Mr. Clean

Mr. Clean is a brand name of a popular cleaning product. Mr Clean also makes a melamine foam cleaner under the name-brand of Magic Eraser.

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Mr. Clean is known as Mr. Proper in mainland Europe, probably to avoid confusion with Mr. Sheen and Mr. Muscle. In the United Kingdom it is known as Flash. In Canada, the French name is M. Net (nettoyer is the French verb for "to clean"'). In Spain, the name changed from Mr. Proper to Don Limpio (limpiar is the Spanish verb for "to clean"), while in Mexico he is named Maestro Limpio (Master Clean). In Italy he is named Mastro Lindo (Master Clean, as in Mexico), in Germany Meister Proper, in France Monsieur Propre.

The product's mascot is the character Mr. Clean, a muscular, tanned, bald man who cleans things very well. According to the company, the original model is actually a Navy sailor from the city of Pensacola, FL, although most people think he is a genie based on his earring, folded arms, and tendency to magically appear at the appropriate time. Mr. Clean has always smiled on the packaging, except for a brief time in the mid 1960's when he was frowning on the package. He also has never talked.

Jingle

Mr. Clean's theme song has been around since the product's introduction, initially sung as a pop-music style duet between a man (Don Cherry) and a woman (Betty Bryan). The Mr. Clean advertising jingle was written in 1958, the year the product was introduced, by Thomas Scott Cadden (1923-2007). The jingle is registered with ASCAP under title code 570098598 & 570006267. It has been played as recently as 2007, usually in a contemporary musical setting or instrumental version.

Mr. Clean in popular culture

• Mr. Clean's appearance with his tight muscle shirt, ear piercing, stylishly handsome looks, fastidious habits, and helpful but deferential persona in television commercials, has made Mr. Clean into something of a Chelsea Boys-style gay icon. [1]

• Mr. Clean has been used as a derisive term in the same manner as goody two shoes or Boy Scout, describing someone who displays conspicuous morally upstanding behavior. The term has been used by Dick Vitale to describe a basketball play that at first glance appeared to be a foul but, in fact, was not.

• In the ABC series Lost, Sawyer addresses Locke as Mr. Clean, in a reference to Locke's bald head and strong build.

• In the South Park episode imaginationland, Mr. Clean can be seen in the background as one of the imaginery characters.

• In Space Quest VI, by clicking on a Mr. Soylent machine, you will hear a jingle similar to that of Mr. Clean.

• Major Alex Louis Armstrong from Fullmetal Alchemist anime and manga series has an uncannny resemblance with Mr. Clean and is jokingly known as "Colonel Clean" among fans.

• In the video game, NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup, an unlockable gives the player the ability to turn his regular pit crew into a pit crew of Mr. Cleans.
• In the SpongeBob SquarePants episode Culture Shock, SpongeBob asks Squidward Tentacles if he should use Mr. Cleanser or Dr. Clean, two different parodies of Mr. Clean.
• In the satirical series Robot Chicken, Mr. Clean was spoofed as "Senor Clean" as he is depicted as a homosexual Mexican.
• Master Xehanort, from the video game Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, bears a slight resemblance to Mr. Clean

Mr. Clean Scenes Competition and Controversy

• In March 2007, an online competition (found at http://www.mrcleanscenes.com) was held in association with YouTube. The public was given the opportunity to create a commercial advertising the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. The competition ran through June 30, 2007. Entrants were asked to use up to 60 seconds of time for their advertisement. A prize of $10,000 was slated for the announced winner, based on an independent judging corporation's scoring.
• The winning video "Here's To Stains," featured two bald men using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to remove used KY Jelly from various household surfaces.
• In September 2007, the winning video "Here's To Stains" was announced on the website's main page, but the grand prize had not yet been awarded to the selected video's creator, due to an error by the contestant during the submission process. The entrant was supposed to submit his/her video into the "Mr. Clean Scenes Group" on YouTube before submission onto the Mr. Clean website, per Rule #3 of the website's "Official Rules and Terms." However, the contestant failed to do so, possibly resulting in forfeit of the prize and a different contestant being claimed the winner.
• In October 2007, Procter & Gamble sent a letter to one of the contestants, the one who brought the controversy to the attention of the corporation, stating that Procter & Gamble is actively investigating the issue.
• As of December 10, 2007, the issue has yet to be resolved.