Wontkins

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Wilkins and Wontkins are the Muppet stars of one of the earliest, and perhaps longest running, commercial series made by Jim Henson, appearing in 8 second spots for Wilkins Coffee. The two were created and named to be the polar opposite of one another; Wilkins, who "will" drink the coffee, and Wontkins, who "won't."

Wilkins was a smiling character named for the coffee, and Wontkins was his generally dour counterpart, a grumpy blob who couldn't stand the Wilkins brand. Wilkins would be a strong proponent of drinking Wilkins Coffee, and would attempt to convince Wontkins to drink it, too. Wontkins however, almost always refused, leading Wilkins to maim, destroy, assault, harass, and sometimes kill Wontkins over his dislike of Wilkins Coffee. On a few occasions, Wontkins admitted to actually liking Wilkins Coffee.

The characters proved so popular that in October 1958, the company offered vinyl puppets of Wilkins and Wontkins through the mail for $1.00 and a coffee can label. The offer on the can said, "Hey Kids! I'm Wilkins and he's Wontkins—you see us on TV!" These puppets are difficult to find today. Years later, Community Coffee offered hand puppets of the characters.[1]

The pair were also used in ads for other products, including Wilkins tea, and assorted other brands, and established a basic pattern which would be reflected in later commercial teams, such as Scoop and Skip, Tommy and Fred, and Mack and Suzy.

In October 1990, the company attempted to reboot the characters, without the Henson Company's approval. The company offered t-shirts[2] and ran ads from at least December 1990 to February 1991. John T. Brady & Associates and the Wilkins Coffee Co. were sued by Jim Henson Productions.[3]

Rebuilt versions of the puppets were on display in the touring exhibit Jim Henson's Fantastic World, while the original puppet for Wilkins has been donated to the Smithsonian.

In 2019, Wilkins and Wontkins made an illustrated cameo in The Muppet Christmas Carol: The Illustrated Holiday Classic.

Contents

 * Filmography
 * Merchandise
 * Videos
 * Sources

Filmography edit source

 * Wilkins Coffee (1957-1961)
 * Faygo (1958-1959)
 * La Touraine Coffee (1958-1962) (as "Will" and "Waine")
 * Nash's Coffee (1958-1961)
 * Community Coffee (1959-1969)
 * Jomar Instant (1959)
 * National City Bank (1959)
 * Calso Water (1961) (as "Cal" and "So")
 * Red Diamond Coffee (1961-1966)
 * Frank's Beverages (1961-1963) (as "Frank" and "Fink")
 * Kraml Dairy (1962)
 * Merita Bread (1963)
 * Taystee Bread (1967)
 * Muppets on Puppets (1968, Wontkins cameo)
 * Sohio gas stations (Unknown)
 * Dugan's Bread (Unknown)

Merchandise edit source
A Wilkins Coffee tin with an offer for Wilkins and Wontkins promotional puppets

Wilkins and Wontkins promotional puppets

A Wilkins Coffee plastic lid with Wilkins and Wontkins

Cloth hand puppets of Wilkins and Wontkins by Community Coffee, 1969

Cloth hand puppets of Wilkins and Wontkins by Community Coffee, 1969

Wilkins and Wontkins Press Kit

Ad in The Evening Sun, Baltimore, November 1958.

A 1990 ad.

Videosedit source
Wilkins Coffee commercials.

A series of similar commercials promoting Red Diamond Coffee made in 1966.

A collection of Wilkins and Wontkins commercials for different companies.

Sourcesedit source

 * 1) ↑ Falk, Karen. "Jim Henson's Red Book", 3/13-14/1969 – Shoot Community Coffee.
 * 2) ↑ Wilkins and Wontkins T-Shirt Offer, The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), October 21, 1990.
 * 3) ↑ Eben Shapiro (The New York Times), "Legal fight brewing over use of two Muppets", The Arizona Daily Star (Tuscon, Arizona), July 19, 1992, pg 5.