Rodney Allen Rippy

Rodney Allen Rippy (born July 29, 1968) is a former American child actor. He appeared in TV commercials for the fast-food chain Jack in the Box in the early 1970s, as well as in numerous roles in television and movies.

Rodney Allen Rippy
Rippy in 1974.
Born (1968-07-29) July 29, 1968
Long Beach, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCalifornia State University, Dominguez Hills
Occupation
  • Child actor
  • television personality
Websitewww.realrodneyallenrippy.com

Early career

In the Jack in the Box advertisements, Rippy was seen trying to wrap his mouth around the super-sized Jumbo Jack hamburger. The tag line "It's too big to eat!" (pronounced "It's too big-a-eat!") became a catch-phrase. Another spot showed Rippy giggling while singing the song "Take Life a Little Easier," which was released as a single by Bell Records in the fall of 1973 in the wake of the commercial's popularity.[1]

The 45 RPM single (b/w "World of Love") appeared on the Billboard magazine "Bubbling Under" chart in October 1973, peaking at #112. At the age of five, Rippy became the youngest person ever to make any Billboard music chart. He released an LP on Bell Records in 1974. Catalog #: BELL 1311.

Rippy subsequently had guest roles in many popular television shows, including The Six Million Dollar Man, Marcus Welby, M.D., Police Story, and The Odd Couple (Rodney played himself and was the owner of the building where Oscar and Felix lived). He also appeared frequently on talk shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Dinah's Place with Dinah Shore. Rippy also had a co-starring role on the CBS Saturday morning children's show The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine.[2][3]

Rodney made his big screen debut (uncredited, filmed before the Jack in the Box spots) in the Mel Brooks comedy Blazing Saddles in 1974. He portrayed a young Sheriff Bart aboard his parents' buckboard wagon after a brutal Sioux nation attack. When the Sioux chief, portrayed by Brooks, allows the pioneers' passage (for being darker than the Sioux are), Rippy says his only line, "Thank you."[2] In a Peanuts newspaper comic strip dated July 3, 1974, Snoopy awakens from a dream in which he "had been invited out to dinner by Rodney Allen Rippy!"[4]

Later career

Rippy graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills in 1995 where he majored in marketing.[5][6] In 2000 he opened his own marketing firm which he named Ripped Marketing Group. He worked on campaigns such as promoting leisure wear and country music,[6] among other projects. He has taken on a few acting roles since his childhood stardom, filming a few episodes of Parker Lewis Can't Lose in the early 1990s, appearing in the 1997 independent film, Former Child Star and the 2003 David Spade comedy Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.[2]

Rippy is a partner in the film production company Bow Tie Productions, and spokesman for Hurricane Housing Relief. He worked at KABC-TV in Los Angeles, California. A resident of Carson, California, he has served as master of ceremonies for the Carson Relay For Life (Rippy's mother died of cancer in 1986).[7] He was at one time a national director of marketing with Metro Networks (Westwood One).[8]

Political candidacy

The Washington Post reported on April 26, 2013, that Rippy was a candidate for mayor of Compton, California. He decided to bow out of the race after finishing 10th out of 12 candidates in the election's primary.[6]

Partial filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1974Blazing SaddlesBart - Age 5Uncredited
1980Oh, God! Book IICharlie
1997Former Child StarHimself
2003Checking the Gate
2003Dickie Roberts: Former Child StarHimself - cameo
2015Flowers in the Snow-FTP
2016To the Top
gollark: Ooh, we could spread the Dino Game virally.
gollark: Anyway, I did this because it is *designed* for single user use.
gollark: The other strain is based on a different thing and even conveniently tells you which pages it just spread to.
gollark: Well, not really, that one is lost, but it's based on that.
gollark: That is the original replicator strain.

References
  1. Discography, discogs.com; accessed August 14, 2015.
  2. Rodney Allen Rippy on IMDb
  3. "It's A Blast from the Past with Rodney Allen Rippy". Black Press USA. 21 July 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  4. "Peanuts". July 3, 1974. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  5. "Distinguished Alumni". California State University, Dominguez Hills. Archived from the original on August 23, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2010.
  6. John Rogers, AP (April 27, 2013). "Rodney Allen Rippy, child star, bows out of Compton mayor race". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  7. "Rodney Allen Rippy Interview". youtube.com. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  8. "Rodney Allen Rippy, '70s Child Star, Running for Mayor of Compton". E Online. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
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