[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bk_crowncardTheKing_en_01.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Whopper, Whopper, Whopper, Whopper, Junior, Double, Triple, Whopper.]]

->''"The 1970s Burger King was rather down-to-earth and somewhat amusing. Today's king looks more like a perverted and creepy moving {{sculpture|s}} who engages in porno."''
-->--'''Website/{{YouTube}} user kti05hnu58'''

[[JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere Describe topic with The King.]]

[[http://bk.com Burger King]], the fast food establishment, isn't all that trope-worthy on its own. It’s the second-largest burger chain in the United States by number of locations after UsefulNotes/McDonalds (although Wendy’s currently surpasses them in sales), it has a global presence, and it’s subject to several [[StockParody stock parodies]], along with their major competitors.

That said, it’s also created an advertising icon — "The" Burger King. And he's a whole other story entirely...

The Burger King started off humbly enough. He was Burger King's answer to [[UsefulNotes/McDonalds Ronald McDonald]] in the Seventies, and he appeared in both [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4yWP6DMhgo live-action]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al1GZyS-dRw animated]] forms. He came off as a bit of a CloudCuckoolander, but was otherwise benign. However, he was quite forgettable and faded into obscurity during the Eighties.

Fast forward a few decades to 2004, and Burger King decided to bring their mascot out of mothballs. This time, though, he became... much more disturbing and [[DarkerAndEdgier adult]]. Now a guy in an obviously plastic mask right out of ''kigurumi'' and royal finery, he started appearing in ads aimed at adults. By appearing where you probably weren't expecting him. Like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCSv4zNkFhw at a construction site]]. Or [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl0b12baPjU pole dancing]]. Or, most famously, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4_5qoy4oaQ in your bedroom]]''. Simultaneously disturbing and amusing, the ads took off.

How much so? The Burger King managed to work his way into ''three'' different video games (granted, made specifically as an in-store promotion, but still). He's also managed to become a pop culture icon, of sorts—you can buy the mask. He's had the occasional YoutubePoop appearance, too. There's also his... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5X4TSbGreA interesting...]] video about WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants. Disturbing, hilarious, or some combination thereof, he's certainly memorable.

As of 2011, Burger King [[ScrewedByTheNetwork decided to]] [[http://blogs.wsj.com/privateequity/2011/08/19/farewell-to-the-king-california-whopper-not-mascot-will-star-in-bk-ad retire the mascot]] in favor of something a little more mass-market-friendly. However, he quietly returned in 2015; his weirdness in the new ads has been toned down but isn't completely gone.

%%Not to be confused with [[Music/ElvisPresley the King of Rock 'n' Roll]], [[Music/MichaelJackson the King of Pop]], [[Creator/HowardStern the King of All Media]], [[Creator/JackKirby the King of Dots]], [[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner the King of Town]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDIGames the King of Hyrule]] [[YouTubePoop (MAH BOI)]], the KingOfAllCosmos or [[Wrestling/JerryLawler the (oft-disputed) King of WWE]]; though they all enjoy their DINNER.
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!!The Burger King gives examples of:

* AbandonedMascot: The original King was phased out in the Eighties. Subverted with the "Creepy King", which came back after a TenMinuteRetirement.
* AscendedMeme: In 2020 [[https://knowyourmeme.com/videos/243201-ding-fries-are-done an ad]] featuring The King features a remixed cover of the “Ding Fries are Done” [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ding-fries-are-done song.]]
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Compare the early versions of him to the current one.
* DadaAd: Some of the weirder ads of his can certainly cross into this territory.
* DoubleEntendre:
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmuv37vA8eU Meat... on top of meat... on top of meat!]]
** One of the post-hiatus ads promotes a sourdough-bun burger with "Touch the King's buns!"
* ETGaveUsWiFi: As part of a ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen'' tie in, with a Cybertronian King who gave the secret to delicious hamburgers to Burger King founders Keith J. Kramer and Matthew Burns in 1953 in exchange for a place to live. Naturally, he transforms into a broiler.
* ForcedTransformation: One commercial advertising a tie-in to ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' had him - along with Kang and Kodos - turn everyone into characters from the cartoon. (This was an animated version of the King.)
* GenderEqualsBreed: In one commercial, he is shown with a human wife and daughter, and a son who has a mask for a face.
* ICantBelieveItsNotHeroin: One of the UK adverts has a man craving burgers, after being offered one by the King, making the King look like a drug dealer on top of everything else that is wrong with the mascot.
* LiteralGenie: This is from the original version of The Burger King. An old animated ad featured a BK wizard (replete with pointy hat and magic wand) who granted the kids' requests:
-->'''Kid 1:''' Make me a hamburger!\\
'''Kid 2:''' And me a shake!\\
'''Wizard:''' Okay, ''(waves wand at Kid 1) You're'' a hamburger, and ''(waves wand at Kid 2) You're'' a shake!\\
'''The Burger King:''' No no no, they meant ''give'' them, not ''make'' them!
** And after the magician restored the kids and procured the requested menu items...
-->'''The Burger King:''' Now ''give'' me a bill (he was working the restaurant counter after all).\\
'''Wizard:''' All right. ''(waves wand at The BK) You've'' got a bill (as in, a facial feature).\\
'''The Burger King:''' (Tagline, in a duck-like voice) Burger King. Where kids are king.
* MarsNeedsWomen: Happens in the ''Film/StarTrek2009'' tie-in commercial: "My ''[[Film/StarTrek2009 Star Trek]]'' collector cups! [[TemptingFate Why don't you just take my girlfriend, too?]] ...Great."
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Various movie tie-ins have given us [[Film/StarTrek2009 Kingons]], a [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries Deceptiking]] (or maybe an [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/King Autoking]], we can't tell), and an [[Film/IronMan Iron King]].
* PaperThinDisguise: An [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnV9e5h2N2E ad]] where The Burger King steals the blueprint of the Egg [=McMuffin=] from UsefulNotes/McDonalds HQ has him wearing a hoodie and a literal paper mask (that looks identical to his regular face).
* ReallyGetsAround: Men, women, [[WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants sponges]]... Is there anything he hasn't made overtures towards?
* RequisiteRoyalRegalia: With his robe and CoolCrown, he's clearly someone of high rank.
* RubberForeheadAliens: ''[[http://www.filmjunk.com/images/weblog/2009/05/treknobabble65.jpg Kingons!]]''
* {{Slogans}}: Wake up with The King! (But [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQz3pv6aMtA&feature=related don't go to bed before him!]])
* TakeThat: When advertising a grilled chicken sandwich in 2019, the King takes a shot at rival chain Kentucky Fried Chicken by dressing up in Colonel Sanders' white suit while the narration states that "A King always outranks a Colonel!"
* TheTheTitleConfusion: {{Inverted|trope}}; the "the" is used to differentiate the King and his namesake franchise. Thus, Burger King is [[{{Mascot}} represented by]] ''the'' Burger King.
* UncannyValley:[[invoked]] The older incarnations avoid this, but the latest version seems to be invoking this intentionally.
* TheVoiceless: The "Creepy King" version never makes a peep. He's as quiet as a church mouse.
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->''[[Literature/TheKingInYellow "I wear no mask."]]''
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