The story of Spuds MacKenzie, Bud Light’s iconic ’80s mascot

If you’re too young to remember the late ’80s, you might have missed out on one of the most surprising American pop culture phenomenons ever: Spuds MacKenzie. Spuds was the super-cool, wealthy, woman-loving bull terrier that was the face of Bud Light during the period. Animal mascots are nothing new, but Anheuser-Busch’s advertising agency was adamant that Spuds was not a dog — he was a man. He did television interviews and even had hotel rooms in his own name to keep up the image, though there’s one kink to the whole “macho dog” picture: the mascot was played by a female dog. If you’ve always wondered about that Bud Light dog, Mental Floss has a good rundown on the history of this American icon.