Little Mikey facts for kids
Little Mikey is a famous character from an old American TV commercial. He was played by a boy named John Gilchrist, who was born on February 2, 1968. The ad was for a breakfast cereal called Life, made by Quaker Oats. This popular commercial first aired in 1971. It became one of the longest-running ad campaigns ever, staying on TV for over 12 years!
Contents
The First Commercial
The original commercial shows three young brothers eating breakfast. They have a big bowl of Life cereal in front of them. Two of the older brothers are not sure about trying the cereal. They think it is supposed to be healthy, but they don't want to taste it. One brother says, "I'm not gonna try it—you try it!"
So, they decide to get their youngest brother, Mikey, to try it. They say, "Let's get Mikey!" because they know "he hates everything." Mikey looks at the bowl for a moment. Then, he tastes the cereal. To their surprise, he starts eating it very quickly! His brothers are amazed and shout, "He likes it! Hey, Mikey!" John Gilchrist's real-life brothers, Michael and Tommy, played the older brothers in the ad.
Mikey's Return: More Ads!
Because the first commercial was so popular, Quaker Oats made more ads featuring Mikey.
Mikey as a College Student
In the 1980s, a series of ads called "Today's Mikey" came out. John Gilchrist, now a college student, played Mikey again. He seemed a bit surprised by his old fame.
Mikey and Snapple
In 1996, Quaker Oats owned a drink company called Snapple. They made a new commercial that mixed in parts of the original Life cereal ad. This time, Mikey tried Snapple drinks. The funny twist was that Mikey liked some of the Snapple flavors but not others!
Finding the Next Mikey
In 1997, Quaker Oats looked for a "next Mikey" across the country. Over 35,000 kids applied! They chose a 4-year-old girl named Marli Hughes. She appeared in a TV commercial called "Better Life." In the ad, she told her classmates how she won the contest. She also said that as the new Mikey, she could eat all the Life cereal she wanted.
All-Adult Mikey Commercial
In 1999, Quaker Oats remade the original commercial. This version used an all-adult cast who acted like kids. A New York actor named Jimmy Starace played Mikey in this remake.
What Happened to John Gilchrist?
In 2021, John Gilchrist, who was 53 years old, became a director of media sales for MSG Network. He has mentioned that he does not remember filming the original commercial. This is because he was only three and a half years old at the time!
