Front Row Joe is an animated character developed as the mascot and promotional character for the American movie theater chain Cinemark Theatres in 1988.The mascot was created by Willming-Reams Animation, an now-defunct animation studio in San Antonio.He appeared in policy trailers and advertisements until he was retired in 1998 for Cinemark's Art Deco rebrand.[1] The mascot returned in 2004 for the company's 20th anniversary before leaving in 2009, and again in 2018 with a new design. He no longer appears in policy trailers, but still does appear in promotional advertisements and special events.
Character
Joe is an anthropomorphictabby cat who is the protagonist of each animated short, being a primary example of a theatre guest following all of Cinemark policies, as well as encouraging others such as Elton to follow. Holding a good reputation, Cinemark staff are happy to see him; in some cases, his positive behavior borders on the level of celebrity status (for example, laying out the red carpet for a limo carrying him). He loves going to the movies and has a great time with everyone by making sure they do the same.
Other characters
Starstruck Penny (originally Popcorn Penny) Penny is an orange tabby cat with a purple hair bow, green shirt, and purple skirt. She serves as Joe's love interest, first appearing in 1991. Like Joe, Penny also follows the rules of the theater and gets along well with him and everyone.
Clyde is a British Shorthair with a blue jacket and red nose. He serves as the antagonistic foil to Joe and, thus, is the primary example of boorish behaviors and violations against theater policies such as littering, talking during the movie and smoking. He finds it more entertaining of being a nuisance to Joe and everyone, rather than watching the movie. Usually, his negative behavior is met with reprimanding such as being ejected for putting his feet on Joe's seat or leaving trash behind. Despite his negative disposition and joy brought from causing disruptions, he has been shown to have a sort of limit - during the holiday season, Joe gifted him and Elton gift certificates after they had secretly planted dynamite in a gift box given to Joe; this causes the pair to shed a tear and reflect, so they steal the gift box back without Joe knowing, only for Elton to recover the concessions inside and for Clyde to take the brunt of the explosion.
Elton is a short brown Manx cat with a red nose who is second fiddle to Clyde. While Elton partakes in some frowned-upon actions, either following Clyde's lead or at his own behest, he is the first between the two to either willingly correct his behavior, prompt Clyde to correct his behavior, or in one case, snicker towards his friend's punishment at the hands of an usher. However, as time has progressed, Elton became more of a positive guest and eventually began to play as the regular third wheel with Joe and Penny.
The main male ushers are a trio of blue cats who took the main singing role until 1991, when Joe filled the role, though the male ushers reappeared a year later supplying background vocals. A trio of pink-colored female cats based on the Andrews Sisters replaced the original male trio in 1991, and later appeared alongside them in 1992.
A baby orange cat is also present in each, serving as the example of crying children, which Cinemark instructs to be taken to the lobby until they can be calmed down. Occasionally, Joe or the ushers would place a pacifier in the baby to stop its crying. A saxophone was used to simulate the baby's crying from 1988 to 1990 before being replaced by an actual infant. By 1997 the baby was changed to a British Shorthair resembling Clyde, implying that Clyde is the father and the baby is following his father's negative behavior
A group of bulldogs also occasionally appear, usually in response to Clyde's behavior, prompting them to physically intervene.
Appearance
Joe has orange fur and originally wears a purple jacket with a necklace featuring the Cinemark logo until 1990 when he started buttoning his jacket. The logo then appeared on the right side of his jacket, closer to the collar of his shirt. He was a silent character until when he started taking the singing role in 1991.[2] Joe has also worn a scarf in a holiday policy trailer and occasionally wears sunglasses.On a policy trailer made by Cinema Concepts[3] for Cinemark's 20th anniversary in 2004, Joe made a comeback in CGI wearing a tuxedo with a red tie.[4]
In 2018, a new CGI design was created by ATK PLN for Joe, significantly changing his look. He now has beige colored fur and wears a red and white-striped shirt, a black necktie covered with a red sleeveless shirt, and black jeans.His accessories include a purple lanyard, name pin, and digital watch. His purple lanyard describes Joe's is described as teenager since its provided to Cinemark employees under 18, despite originally being an adult cat before the design. He occasionally wears other outfits such as a jungle explorer and summer outfit for promotional images.[5]
Merchandise
During Joe's original run, cinemas offered merchandising such as plastic kid-sized cups, plush, and t-shirts.[6][7][8]
