Voting Station

Buddy Lee

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The Resume

    Advertising mascot for Lee Jeans
    Promotional doll used from 1920 to 1962
    First appearance was in the windows of Dayton's flagship store on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis
    Brought out of retirement for use in TV ad campaign from 1998 to 2005
    12½ inches tall

Why he might be annoying:

    His tagline was 'Can't Bust 'Em' - a reference to his jeans rather than him.
    In 1949, he grew a half inch and became a plastic doll rather than a composition doll.
    That same year he got a girlfriend, the little talked about Betty Lee.
    Shilling for other products, he dressed as a Coca-Cola truck delivery man and a Phillips 66 gas station attendant.
    His early popularity clouded the issue of whether the doll was selling the jeans or vice versa.
    He was given his pink slip in 1962 because he was no longer considered profitable.

Why he might not be annoying:

    Chester Reynolds, Lee’s 1920 board president, came up with the idea for Buddy, not realizing he would strike marketing gold.
    By the time he was retired after 44 years of service, he had become the second-highest-selling doll in the U.S.
    To promote the Lee Dungarees line, he was brought back by ad agency Fallon McElligott to an aggressive TV ad blitz as 'Buddy Lee - Man of Action' (complete with a 6-minute mockumentary).
    His first three TV commercials were directed by Spike Jonze.
    Subsequent ads featured guest appearances by Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jack Hanna and Bobby Womack.
    After 9/1,1 he rolled up his sleeve and did an ad for the American Red Cross to promote blood donation, complete with bandaged arm and an 'I Gave' sticker.
    In 2004, he starred in MTV2's interactive show 'Control Freak' as 'Buddy Lee: Guidance Counselor,' where viewers were able to choose one of three outcomes for the his segments via online voting.
    Promoted in 2005 as a write-in U.S. presidential candidate for the 2008 election, he did garner votes, however not enough to displace Barack Obama as the victor.

Credit: Scar Tactics


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 16 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 15 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 36 Votes: 61.11% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 56 Votes: 35.71% Annoying