Unbelievable pictures reveal the real people behind popular brand mascots - from KFC to Wendy's

You know the logos - but did you know the stories being some of the most iconic cartoon faces of America's most popular chains?

While they may exist in the land of takeaway, some of the most recognizable logos in the world are based on real people - some of whom are still alive today.

Here, FEMAIL looks at all the iconic - and recognizable - logos that you may see on a daily basis.

Wendy's 

You know the fast food chain's logo for the bright red hair and cheeky smile - but did you know the adorable cartoon girl is based on a real person? 

Fast food chain Wendy's was founded by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969.

Their logo features an adorable red-headed girl, with a smattering of freckles and blue bows in the hair.

The real life Wendy, whose real name is Melinda - with Wendy being her nickname, is the daughter of the founder. 

At eight-years-old, Wendy was chosen by her father as the face of chain, posing in a red-and-white dress to be immortalized as the emblem of the fast food restaurant.

In a piece for People in 1990, Wendy recalled beating out her two older sisters, Pam and Molly, and her brother, Kenny, for the honor as the mascot.

In a 2019 blog post, Wendy said she still loves being the face of the famous fast food chain - even after all these years.

'I will always love this brand, but not because my name is on the buildings,' Wendy wrote in a post published to the website.

'I love our products. I love our hamburgers. I just love everything. Why wouldn't I? It's our business. Our family business.' 

KFC 

The iconic KFC logo was conceived in 1952, using a portrait on Colonel Harland David Sanders - the chain's founder.

Harland Sanders was born in 1890 and grew up on a farm in Indiana, he started selling fried chicken from his restaurant in 1930. 

As per Business Insider, Sanders received the title of Colonel in 1950 from Kentucky's governor and began dressing in a white suit and growing a signature goatee, making him a perfect, recognizable mascot and logo. 

The current iconic logo features a black outline of the Colonel, with his glasses on, a goatee, and a bow tie, with red stipes on either side. 

The famous restaurant founder stayed as the face of the fast food chain even after he sold the company in 1964.

Little Debbie

Little Debbie, the brand of tiny snack cakes that originates from the south, features a logo of an adorable little girl - who is based on a real person.

The design shows a rosy-cheeked young girl with curly brown hair resting just above her shoulders complete with a straw hat and a light-blue colored dress.

The adorable cartoon is an almost identical to the portrait of the real Debbie McKee-Fowler - who was four years old when she was snapped.

The daughter of the brand's founder O.D. McKee and his wife, Ruth, who founded McKee Foods in 1934.

Debbie McKee-Fowler is still in the business today, and currently holds the position of Executive Vice President and serves on the McKee Foods Board of Directors. 

Ronald McDonald

He's the most recognizable clown there is - and Ronald McDonald is based on a real person.

Although he may look too unrealistic to be true, the mascot was in fact based on a clown from Washington, D.C.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the McDonald's mascot is based on TV host Willard Scott. 

Scott, who was a television presenter and broadcaster in D.C, played a character called Bozo the Clown in 1959 to 1962.

McDonald's advertising executives reached out to Scott, who worked as a clown for several years. 

But they ended up dumping him as the famed clown in 1966 when they decided to introduce other Ronald McDonald's and make the clown a national figure - noting it would be hard to find people in each market with the same big build.

Chef Boyardee 

Chef Boyardee is a beloved brand of Italian canned pasta products - and the cartoon chef himself is based on a real person.

The logo features a smiling chef in his whites with a siren-red scarf. A noticeable difference in the modern logo to the actual chef is Chef Hector's dark moustache.

Hector Boiardee was an Italian chef born in 1897 in Piacenza, Italy, and immigrated to New York City and started working in restaurants.

He eventually made his way to head chef at the the famous Plaza Hotel, and later opened his own restaurant, Il Giardino d'Italia, in Cleveland in 1924.

He launched the Chef Boyardee Company with his brothers Mario and Paul, in 1928.

They made the decision to spell the name phonetically so American's could pronounce it.

Sun-Maid 

Sun-Maid are known for their raisins and dried fruit - and their logo, featuring a smiling woman in a bright red bonnet, is based on a real girl.

Lorraine Collett Petersen was 17 when she became immortalized in the logo, after being asked to hold a basket and pose for a watercolor painting in 1910.

The Missouri native worked as a seeder, packer, and promoter for a subsidiary of the Sun-Maid company in Fresno, California, at the time.