Gobbledok

in the late 1980s to early 1990s. It is a pale brown alien obsessed with eating Smith's Crisps. The Gobbledok ate Smith's crisps because they reminded it of its home, Dok the Potato Planet. The Gobbledok was famous for his catchphrase "chippie, chippie, chippie!"

The campaign was first created in May 1987 by Sydney's George Patterson Advertising. Brainchild of in-house writer John Finkleston, the character was designed and brought to life by Special Effects creator Warren Beaton - also responsible for creating Watties NZ's "Getti" - and originally performed by diminutive actor Steven George. Originally intended as a one-off spot to introduce Smith's new "Seal of Freshness" packaging for their Crisps, the overnight popularity of the Gobbledok and exponential rise in sales prompted its long association with the Smith's brand in Australia.

Gobbledok's many adventures included:
*Crashing his tiny spaceship into a carpark, then breaking into a supermarket
*Being mistaken for a guest wearing a "great suit" at a costume party
*Riding with a truck driver
*Running at the "speed of sound"
*Using "The Force" to steal Chippies from a lounging couple
*Moving in with an elderly Potato farmer & his wife, "it's all right, he's from the city, luv"
*Being hunted by the Police and the armed forces
*Appearing in clips of old B-grade movies such as Plan 9 from Outer Space, then dancing "the Gobbledok".

Few people ever noticed things such as his trademark earring swapping ears from scene to scene, or that he ate crisps but in fact had no teeth.

The campaign ran continuously for over 10 years until the late 1990s. It has subsequently been replaced by new advertising campaigns, and Smith's Advertising now handled by another agency. The Gobbledok has made a cameo in at least one Smiths advertisements since the campaign ended, such as the recent "Eat happy" ad.

As of 2008, the Gobbledok has begun to appear on some Smith's chips packaging.

External links

* [http://www.smiths.com.au/about/index.htm Smith's About Page]
* [http://www.ammahls.com/random/gobbledok/Gobbledok_story.jpgThe Gobbledok Story]

The last commercial featuring the Gobbledok accounts for his disappearance.

Reminiscent of "Wile E. Coyote", he made an attempt to steal a bag of chips from a little girl riding in the back of a pickup truck by bungee-jumping from a cliff and grabbing them when he stretched down close enough. He missed, sprang back up, the bungee cord snapped, and he was flung off into the sky. The last scene is an astronaut performing repairs on his space shuttle in a space suit; in the distant background is the Gobbledok sailing past.