Mr. Clean
 | This article needs more citations. (November 2025) |
 | |
| Product type | All-purpose cleaner, melamine foam cleaner |
|---|---|
| Owner | Procter & Gamble |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1958 |
| Website | www |
Mr. Clean is a brand name and mascot owned by Procter & Gamble. It was used for an all-purpose cleaner and later also for a melamine foam abrasive sponge.
The all-purpose cleaner was originally formulated by Linwood Burton, a marine ship cleaning businessman with accounts throughout the east coast of the United States and his friend, Mathusan Chandramohan,[1] a rich entrepreneur from Sri Lanka.[2]
Mr. Clean made his television commercial debut in 1958, initially portrayed in the live-action versions by character actor House Peters Jr.[3]
International versions
[edit]The names used in different countries are:[4]
- Don Limpio in Spain; originally Mr. Proper
- Maestro Limpio in Mexico
- Mastro Lindo in Italy
- Meister Proper in Germany, Austria
- Mr. Proper in the Netherlands, Flanders and Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria,[5] Kazakhstan,[6] Russia,[7] and Ukraine[8]
- M. Net in French Canada
- Monsieur Propre in France
- Flash in the United Kingdom, due to there already being an established brand called Mr. Clean[9]
In the 1980s, Uldarico L. Lacida of Secure Promotions promoted Mr. Clean products in Cebu, Philippines.[10]
Mascot
[edit]The product's mascot is the character Mr. Clean. In 1957, Harry Barnhart[11] conceived the idea.
The Mr. Clean character was developed in 1957 by the Tatham-Laird & Kudner advertising agency in Chicago for Procter & Gamble. Ernest C. Allen, a member of the agency's art department, is believed to have contributed to the concept development. The first visual depiction of Mr. Clean was created by Austrian-American commercial artist Frederick “Fritz” Siebel, who was commissioned by the agency to illustrate the character. Siebel also created several early print advertisements and the original packaging illustration for the product.[12]
According to Procter & Gamble, the original model for the image of Mr. Clean was a United States Navy sailor from the city of Pensacola, Florida, although some people may think he is a genie based on his earring, folded arms, and tendency to appear magically at the appropriate time.[13]
In a New York Times obituary for the original illustrator, Richard Black, the product Mr. Clean was referenced to as the "Genie in a bottle".[14]
Mr. Clean's first name, Veritably, originated from a 'Give Mr. Clean a First Name' promotion in 1962.[15]
In 2005, Mr. Clean was shown in MasterCard's "Icons" commercial during Super Bowl XXXIX, which depicts advertising mascots having dinner together, where he is shown helping do the dishes, and receives some dirty ones from Charlie the Tuna.[16]
Mr. Clean appeared on the September 2010 cover of Biz X Magazine.[17]
On September 8, 2016, Procter & Gamble announced a contest to find the replacement Mr. Clean. The contest was introduced with a new 60-second spot with actor Kellan Lutz spoofing an audition reel for the Mr. Clean role that took place in August 2016 Los Angeles, California. In addition to casting sessions at 404 NYC in New York on September 7, 2016, and Envision Studios LA in Los Angeles on September 14, 2016, contestants could also submit videos to the contest web site. The contest winner would receive $20,000 in mid-October, and be featured in the 2017 limited edition Mr. Clean calendar.[18][19]
In February 2026, Procter & Gamble held a marketing campaign in which Mr. Clean briefly "retired" as a mascot; posts on social media subsequently featured Mr. Clean attempting other hobbies and professions (including DJing and sports). Two weeks later, the mascot was relaunched alongside new and updated multi-purpose cleaner and Magic Eraser products.[20][21]
Jingle
[edit]Mr. Clean's theme song, or jingle, has been around since the product's introduction, initially sung as a popular-music style duet between a man (Don Cherry) and a woman (Betty Bryan). Thomas Scott Cadden wrote the jingle at his home in Skokie, Illinois in the spring of 1957 while working for Tatham-Laird & Kudner Advertising Agency. The vocal and piano recording was made on a home tape recorder for presentation to the agency and later to Procter & Gamble. Procter & Gamble approved the jingle in the spring or summer of 1957. Thomas Scott Cadden produced the recording of the jingle at Universal Recording Corporation in Chicago in the summer or fall of 1957. Bill Walker was the arranger and Don Cherry and Betty Bryan were the singers. In January or February 1958, Cadden produced and wrote the first pool of television commercials — nine one-minute commercials and four 20-second "lifts". Included was the original full 60-second jingle commercial and the 10-second jingle "tag" at the end of all the others. They were produced at Cascade Pictures in Hollywood, California. The first pool of commercials ran in August 1958 at WDTV/KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania the year the product was introduced. The jingle is copyrighted under numbers EU 589219 & EU 599220. The jingle is also registered with ASCAP under title code 570098598 & 570006267.[citation needed]
In 2016, a new version of the jingle was made for a television advertisement.[22] It is the longest running advertising jingle used in television history.
