Carl's Jr. can be traced back to July 17, 1941, when late husband-and-wife duo Carl and Margaret Karcher acquired a hot dog cart and began selling hot dogs, chili dogs, and tamales for 10 cents.
In November 1944, the couple moved to Anaheim, CA, and finally opened their first, full-fledged restaurant, calling it Carl's Drive-In Barbecue.
Carl's Jr.[]
1956–1975[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Unknown
Launched:
1956
In 1956, miniature versions of the Drive-In Barbecue locations, appropriately known as Carl's Jr., were opened in Anaheim and Brea, CA.[1]
1975-1978[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Unknown
Launched:
1975
1978–2006[]
1978–1987[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Unknown
Launched:
1978
1987–2006[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
American Typewriter Bold (modified)
Launched:
1987
Stacked version
This logo is still used at some older locations, often alongside the next one.
During the span of this logo's usage, CKE Restaurants acquired the Hardee's chain in 1997; and beginning in 1999 both Carl's Jr. and Hardee's would share logo designs.
On June 12, 2006,[2] Carl's Jr. was rebranded again with "Charbroiled Burgers" now on the bottom logo, with the Happy Star now tilted to the left and given a 3D effect, just like its sister-chain Hardee's, as well as parent company CKE Restaurants.
With the rise of a new series of ads featuring a fictional spokesman named Carl Hardee Sr. on March 29, 2017,[3] the tagline "Eat Like You Mean It" was retired and replaced with "Pioneers of the Great American Burger". The red background and "Charbroiled Burgers" were also removed (along with the face), and the logo became flat. This move was the result of the chain going "all-natural" on its burgers, and drifting away from its controversial "sexy" image, whose advertisements starred various models (prominent ones being Paris Hilton and Kate Upton).[3]
Later on September 20, 2017,[4] alongside the introduction of the $5 "All Star" Combo Meals, the face was silently reinstated onto the star without eyebrows, while keeping the rest of the logo the same as before. This was likely done due to criticism against the removal of the face when the logo, overall, was first introduced nearly 6 months prior.
On February 19, 2018 (with Havas Chicago taking over from 72andSunny for advertising), the chain ditched the fictional spokesman, and launched "The Call of Carl's" campaign, featuring narration by actor Matthew McConaughey. Additionally, this marked the first time that Carl's Jr. and Hardee's both carried advertisements that greatly differed from one another.[5]
On November 5, 2018, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's sligtly updated their logos. The star has been modified, with the removal of Carl Karcher's face and the return of the star's eyebrows, along with a slight update to its wordmark, having the "r" and "s" modified. To complement this overhaul, a new campaign titled "Where the Food Is the Star" was introduced, starring Australian model and Instagram influencer Celeste Barber, in which she channels Paris Hilton of the chain's 2005 advertising campaign.[6]
Later, on February 12, 2020, CKE Restaurants would roll out a new campaign in collaboration with 72andSunny (who previously worked on the "Pioneers of the Great American Burger" campaign), with an emphasis on its Happy Star mascot, complemented by the tagline "Feed Your Happy".[7]
As of December 2022, this is still used as a secondary logo as it is still used on some advertisements and on recently renovated locations.
The Carl's Jr. and Hardee's logos were updated yet again on September 22, 2022 (this was preceded by an initiative that CKE would spend $500 million to revamp its identity of its two chains back in May). The new logo straightens the Happy Star (this was previously done with its 1978-2006 iteration; it was since used as an alternate variant in its logos since then) and adds a "charbroiled texture" on the red shadow, which now has a left angular position, along with a "flavor trail" on advertising. Additionally, new, custom brand colors were introduced, which includes Charbroil Black, American Cheese Yellow, Flame Red and Biscuit Cream.[8]
