Mikey Havoc: Kiwi radio personality on Griffin's Cookie Bear mascot being retired

An end of an era for Griffin's Cookie Bear - as the brand gets rid of the mascot after 57 years.

The company plans to refresh the packaging to make it 'clearer and easier' to find their biscuits on the shelf.

It's reassuring consumers they can expect the same quality, recipe and great taste.

Mikey Havoc was the voice of Cookie Bear for a couple of years - and he joined the Afternoons team to reminisce.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
Sad Day in New Zealand, Very very sad Day in
New Zealand. The Griffins Cookie Beer has been put out
to pasture an absolute icon in New Zealand. Well, it
turns out star of television radio Rock and Roll, a
New Zealand icon himself, Mikey Havoc had a massive part
to play in the story of Griffin's Cookie Beer, and

(00:37):
he joins us on the line.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
Now, Mikey, Good Afternoon, after.

Speaker 4 (00:42):
Then Matt and Tyler and Good Afternoons listeners.

Speaker 5 (00:46):
Mikey, when were you cookie Beer?

Speaker 4 (00:49):
Well, as you imagine Matt's this is a splic turgon
to quite a tremultuous state for me. Last night I
turned her to Martin. I'm by no means suggesting that
you said, be a hard up a compum talking about
this last night.

Speaker 3 (01:02):
He runs a good show.

Speaker 4 (01:03):
And I am, and I am, and and it's I called,
and I revealed that I held on to for so
many many years, And unfortunately I feel a bit. It's
very cathartic. I feel better because of it. But but yes,
many many years ago. We'll just I kind of find
this weird that that Griffins and have announced us now
because it's sort of been first for ages, isn't it.

(01:25):
But but I was I was the last voice of.

Speaker 5 (01:27):
Cookie Beer Wow. And look we always try, man.

Speaker 4 (01:31):
I wasn't learn any suit, but I was a voice
as a.

Speaker 6 (01:33):
Voice mental afternoons always tries to run twenty four hours
behind Marcus Slash.

Speaker 5 (01:38):
We're happy with that.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
He's hard to keep up with.

Speaker 5 (01:41):
You've got to give us the dump your dumpty doo, mikey.

Speaker 4 (01:46):
Ok, Well, why don't I tell you the story that
I told I told on there again? You tell well,
I mean, I mean it was quite a big contract,
you know, and as you as you, as you alluded
to earlier on Matt, I do have to sign an
NDA to say that I wasn't a guy. So I
guess I guess maybe perhaps maybe got a reputation for

(02:10):
Rascal and they didn't want that to rub off on
Cookie Bear character for if something terrible, heaven were just
I mean a little bit insulting, but a little bit
sort of funny as well. So I went for the job,
the job and the job, and this is a contract.
It wasn't just a one off voice job. Matt, this
is a contract, Tyler, what's a contract? And we and

(02:30):
so I'm going I'm in the studio with like and
the voice studio was just in there by myself and
then the and the engineer, with the engineers from and
the voice studio. There's like about eight people. There's the
engineer and people from the company, people from the ad agencies.
It was quite a big deal and I was really
hoping to get the gig. So I go in there

(02:51):
and they give me the script that I go and
somehow there I'd say, off you go, Mic, and I'm like,
we're r And then I wait and no, no, no, no, Carler,
you dumped the gun. Then I wait because it's for
a good couple of minutes, which was an eternity trying

(03:13):
to figure out whether I had this. I said, I
think I'm not going to get this, and I don't
like it, said, I'm trying to figure out what I
did wrong. And then they go there are here. Then
they go through the intercom and they go, Mike, you
can hear me in there? We go yep, And so
they go, do you think the dumpty do sounded a
big day. He's a car, He's a cartoon. He's a

(03:38):
cartoon beer that lives in lowly Land. Right, so and
so I got I got the gig. But I daughter
long this game.

Speaker 5 (03:54):
Well, where did the dumpty doo come from? Who was
the first dumpty do?

Speaker 6 (03:58):
And what is it?

Speaker 5 (03:59):
What does a dumpty do? That's a very strange thing
about who.

Speaker 4 (04:03):
Was the first person to dumpty do it? That you're asking?

Speaker 5 (04:05):
Yeah, well it first? Yeah, I mean why does it
beer suddenly go dumpy doo.

Speaker 6 (04:09):
It's an odd thing for a beer to say, but
it makes perfect sense because we're growing.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
Up with it.

Speaker 4 (04:14):
Second the day the kids are different back than that
because there was a imagination, there were a lot roadblocks
and Andrew tating Big Boy. Now it's differ, it was different.
We should remember we're talking the last night about how
we see the card from Cookie Beer on your birthday.

Speaker 6 (04:28):
Yeah sure sure, Now, Mikey, cookie Beer isn't the only
iconic role that you played in terms of New Zealand products.

Speaker 5 (04:39):
Is it true that you were part of the popsicle band?

Speaker 4 (04:43):
No No, I sung the past I sung the theme
to the Pop School when they doesn't do yourself a flavor.
I have some fun faver the the Pup School three book.

Speaker 6 (04:54):
You still got it, So that doesn't that doesn't, that
doesn't count as being part of the Popsicle band.

Speaker 4 (05:00):
You just sing the song I never seen I was.
I don't had a number one. I might have a
numb one single for sixt I've never said a final
bottle man.

Speaker 5 (05:10):
Oh well, thank you so much for talking to us.

Speaker 6 (05:12):
Sorry for blasting ads in your face mid mid story,
but it's a great story. And congratulations on being the
the Cookie because that that did a lot for It
was very important to a lot of New Zealanders.

Speaker 4 (05:25):
I think it's the sad though. You mean this is
meant that they have no faith and there's never been
a thing anymore.

Speaker 6 (05:32):
Well, you know, if they if they want your back
and you you up up for it. If this publicity around,
there we.

Speaker 3 (05:39):
Go, Mikey Heaving, Thank you very much, make great story.

Speaker 1 (05:47):
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