Bamm-Bamm Rubble vs. Hulk Hogan

If you saw the decade-old Cocoa Pebbles commercial called “Cocoa Smashdown,” you’d probably shrug it off as 30 seconds of animated silliness. Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble get thrown around by a cartoon wrestler in Spandex underpants, Bamm-Bamm Rubble launches the wrestler skyward, and then everyone eats Cocoa Pebbles in the ring, despite the fact that it seems wildly unsanitary. 

But when Hulk Hogan saw the ad, he immediately called his attorney. He thought that wrestler — whose name was given as Hulk Boulder — looked a little too familiar, right down to the shaggy blonde hair, the handlebar mustache, and the comically oversized upper body. Hogan filed a lawsuit against Post Foods, which manufactures Cocoa Pebbles, alleging that the ad represented “unauthorized commercial misappropriation” and “false endorsement.” (He also didn’t appreciate that Boulder was “shown humiliated and cracked into pieces with broken teeth.”) 

In his honestly hilarious 15-page complaint, Hogan — whose real name is Terry Bollea — tried to explain what a Major Celebrity he is, in order to prove how getting his ass kicked by a cartoon kindergartener could’ve damaged his personal brand. An attorney was paid to write that Hogan did briefly wrestle under the name Terry “The Hulk” Boulder; that “Hulk Hogan guest starred on an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger […] helping Walker steer teenagers away from gangs”; and that “his name and likeness are applied to a line of microwavable hamburgers sold at Wal-Mart.”

Hogan and his legal team asked for compensatory damages and punitive damages, as well as “reasonable royalties” for his animated appearance in the commercial, and for any profits that Post Foods made because it aired the “Cocoa Smashdown” spot. Hogan and Post Foods eventually settled out of court, and the terms of the settlement were not disclosed. “Terry is happy to have it favorably resolved,” his attorney said at the time.

Sue all you want, Terry. We all saw you get rinsed by a child.

The Hulkster makes an appearance in today’s Mystery Video Fun Club.

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