We reveal the faces of the 9 characters that illustrated super famous packaging

A study released by European Journal of Social Psychology in 2017, revealed that labels with “faces” transmit a message of social connection to the brain, which increases the tendency of consumers, especially the loneliest ones, to buy products.

In Brazil, several brands have characters with faces stamped on the packaging that are so popular that they have marked generations and can arouse the public’s curiosity to discover whether the images on the labels were inspired by real or symbolic people.

In view of this, the awesome.club brings 9 characters present in packaging of popular products here in Brazil, and reveals why they were chosen as brand icons. Just follow!

The “Maria” compound oils have been present in Brazil for 77 years, and bring in the packaging a Portuguese female character who became popular with the famous phrase “Maria, sai da lata”, mentioned in the brand’s commercials. Over the years, the figure of “Maria” underwent transformations in her appearance: she became younger, but kept her red dress and scarf, as shown in the following image.

The face stamped on the “Gina” box of toothpicks is possibly one of the most enigmatic in national advertising. The owner of the face is Zofia Burk, a former model who was called to a photo shoot for the “Gina” toothpicks, ceding her image rights to the brand. Zofia’s face became strongly attached to the brand, and many believed her name to be Gina. In reality, “Gina” was the nickname of the mother of the company’s founders.

Nestlé’s chocolate powder is well known in Brazil; on its packaging there are two religious figures who became a reference for the product that is often called “priest’s chocolate”. This famous packaging is based on the painting entitled “The favorite dish” by the Italian painter Alessandro Sani, in which he portrays two monks appreciating, apparently, a roasted chicken.

Quaker is an important company that stands out worldwide in the production of oats. The founders of this company identified with the “Quaker” religious society for their shared moral values ​​such as honesty and integrity. And in view of this, they created a character physically similar to the members of the “Quaker” (as shown below) to stamp the packaging of their products. Years later, the character was given the name “Larry”.

Batavo operates in the food sector, with a national tradition in dairy production. The brand’s icon, “the Dutch woman”, emerged as a way of honoring the Dutch families who came to Brazil to contribute to the dairy art and to the founding of Batavo. Even the name of the brand is an allusion to Batavia, the region of origin of most Dutch people who were in our country.

In 2017, for the first time, Batavo “gave life to the Dutch woman” — played by model Claudia Roiek — making her the protagonist of an advertising campaign (see below).

Panco is a family business that has a diverse line of products, such as breads and cakes. And, although it is 100% Brazilian, the fact that its founder was of oriental origin directly influenced the company’s name and mascot. The name “Panco” means “flour” in the Japanese language and the boy, symbol of the brand, is called “Panquinho” and has oriental traits. In 2017, “Panquinho” underwent changes in its appearance and the child figure gave way to a pre-teen.

This famous condensed milk began to be produced in a factory in Switzerland and was named after milkmaid (Leiteira, in Portuguese), but when the product arrived in Brazil, it was soon dubbed “milk of the girl” because of the label that depicted a Swiss peasant woman carrying a bucket of milk. Over the years, the peasant woman’s design was reformulated and began to have more realistic features.

Minancora ointment was developed by a Portuguese pharmacist who lived in Brazil. The product, with 107 years of tradition, is used to maintain the health of the skin and even today maintains the unmistakable orange round packaging. In it, the goddess of wisdom called “Minerva” — according to Roman mythology — is represented, supported by an anchor, which alludes to the decision of the product’s creator to remain here in Brazil. Thus, the name “Minancora” is a combination of Minerva and anchor.

“Maizena” cornstarch was created in the United States for domestic and culinary use. Arriving in Brazil, this product quickly became popular and the famous yellow boxes stood out on supermarket shelves. On the packaging, there is an illustration representing North American Indians extracting starch. And the name “Maizena” comes from maize which is “corn” in Spanish, and the yellow color of the product box also refers to the grain.

Did you know any of these characters printed on the packaging? Do you believe that packaging with “faces” can attract more consumers and increase product sales? Tell us!