Chester Cheetah facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chester Cheetah
First appearance	1985
Voiced by	Joel Murray (1985–1997) Pete Stacker (1997–2000) Johnny Michaels (5 spots; early 2000s) Christopher Murney (2006) Adam Leadbeater (2008–2017) Max Koch (2017–present)
Information
Species	Cheetah
Occupation	Mascot of Cheetos

Chester Cheetah is a famous cartoon character. He is the official mascot for Frito-Lay's Cheetos snacks. You can also find him on Chester's Snacks, like flavored fries, popcorn, and puffcorn.

Chester Cheetah's Story

Early Days: Traditional Cartoons (1985–2003)

Before Chester, Cheetos had a different mascot. It was the Cheetos Mouse, who appeared in the 1970s. In 1985, Chester Cheetah was created. Brad Morgan designed the character and directed the commercials. Stephen Kane wrote the first scripts.

Chester quickly became popular. He was a sly, smooth-talking cheetah. He starred in many commercials. Soon, he became the official Cheetos mascot. His early slogans were "It's not easy being cheesy" and "The cheese that goes crunch!" Later, in 1997, the slogan changed to "Dangerously cheesy!"

From the mid-1980s to the early 2000s, Chester's TV ads were very funny. They often showed Chester trying hard to get other people's Cheetos. This "hip kitty" would often speak in rhyme. He would sneak up on people in places like a beach or park. The commercials often had silly cartoon action. For example, Chester might ride a motorcycle off a bridge. Or he might get thrown high into the air.

In 1992, there were plans for Chester to have his own TV show. It was called Yo! It's the Chester Cheetah Show!. It was going to be on Fox Kids. However, some groups were worried about a cartoon character from an ad having a show. They protested, and the show never aired. Years later, in 2019, some fans started a petition. They hoped someone would make the series for Nickelodeon.

Chester's look changed a bit in 1997. The new slogan "Dangerously cheesy!" was introduced. Also, Pete Stacker became his new voice actor. Chester started appearing in commercials that mixed live-action with animation. This meant he could enter the real world! In these ads, he was less clumsy. He became more suave and cool. He even managed to eat Cheetos in these newer commercials.

Moving to Computer Graphics (2003–2009)

In 2003, Chester started to look different in the United States. He became a computer-generated character. This means he was made using computers. But in other countries, he still appeared in his older cartoon style.

Around 2006, there was a series of commercials. Chester had to beat a rival chef named Chef Pierre. They were in a baking contest to make Baked Cheetos. This led to a campaign called Chester Goes Undercover. In this story, Chef Pierre stole the Baked Cheetos recipe. Chester had to chase him. He found clues that led him to Pierre's helpers. These included Twisty McGee, Flamin' Hot Fiona, and The Cruncher. Chester finally caught Pierre and got the recipe back. These commercials also had an online game.

New Look and Ideas (2008–Present)

By 2008, Cheetos started to aim their ads at adults. They launched a series of commercials for OrangeUnderground.com. In these ads, Chester was still computer-generated. But now he looked more realistic. He also spoke with a different accent. He encouraged people to use Cheetos in funny ways. For example, to plug a snoring man's nose. Or to mess up a neat person's office space. He sometimes called himself "Papa Chester." Adam Leadbeater voiced Chester in these ads.

Chester Cheetah Merchandise

Chester starred in two video games. These games were made by Kaneko. They were for the Sega Genesis and Super NES. The first game was Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool in 1992. The second was Chester Cheetah: Wild Wild Quest in 1993.

Chester Cheetah also made a small appearance in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series by Archie Comics.

You could also get a Chester Cheetah plush doll. It was 18 inches tall. It had dark sunglasses and lace-up shoes. A smaller 10-inch doll is still available today.

Chester Cheetah Video Games

Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool

Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool is a video game from 1992. It starred Cheetos mascot Chester Cheetah. This game was only released in North America.

The game has simple levels where you move from side to side. On each level, there is a hidden scooter part. Chester can dash and stun enemies. He does this by jumping on their heads.

The game's instruction manual has a funny mistake. It says, "As is Chester Cheetah way, is one-person play." This was due to bad translation. It was also an attempt to rhyme. The game does not mention Cheetos snacks. But Chester's health points are shown as Cheetos Paws.

Chester Cheetah: Wild Wild Quest

Chester Cheetah: Wild Wild Quest is a 1993 video game. It was made by Kaneko. It came out for the Super NES and Sega Genesis. This game stars Cheetos mascot Chester Cheetah. It is the sequel to Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool.

In this game, the player dies in one hit. Unless they have a cheese puff to protect them. If you collect 100 paws per level, you get a new chance to continue. There are three difficulty levels. Some parts of the game let you control vehicles. These include a car or a motorcycle.

The game was shown at a big electronics show. This was the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 1994.

The story starts with Chester Cheetah breaking out of a zoo. He is going to Hip City. But then, a character named Mean Eugene tears up Chester's map. He scatters the 10 pieces across the United States. Chester Cheetah must travel across America to find all the map pieces. Chester visits made-up cities in states like Nebraska, California, Florida, Arkansas, and Alaska.

This game was also only released in America.

Both the Genesis and SNES versions of the game got mixed reviews. Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewed both versions. They praised the graphics and animations. But they said the controls were not very good.

Sega Visions gave it a good score for sound and music.

Nintendo Power reviewed the SNES version. They said it had stiff controls and was not very challenging. But they liked the audio and graphics.

GamePro magazine called it "High on the list of unnecessary sequels." They said it was like the cheese puffs themselves. They meant Chester might sound like a good idea, but you won't get much from it.

Just Dance 4

Chester Cheetah also made a quick appearance in the video game Just Dance 4. He was in the background of the song "You Make Me Feel...". You could unlock this song with a code from a Cheetos bag. This special version had a throne and Chester Cheetah appearing in the background. He would even dance with the coach!

Later, this song became available for everyone to download. But the special Chester Cheetah features were removed. It is still available in other Just Dance games.

Images for kids

• 

  Chester Cheetah, the official mascot of Cheetos.

See also

In Spanish: Chester Cheetos para niños