No, Tony the Tiger and Dylan Mulvaney are not working together

Tony the Tiger, the longtime mascot of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, was photographed with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney at the Tony Awards on Sunday, leading to conservative activists calling for a boycott of the brand. Kellogg responded to the social media outrage on Monday by making it clear that there is no partnership between Frosted Flakes and Mulvaney. 

Kellogg has received blowback from conservatives on social media since the photos began to circulate. Some publications, such as Vulture, reported that the mascot walked the red carpet accompanied by Mulvaney at the Broadway awards show.

A video posted on Mulvaney’s Instagram page on Sunday night shows the influencer accidentally bumping into the mascot and the two posing for photos together. Kris Bahner, SVP and chief global corporate affairs officer at Kellogg, said in an emailed statement that Tony and Frosted Flakes were an official partner of the Tony Awards, and the mascot was in attendance to celebrate Broadway’s biggest night. 

 

 

 

 

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“Tony walked the red carpet at the event and took photos there and backstage with nominees and other guests, many of whom have been lifelong Frosted Flakes fans,” said Bahner. “Rather than endorsement agreements with individual nominees or attendees, we were an official partner of the Tony Awards.”

Mulvaney said in an Instagram post that she was invited to the awards ceremony by Meta. A spokesperson for the parent company of Facebook and Instagram was not available for comment. 

Right-wing activists have attacked other brands that have partnered with Mulvaney, most notably Bud Light, which has seen a decline in sales since boycotts began in April. In response, Bud Light parent Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Michel Doukeris distanced the company from its collaboration with Mulvaney, saying that the Bud Light-sponsored Instagram post by the influencer wasn’t a fully fledged ad campaign. 

Nike also used Mulvaney in marketing campaigns to promote the company's female products. But when it got backlash, it responded by instructing customers to: "Be kind, be inclusive … Encourage each other."