The Origins Of Fred McGriff's Iconic Nickname 'The Crime Dog'

Advertising icons, like Toucan Sam (Froot Loops) or Charlie the Tuna (StarKist), are intended to create an association in the general public's mind, with the goal of selling product sugary cereal or canned tuna, for example. However, back in 1980, as the National Crime Prevention Council reports, the federal government created a character intended

Advertising icons, like Toucan Sam (Froot Loops) or Charlie the Tuna (StarKist), are intended to create an association in the general public's mind, with the goal of selling product — sugary cereal or canned tuna, for example. However, back in 1980, as the National Crime Prevention Council reports, the federal government created a character intended not to move product but to teach Americans about basic crime-prevention tips. The United States had been going through a lengthy period of high crime rates (per Disaster Center), and the feds, keen to get ahead of the game, began a campaign to "take a bite out of crime" — the slogan they came up with. And the mascot for the program was and is McGruff, the Crime Dog (pictured above on a stamp). It's not hard to see how they got there, either: "ruff" is, in English anyway, an onomatopoeic word describing the sound a dog makes.

McGruff, just like crime, was still around in 2022, although his focus had expanded to include cybercrime, bullying, identity theft, and similar crimes that have come into focus in recent years.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB9kGxnaWxkZMGpsYyoqaKfmaPAbrvFZp2rnZRiuqSz0aKdn6tdnrCwusicZKehk6C7ornEZquhnV2Yv6q5xGabqJ9f

 Share!