Noid

The Noid (voiced by Pons Maar) was an advertising character for Domino's Pizza in the 1980s. He was a villainous red-suited character with red rabbit ears who attempted to ruin Domino's pizza but was constantly thwarted. The Noid was created in 1986 by Group 243, the advertising agency for Domino's Pizza and was animated by Will Vinton Studios. The creative team of Ernie Perich (creative director), Gary Bastien (art director), Dave Larson (producer), Matthew Thornton (producer), and Phil Kneesi (writer) created the character and the television campaigns. Commercials that featured the character used the slogan "Avoid the Noid!"

As part of the advertising campaign, a computer game was released in 1989 called Avoid the Noid. The object of the game is to deliver a pizza within a half-hour time limit, in an apartment building swarming with noids (some of which are armed with heat-seeking or pizza-seeking missiles, or water balloons). The common version is version 1.0 and has CGA graphics and PC speaker sound effects, although version 1.1 also exists which added support for EGA graphics and Adlib music. In 1990, Capcom released a different video game, Yo! Noid, for the NES.

Also, the Noid has made a few appearances in modern-day entertainment, including an altercation in the episode of Family Guy called Deep Throats, in an episode of 30 Rock, in a segment of Michael Jackson: Moonwalker and in two episodes of The Simpsons, once as a Thanksgiving Day parade balloon, and the other in person in She of Little Faith.

Domino's brought the Noid back for a limited run of t-shirts in December 2009. Proceeds from the sale of these "Avoid The Noid!" t-shirts went to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. A limited run of 1,000 shirts was made.

Kenneth Lamar Noid
In 1989, Kenneth Lamar Noid, a mentally ill customer who thought the ads were a personal attack on him, held two employees of an Atlanta, Georgia Domino's restaurant hostage for over five hours. After forcing them to make him a pizza and making demands for $100,000, getaway transportation, and a copy of The Widow's Son, Noid surrendered to the police. After the incident had ended, police Chief Reed Miller offered a memorable assessment to reporters: "He's paranoid." 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.