Reddit Q&A with Jack in the Box mascot's gets deeply weird
Jack Box takes to Reddit for an AMA and answers questions about curly fries, tacos and some disturbing incidents from the fast-food chain's past.
Jack In The Box's Jack Box is answering questions on Reddit.
I went to a Jack in the Box once when I was a kid. I haven't tasted its culinary fare since, but thanks to a Reddit-hosted AMA, I can't stop thinking about the fast-food chain.
Now that I've been following the Jack in the Box mascot's Reddit AMA (ask me anything) session, I've learned a lot more about the company: it won't use potatoes with hands for its curly fries and it would consider selling its buttermilk ranch dressing in bulk if there's a petition with enough signatures.
Jack in the Box's mascot, named Jack, is a dude in a suit with a giant fake clown-like toy head. Jack's last name is Box and he acts as an irreverent fictitious restaurant founder. Jack has starred in over 2,200 TV and radio ads since 1995 and he's now dropping some bizarre conversations on Reddit.
Here are some of the tidbits I've picked up: Jack is not getting it on with the french fries. Jack meditates for eight hours every morning. He drinks Cholula hot sauce like it's water. He listens to Snoop Dogg. His favorite Reddit hangout is r/birdswitharms, a group dedicated to birds with arms photoshopped onto them.
Yes, we have stepped into some weird psychedelic alternate universe where a giant smiling ping-pong ball is our guide and curly fries are given "coaching and positive reinforcement, from time to time."
But it's not all fun and games and quips about tacos. Reddit users haven't forgotten about two serious incidents in the chain's past. In 1981, inspectors discovered mislabeled horse meat at a Jack in the Box supplier. In 1993, four children died and hundreds were sickened during an E. coli bacteria outbreak traced to contaminated meat patties.
While the initial question about the controversies was deleted, the topic resurfaced and the mascot replied.
The AMA started on May 7 and will continue with daily appearances from Jack until May 11, so there's still time to get your pressing questions answered.
It's not uncommon for celebrities to pop up into Reddit AMAs as publicity pushes for new projects. In his own weird way, Jack Box qualifies as a celebrity and his ongoing Q&A session is definitely a marketing move. But I, for one, am still not rushing out to buy a Jumbo Jack cheeseburger.
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