Partially a parallel, nightmare universe to Barbie and G.I. Joe’s worlds, partially a repository for the Naked Gun gags of Olson and Corrado’s youth, Dr. Umstick’s universe is a blend of comedic references smoothed over by ice cream-loving context. While Corrado believes the eccentricities make the character a great foil for André, both he and Olson feel the Super Bowl can make Dr. Umstick become a brand celebrity all his own.
“We like to make characters that are good people … or good dolls,” Olson said. “There is a good naturedness to Dr. Umstick’s point of view and he’s a little bit clueless at times … but he has the best intentions and is all about enjoying Drumstick.”
Super Bowl every day
Drumstick has involved Dr. Umstick in its #DrumstickMonday Super Bowl holiday petition contest after discovering that 19 million Americans take the Monday after the Super Bowl off anyway. But that sweepstakes bears more resemblance to its typical marketing than a 30-second Super Bowl ad.
In 2022, Dr. Umstick got a tattoo of a Drumstick on his chest and challenged fans to do the same for a year’s supply of free Drumsticks. In less than a month, a TikTok follower took them up on the offer.
Drumstick now has roughly 1.1 million followers on TikTok and begun to enjoy the life of a heavily online brand. It brings in millions of views by picking up on the right Josh Hutcherson/Flo Rida whistle meme, it comments on followers’ videos and it’s hoping that the Super Bowl will bring the brand a lot more friends as well as customers.
