Terry Bollea, better known to wrestling fans throughout the world as Hulk Hogan, filed a lawsuit against cereal giant Post earlier this year for repeatedly infringing on his intellectual property in a commercial for Cocoa Pebbles.
The television ad in question features a cartoon wrestler by the name of Hulk Boulder. In “Cocoa Smashdown,” Boulder handily defeats Fred Flinstone and Barney Rubble in the ring. Just as he is about to enjoy a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles, he is picked up and pounded to pieces by Fred’s son Bamm-Bamm.
In the lawsuit, Hogan points out that the character Hulk Boulder is humiliated and “cracked into pieces with broken teeth.” He also claims that Post executives ignored requests last August to remove the commercial from the air.
As for personal likeness, Hulk Boulder has long, blonde hair and a handlebar mustache, two features Hulk Hogan is well-known for. Even the name Hulk Boulder combines Hogan’s well-known wrestling persona with an earlier character he created named Terry Boulder.
In addition to taking advantage of his intellectual property, Hogan claims that he has been harmed by the “degrading depictions” of Hulk Boulder in Cocoa Pebbles commercials.
No stranger to merchandising, Hogan lent his name and likeness to a plethora of toys, entertainment and other merchandise in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Most recently, Hogan has been featured on a line of microwaveable cheeseburgers sold at Wal-Mart entitled “Hulkster Cheeseburgers.”
Related Resource
- Yabba-Dabba-Sue! Hulk Hogan files suit against Cocoa Pebbles maker (Tampa Bay Online)
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