Childhood Nostalgia: Mr. Yuk

In honor of national poison control week, I thought I’d introduce Mr. Yuk to those of you who don’t know him. I can still see the bottle of Clorox under the sink with the bright green sticker on the top. I remember little sheets of stickers in the 1970s that we used to put on anything toxic. I never expected him to still be around, but apparently he’s stronger than ever.

About Mr. Yuk
Mr. Yuk was created in 1971 by grade school student by Wendy (Courtney) Brown. It was designed as part of a contest to come up with a mascot for the poison control center at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. And what was Wendy’s prize for this enduring iconic image? Ah… the dream of every 1970s grade schooler: a tape recorder. (Perhaps she used it to create mix tapes with Shaun Cassidy and Peter Frampton?)

The poison control center was looking to replace the old skull and cross bones icon for poison, which studies showed was actually appealing to children and did nothing to dissuade them from playing with poison.

Mr. Yuk appears on small green stickers – the size of bottle caps – that can be affixed to any container of poisonous substance. Usually, stickers carry a national toll-free number (1-800-222-1222 in the United States) to a poison control center where people can get immediate advice if the substance has been ingested.

I never saw this commercial, but it is pure 70s nostalgia gold. I can practically smell the Velveeta melting in the background.