1. How the Noid Led to a Hostage Situation

In 1989, Kenneth Lamar Noid interpreted the Domino’s ads as a personal assault on his character. Believing he was engaged in an ongoing battle with Domino’s head Tom Monaghan, Noid took matters into his own hands, holding up a Domino’s outlet in Georgia. Details from Time Magazine:

Kenneth Noid, 22, walked into a Domino’s Pizza shop in Chamblee, Ga., with a .357 Magnum revolver and took two employees hostage. When police arrived, he demanded $100,000 in cash, a getaway car and a copy of The Widow’s Son, a 1985 novel about secret societies in an 18th century Parisian prison.

All Noid got was the pizza he ordered. After a five-hour siege, the two employees slipped away and Noid gave himself up.

According to Wikipedia, “Noid was charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault, extortion and possession of a firearm during a crime. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity.”

2. Affordable Fun: the Avoid the Noid Game

In 1989, BlueSky Software developed an Avoid the Noid video game for Commodore 64 and DOS PCs. Billed on the box as “Affordable Fun!” the game sounds…well…affordable at least:

In the game, you must deliver a pizza to Doom Industries on the top floor of an apartment building while avoiding the Noid creatures and their traps as you go.

[The protagonist] is armed with a limited amount of Noid Avoiders, which when activated remove all Noids from the screen.

(…)

If not avoided by jumping or rolling, the protagonist is stunned and the Noid will then proceed to destroy the pizza. When all pizzas are gone the game ends.

Read more on Avoid the Noid at Wikipedia.

3. How Yo! Noid Brought Pizza-Smashing to Nintendo

Capitalizing on The Noid’s success, Capcom altered an existing Japanese game for the Nintendo Entertainment System called Kamen no Ninja Hanamaru. The 1991 remake, entitled Yo! Noid, was surprisingly detailed and difficult — probably because it was originally intended to be an entirely different game and the pizza content was tacked on.

According to Wikipedia, the game featured the Noid “traipsing through fourteen different side-scrolling levels throughout various locations of New York City to battle his evil duplicate, Mr. Green, for the public good, and for the massive pizza reward.”

Yo! Noid has a surprising fan following on the web. Check out, for example, the Yo Noid! Shrine and an online version of the game.

4. The Noid’s Non-Advertising Appearances in TV & Film

Aside from his advertising gig, the Noid has appeared in episodes of The Simpsons and Family Guy. He’s also briefly visible in Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker. (Fortunately Jackson manages to Avoid him.)

5. The Noid & The California Raisins: Separated at Birth?

The Noid was brought to life with claymation, the creation of Will Vinton, the same man who brought us 80s icons like The California Raisins (official spokesraisins for the California Raisin Advisory Board) and The Adventures of Mark Twain.

These days Vinton is still producing commercials, including the computer-animated M&M character ads.

6. The Noid Used Voice Talent from Masters of the Universe

Pons Maar lent his voice to the Noid, summoning bursts of crazed laughter and bubbly warbling which made the character genuinely weird. Aside from his Noid gig, Maar is perhaps best known as the lead Wheeler in the movie Return to Oz. He also voiced various (somewhat obscure) cartoon roles over the years — the one I remember best is the hissing Saurod from Masters of the Universe. Maar also did puppet work on major productions like Team America: World Police, Monkeybone, and TV’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

Source: Mentalfloss.com

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Cyclists will ride 75 miles through scenic Lehigh and Berks counties to Ephrata, Pa., before the 75-mile return trip to the Velodrome, Sunday, June 26.

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Yo! Noid video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System

The Noid has no life meter, and loses a life by either making contact with an enemy or running out of time before completing a level. He’s equipped with a short range yo-yo for offense, but can gather magic points by collecting scrolls and use them for screen-clearing special attacks or very rare power-ups, both kinds of which are found in large scrolls opened with the yo-yo. Extra lives are awarded for every 20,000 points scored. Most levels are traveled on foot, but one features a skateboard, two a gyrocopter, and a part of one level features the “Pizza Crusher,” as seen on the “Avoid the Noid” commercials, and the front of the game box—a cross between a large weight and a pogo stick.

As was the case with many Capcom games based on cartoon characters, Yo! Noid had detailed cartoon graphics and sound effects for its time. The back cover of the instruction manual included a $1 off Domino’s Pizza coupon.

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Domino’s Pizza, the recognized world leader in pizza delivery, is gearing up to raise “dough” for the kids of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during its sixth annual Thanks and Giving campaign. Starting November 16, Domino’s customers will have the opportunity to make a donation at the point of purchase to benefit the children of St. Jude. Donations can be made when ordering over the phone, in-store or when ordering online at www.dominos.com.  This year Domino’s is proud to be matching dollar for dollar all customer contributions up to $250,000, making each dollar raised from customers even more impactful.

Remember the Noid, Domino’s advertising character from the 1980’s? People have been asking about him for years and to help the kids of St. Jude we thought we’d bring him back for this special cause! As another way to raise funds for St. Jude, consumers can purchase a Noid t-shirt, with proceeds benefiting St. Jude. Domino’s is selling 1,000 vintage-style t-shirts listed at $19.99 at www.noidtshirt.com. The perfect gift for the Domino’s Noid fan on everyone’s shopping list. All profits from the sale of each vintage-style Noid t-shirt, at least $14.00, will be donated to St. Jude.

“I am proud to share that Domino’s has raised nearly $5 million since we began participating in the Thanks and Giving campaign in 2005,” said David A. Brandon, Domino’s Pizza Chairman and CEO.  “This year, in addition to our $250,000 donation, our goal is to raise $1 million for St. Jude to support their lifesaving research and breakthrough discoveries that lead to lifesaving cures for children and their families around the world.”

St. Jude is one of the world’s premier centers for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases. Every research breakthrough at St. Jude is freely shared with the scientific community worldwide, impacting the lives of children in communities across the country and around the world.

“We are thrilled that Domino’s is once again a part of our annual Thanks and Giving campaign” said Marlo Thomas, National Outreach Director. “Their dedication to the campaign has an enormous impact on the lives of countless children and their families in communities across the country who benefit from their caring and generous spirit. Partners like Domino’s will enable us to carry on our mission that no child should die in the dawn of life”

The campaign begins November 16 and runs through December 31, 2009.

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