Voice of Jolly Green Giant Dies at 80

Elmer “Len” Dresslar Jr., the longtime voice of the Jolly Green Giant, has died of cancer at at 80.

Voice of Jolly Green Giant Dies at 80 (AP)

Elmer “Len” Dresslar Jr., who extolled vegetables to generations of TV watchers as the booming voice of the Jolly Green Giant, has died. He was 80. Dresslar died Oct. 16 of cancer, according to daughter Teri Bennett.

Dresslar was an entertainer and singer for nearly six decades. But his voice rang through millions of households when he sang the simple refrain, “Ho, Ho, Ho,” in an ad jingle for Green Giant foods. “His was the most consistent and most frequent voice of the Jolly Green Giant over the years, the one consumers are going to recognize,” said Tara Johnson, a spokeswoman for General Mills, which owns Green Giant Co.

[….]

Ad jingles were the most consistent part of his career, and he landed roles for Rice Krispies cereal, Marlboro cigarettes, Amoco oil and Dinty Moore canned beef stew. He periodically re-recorded the “Ho, Ho, Ho” for Jolly Green Giant commercials, most recently about 10 years ago.

Bennett said her father auditioned for the Green Giant job without any idea his baritone would become so recognizable. “He never got tired of it,” she said. “If nothing else, it put my sister and I through college.”

It’s amazing that someone can make that kind of money saying “Ho, Ho, Ho” who isn’t a pimp or a rapper. Still, though I never knew his name, Dresslar’s voice is forever a part of pop culture lore from all those ads.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. John Burgess says:

    “It put my sister and I through college?” Grammatically, it looks like a waste of money…