| Colonel Sanders | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Harland David Sanders |
|
Born |
September 9, 1890 |
|
Died |
December 16, 1980 |
Historical Background[]
Col. Harland David Sanders is the founder and posthumous mascot of the American fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken. By the age of 7, Sanders had shown a prodigal talent for cooking meats which, after nearly a lifetime of doing various odd jobs, would be put to use when he, at age 40, was given a deal by the Shell Oil Company to open a restaurant in North Corbin - Sanders' Court and Café - where what would eventually become known as the "KFC Secret Recipe" would be developed, and a violent shootout occurred between him and a competitor over a repainted sign.
The popularity of Sanders' restaurant would lead to him being crowned a Kentucky Colonel by Ruby Laffoon, famous for appointing a record number of Colonels. In 1952, the first KFC franchise would open, in South Salt Lake, Utah, starting a string of restaurants across the nation and eventually world.
Eventually, Sanders would sell the KFC brand to Heublein Inc, but come to regret it as he found the food quality to deteriorate, making surprise visits to franchises and shouting at managers should the food not be up to his taste. He would eventually sue Heublein over their use of him to market products he did not develop, with Heublein unsuccessfully suing him a few years after for decrying the modern KFC as "sludge" with a "wallpaper taste". Despite Sanders' distaste for what KFC became, he is still used as a commercial mascot to this day beyond his death.
Notes[]
- As Colonel Sanders is a real person, he cannot be subject to copyright.
- Colonel Sanders' face is registered as an active trademark of Yum! Brands.
- Sanders is the subject of a Japanese urban legend known as the "Curse of the Colonel", suggesting that the bad-luck streak of baseball team the Hanshin Tigers was divine retribution from Sanders' spirit against a group of rowdy teenage fans who threw a statue of him into a river to celebrate the team winning.