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Juan Valdez

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The Resume

    (1959- )
    Appears in ads for the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia
    Typically appears with his mule Conchita
    Portrayed by Jose F. Duval (1959-69), Carlos Sanchez (1969-2006) and Carlos Castenada (2006- )

Why he might be annoying:

    The first Juan Valdez, Jose F. Duval, was Cuban, not Colombian.
    Salon described the contest to choose the third Juan Valdez as ‘a bizarre mash-up of ‘Colombian Idol’ and Survivor.'
    The Colombian Coffee Growers Federation sued cartoonist Mike Peters over a ‘Mother Goose and Grimm’ strip in which Grimm says, ‘Y'know, there's a big crime syndicate in Colombia. So when they say there's a little bit of Juan Valdez in every can, maybe they're not kidding.’ (2009)

Why he might not be annoying:

    He beat out the Geico Gecko to be named Advertising Week's ‘Advertising Icon of the Year’ (2005).
    Second Juan Valdez, Carlos Sanchez, said about presenting a non-drugs and terrorism side of Colombia, ‘I feel like a flag. I feel like I represented the country. There is a big sense of gratitude from Colombians abroad for this.’
    The third Juan Valdez, Carlos Castenada, is an actual coffee grower with, according to brand manager David Altschul, ‘the looks of a Hispanic Tom Cruise.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 10 Votes: 30.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 22 Votes: 18.18% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 79 Votes: 46.84% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 62 Votes: 51.61% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 29 Votes: 17.24% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 15 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 21 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 11 Votes: 27.27% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 14 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 29 Votes: 48.28% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying