Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Awards, Story 4

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BUDDY LEE CAN’T BUST ‘EM CAMPAIGN


Lee was founded by Henry David Lee in 1889 in Salina, Kansas, as a workwear company producing the dungarees and jackets typical of the time. In 1920, Lee introduced their mascot, Buddy Lee, who became one of the earliest company characters in American advertising, and his cheeky grin and flirty eyes are still recognizable today.


In 1999, Willoughby Design helped revive Buddy Lee as the new “spokesfigure” for Lee Dungarees. We designed the collateral, packaging and store merchandising for Lee with the Can’t Bust ‘Em campaign, aimed at winning over the youth market. Buddy became a pop culture icon and his figurines from storefronts are a sought after collectible.

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