Yum! Brands, the owner of KFC, has unveiled a new look for their classic spokes-character The Colonel. The character, a former member of The Pentavaret, has been redrawn for appearance on signage and more to, according to the story, look more youthful and hip. That's an effort to appeal not only to older customers who already know him but to younger people who want to imagine him as a celebrity chef type.

Honestly, I don't see it. Still looks like an old dude trying to sell me chicken. Maybe the more cartoonish look makes him appear to have gotten Botox treatments to smooth out the lines in his face but the goatee is still there, as is the weird flip in the front of his hair. It's not like the previous iteration of the image was photo-realistic or anything so I'm not sure how trading one drawing for another is a marked improvement or drastic shift in strategy. The only real difference I can see is that he's sporting an apron instead of a white suit, but still with the same trademark bow-tie. So now he seems like an aged owner visiting the restaurant for some press photos of how hard he really works at staying a real person.

By the way, Tom initially wrote about this in April of 2005. Nice to see this is a flexible, fast moving organization.

[via Gawker]