Where's the beef?
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:Wheres the beef commercial.jpg "Where's the beef?" is a catch phrase, which has, since its first usage, become a somewhat universal, all-purpose phrase questioning the substance of an idea, event or product.
It came to public attention in a 1980s television commercial for the Wendy's chain of hamburger restaurants, featuring the elderly actress Clara Peller. After receiving a competitor's burger with a massive bun, the small patty prompts the gruff Peller to angrily exclaim "Where's the beef?" The first commercial was aired on January 10, 1984. The humorous ad and Peller's memorable character soon gave the catch-phrase a life of its own, and was repeated ad nauseam in countless TV shows, films, magazines, and other media outlets.
The phrase is now often associated with the 1984 U.S. presidential election. During primaries in the spring of 1984, when the commercial was at its height of popularity, Democratic candidate and former Vice President Walter Mondale ridiculed the candidacy of his rival, Senator Gary Hart by using the phrase during a televised debate before the New York and Pennsylvania primaries. Hart had moved his candidacy from dark horse to the lead over Mondale based on his repeated use of the mantra "new ideas". When Hart once again used the slogan in the debate, Mondale leaned forward and said, "When I hear your new ideas I'm reminded of that ad, 'Where's the beef?'" The line got a great response from the audience. Thenceforth, the two campaigns continually clashed using the two dueling slogans. Mondale ultimately prevailed to win the Democratic Party nomination, only to lose the general election in 1984 in a landslide to incumbent Ronald Reagan.
"Where's the beef?" was not the commercial's official title. The commercial was actually called "Fluffy Bun", and featured three elderly ladies examining an exaggeratedly huge hamburger bun topped with a minuscule hamburger patty: the other two ladies poked it, exchanging bemused comments: "It certainly is a big bun." "It's a big fluffy bun", before being interrupted by Peller's outraged, irascible demand.