1944 - Miss Chiquita was created as part of the first branding
of bananas, putting a face on a generic fruit. She was drawn
by artist Dik Browne who also drew her cousins the Campbell
Soup "kids" and "Hagar the Horrible." In her early years, Miss
Chiquita appeared as an animated banana, helping to teach
consumers about the great nutritional value of bananas and
how to ripen them. A likeness of Miss Chiquita has appeared
on labels that identified Chiquita bananas and other products
since 1963. She was depicted as a banana until 1987, when
artist Oscar Grillo, creator of the Pink Panther, transformed her
into a woman.