius, the Kellogg's Corn Flake rooster, he now sports shades and a leather jacket. Snap Crackle and Pop tag along with an agent and Pillsbury has slimmed down its adorable Poppin' Fresh doughboy by a pound or two.

Mascots can be highly relevant and an important part of branding. Pigeon says once a company builds an icon that achieves consumer "goodwill", it becomes a powerhouse asset that needs to be managed, nourished and built over a lifetime. He adds a mascot should never be allowed to be footballed by the whim of an individual marketer.

Still, Small Fry's recent move begs a few questions. First of all, will the Humpty Dumpty icon revitalize the brand? More to the point, while the mascot has relevance to adult consumers, one can't help but ask if it will mean anything to today's hip, happening and jaded teens who are big devourers of potato chips. Lastly, speaking of relevance, what does a character that fell off the wall and broke into a million pieces say about the fragmented snack category? Guess we'll have to wait and see.

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