What Happened to The Noid?

Alright, so, the Noid. He was Domino’s Pizza’s mascot in the 80s. Kind of funny, it says on his Wikipedia page that his occupation is ruining pizza. I feel like that not even a skill, let alone an occupation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKzNbZi5bSw&t=1s

So how did this annoying claymation creature that was created in 1986 get his own game? As it turns out it was a Japanese platformer that was just repurposed and called Yo! Noid The original game was called Kamen no Ninja Hanamaru.

So Yo Noid! is a pretty standard 2D platformer. The Noid had to avoid objects and jump over things. There’s a little variety when he gets to control a gyrocopter and ride a skateboard.

The most standout part of the game is the end bosses. There aren’t any. Instead there are math puzzle games. But it wasn’t the puzzle games that did The Noid in as Dominos mascot.

Sadly in 1989, a mentally ill customer, Kenneth Lamar Noid, who thought the ads were a personal attack on him, held two Atlanta Domino’s workers hostage for five hours. He forced them to make pizza for him during the standoff. And you can’t make this up. When the standoff ended, the police chief said the man was “paranoid.”

After this, Dominos decided to make cheesy breadsticks a menu offering. No, just kidding. They actually discontinues the ad campaign altogether.

So was that really the end for The Noid? Thank goodness, no!

Dominos dug up The Noid back in 2009 and put him on T-shirts. Word is that only 1,000 of those shirts were made.

Then on May 4th, 2011, The Noid was brought back for a Facebook ad campaign on his 25th birthday. A video game, called The Noid’s Super Pizza Shootout, was part of the social media campaign. The lovable guy also made a brief appearance in a commercial promoting a one-topping pizza deal that year.

And let me know if today’s shows got you thinking about your memories of The Noid. Or pizza for that matter. Speaking of pizza. How is it that I lived in New York for 12 years and never had one good piece of pizza, with the exception Papa Johns, Dominos and this place called Paradise in Verplanck, New York. What is it that I don’t like a bout New York Pizza? Anyone. Please help!

Meanwhile, I go back to my hometown of Springfield, Illinois and all the pizza is good there. At least here in Fairfield Connecticut I’ve found at least one good pizza place, Country Pizza and Restaurant in Monroe, CT. Oh, and if you’ve never heard of it, check out provel cheese. It’s a St. Lous thing. We’re talkin’ white processed cheese, made of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone.

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