i know what I’m supposed to see. IHOP’s new emblem—its first update in over 20 years—turned a curmudgeonly old frown right into a smile. It’s as if a grizzled, no nonsense diner waitress has warmed up to all the world of would-be pancake eaters as her regulars. I all the time knew she was a softy beneath.

“We have a look at the previous logo, and we see a brand-corporate face,” explains IHOP VP of promoting Kirk Thompson. “We have a look at the new emblem, and we see actually the humanity and luxury of being at an IHOP.”

And indeed, that was once the brand brief that the corporate exceeded to designers at Studio Tilt, who created the new brand. It used to be presupposed to be something greater than a corporate signature stamped on buildings and letterheads, and extra a device to in truth carry the expertise a customer has with the IHOP model.

“Welcome to IHOP, sugar.” the new brand says, because it actually smiles at you. “Order as many pancakes as you love! And we’ll keep the syrup coming!”

but the more I take a look at the brand new emblem, the less I see the smile of a happy, well-adjusted model persona. And the extra I see a mascot that’s simply barely protecting itself together—a 57-12 months-outdated firm that showed up to work, most effective to see all the children going to “quick casual” restaurants like Chipotle as a substitute of relaxed, carb-infused diner huts.

simply take a look at those eyes. They’re too huge, too keen. And their make-up is operating, like they have been crying in the rest room that time we couldn’t in finding anyone to get a replenish on our espresso.

Upon closer inspection, I see the brilliant blue and crimson of a circus, the eyes bulging in a combination of caffeine and amphetamines. This isn’t the rounded chuffed face of a center the us carb eater. this is a clown getting ready to complete psychopathy.

“thank you FOR COMING TO IHOP!” the brand says to me. “here’s some syrup for ya. it is unlimited. that you may even drink it! you have to DRINK IT. because i have a 50 GALLON DRUM in the again that’s more or less going rancid and definitely WASN’T USED TO DISSOLVE THE CORPSE OF AN UNWILLING customer. Ha ha. NOW OPEN YOUR MOUTH, sweetie. THAT’S right. THE SYRUP never STOPS FLOWING. It never, ever stops flowing.”

“i feel presumably, like all things, everyone’s going to have a look at it and notice various issues,” explains Thompson once I waft the crazy clown premise. “most of the people we’ve shown this to in point of fact do speedy say, ‘I see an ideal smile. I see the eyes. I see the face.’ every now and then they see a wink.”

“WIIIIINNNNKKK.”

[by means of BuzzFeed]