Here's Yet Another Vintage Fast Food Chain With A Mascot Straight Out Of Our Nightmares

Restaurant mascots are hit or miss, falling into categories ranging from cute and quirky to downright unhinged. Texas Roadhouse's Andy Armadillo, the Chick-fil-A cows, and eponymous Jollibee are benevolent animal friends. Jack-in-the-Box's Jack and KFC's Colonel Sanders have been received with humor (and weird amounts of online fan art). Then there are the fast food mascots you've forgotten or want to forget, like the Quiznos spongmonkeys. Perhaps one of the more off-putting restaurant mascots we've seen takes the form of a circus clown.

Delbert the Deeburger Devourer was the face of Dee's Drive-In, a vintage fast food eatery based in Salt Lake City, Utah. His eyelids and mouth were painted white, with red and blue accents, respectively. A blue hat with flowers sat on his semi-bald head and bright orange hair, and he wore a typical clown suit, complete with a ruffled collar and oversized shoes. According to the Deeburger Clown's comic lore, Delbert developed a round physique from eating so many delicious Deeburgers, which motivated him to become the official mascot.

Delbert's presence wasn't limited to 2D representations, either. A large metal sign of his image stood above Dee's restaurants as a beacon to catch the eyes of hungry customers, advertising fries and shakes. Parents could request a costumed actor to appear as the Deeburger Clown for children's birthday parties and scouting events. Since his presence was limited to Utah, few will remember our jolly fellow, but fewer will forget him.

The majority of Dee's Drive-In locations didn't make it past the 1980s, and Delbert's influence dwindled along with it. The cultural perception of clowns started to shift around this time, so it might've been for the best. After the arrest of serial killer and party clown John Wayne Gacy, more sinister jesters appeared in popular media. "The Batman" (1989), "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" (1988), and Stephen King's "It" novel really weren't helping the cute and goofy clown schtick. Had he appeared later, Delbert the Deeburger Clown might've become one horrifying vintage fast food mascot.

McDonald's is the only major fast food brand to feature a clown mascot, Ronald McDonald, who proudly represents the company's Ronald McDonald House charity. Given his icon status, it's doubtful any major restaurant will be able to create a successful clown mascot without drawing comparisons to McDonald's. Who knows what the future holds for hamburger harlequins, but unfortunately, the Deeburger Clown remains relegated to the uncanny valleys of Utah.