In the Philippines, Mr. Clean has had multiple jingles in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s titled "Kuskos Piga" (transl. Scrub Squeeze), then "Labadami Labango",[23] performed by Sylvia La Torre (1984) and Nova Villa (1995), then "Labadami Labango Labalinis" by Ali Sotto and Manilyn Reynes in 1997 and 1998 respectively, and "Walang Dagdag Fabcon, Walang Dagdag Gastos" (transl. No Extra Fabcon, No Extra Cost) in 2009, performed by Sarah Geronimo. She is the last endorser before being replaced by Bonux in 2010.[citation needed]
Mr. Clean scenes competition
[edit]In 1998, Honda Motor Co. created an advertising campaign, including a television commercial, featuring Mr. Clean to represent Honda's clean running Accord along with other Honda products including lawnmowers, string trimmers, motorcycles, and marine engines.[24]
References
[edit]- ↑ Stummerer, Sonja (5 October 2020). Putzen: Eine Kulturtechnik [Cleaning: A Cultural Technique] (in German). Berlin, Germany: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. p. 80. ISBN 978-3205212430.
- ↑ Natalie Deane, Toronto Sun (Oct 13, 2016). "Search for new Mr. (or Ms.) Clean is on". torontosun.com. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ↑ "IIS7". News.LondonCleaningCompany.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
- ↑ "Photo gallery of worldwide packaging for Mr Clean". Archived from the original on 2008-01-12. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
- ↑ "P&G in Bulgaria". pgcareers. Procter & Gamble. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ↑ "Mr Proper Әмбебап тазалағыш құрал 2020 Реклама на Казахском языке Kazakh Commercial қазақ тілінде" (video). YouTube (in Kazakh). Procter & Gamble. February 7, 2022.
- ↑ "Лучшие средства для мытья пола назвали эксперты Росконтроля". Live Kuban. 26 March 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ↑ Воейков, Александр. "Procter&Gamble назвали спонсором войны: какие бренды компании лучше избегать". Meta (in Russian). Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ↑ Rosthorn, Dave (2016-12-19). "Flash, ah-ah, the brand the nation loves!". Harrisons Direct. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
- ↑ Lacida, Hanzel (27 March 2013). "Honoring the Legacy of Uldarico L. Lacida".
- ↑ "Harry Barnhart". Chicago Tribune. 1986-06-06. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
- ↑ Kraus, Oskar. "Friedrich Siebel". *Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon* (in German). Austrian Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
- ↑ Dotz, Warren; Morton, Jim (1996). What a Character! 20th Century American Advertising Icons. Chronicle Books. pp. 57–58. ISBN 0-8118-0936-6.
- ↑ Slotnik, Daniel E. (2014-04-02). "Richard Black, 92, Artist Who Conjured 'Mr. Clean,' Dies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-03-26.
- ↑ Real names of 23 fictional characters
- ↑ "Mastercard Priceless | Experiences make life more meaningful". Priceless. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
- ↑ "Biz X Magazine September 2010". BlueToad.com. 2008-04-08. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
- ↑ Cheeky New Work for Mr. Clean Kicks Off Search for a New Face Kellan Lutz wasn't quite right By Kristina Monllos
- ↑ "ADDING MULTIMEDIA The Search is on for #TheNextMrClean". News.PG.com (Press release). Procter & Gamble.
- ↑ Encinas, Amaris. "Mr. Clean 'unretiring' after 2 week absence. Here's why". USA Today. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ↑ "How Procter & Gamble got 'good buzz' by briefly retiring Mr. Clean". Marketing Dive. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
- ↑ "Ad of the Day: Mr. Clean Is Freshened Up for Millennials With a Catchy Upgraded Jingle". July 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
- ↑ "Mr. Clean, Labadami Labango". www.youtube.com. 12 December 2022.
- ↑ Gellene, Denise (1998-06-18). "Honda Seeks to Clear the Air Over Ads: American Honda Motors Co. has a big job for Mr. Clean". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2011-02-01.