How did the development of Fido into a full-fledged character take place?
Joanna: Well, it began with just a head and we put it on T-shirts. Eventually it got noticed by costume designer Patricia Fields (Sex and the City) and she introduced the designs at her boutique. And that put Fido in the spotlight. We introduced slogans — Fidosophies printed on the back of these T-shirts and people went crazy over it. We soon created about 125 five-second shorts using 2-D for CBS. It was fun bringing him to life. When did the interest from PepsiCo come in? Joanna: Fido was about three years old then. Pepsi’s agency Leo Burnett, based in Chicago, was looking for a mascot for 7Up, their lemon fizzy drink. It wanted a certain character that was cool, identifiable and really liberal in its outlook. Fido has worked tremendously for the brand; it is now synonymous with 7Up. What qualities does brand Fido represent? Joanna: Fido is the King of cool. He’s not confrontational. He has the ability to turn any situation to his advantage and easily finds his way through. He won’t
