Domino's Noid
Back in the '80s, Domino's Pizza started a bizarre ad campaign that featured an odd little red-costumed gremlin with rabbit-like ears, known as the Noid. The pizza chain's commercials would feature the Noid attacking pies and attempting to delay deliveries, under the slogan "Avoid the Noid." It didn't seem to have much to do with pizza, but in 1989 the campaign went even further when a video game based on the character was released. However, the Noid turned out to be not only strange but also incendiary: in January 1989, a mentally ill man named Kenneth Noid held up a Domino's in Georgia, claiming that the chain was personally attacking him. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and Domino's abandoned the creepy pizza-hating Noid shortly thereafter.