The top dog among cereal characters is a cat named Tony. Created by brilliant ad exec Leo Burnett, Tony the Tiger roared through his first advertisements in 1952. Although his competition was stiff -- it's a jungle out there! -- and included such creatures as Katie the Kangaroo, Newt the Gnu, and Zeke the Zebra, Tony triumphed to retain his spot as Frosted Flakes Cereal's official spokestiger. The actor who portrayed Tony's voice on TV -- Hugh Ravenscroft -- also sang the Grinch's theme song for "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

Tony's son, Tony Jr., made his appearance a few years later, but little Tony was recruited away to pitch Kellogg's Frosted Rice cereal. Since then, Tony the Tiger has only worked with real-life children.