Kari Grandi is a fictional character, the main protagonist in the
Finnish television advertisements for
Grandi, a brand of ready-to-drink
juice.
Grandi was played by
Eeki Mantere
Erik Kristian “Eeki” Mantere (25 January 1949, in Helsinki – 30 April 2007, in Espoo) was a Finnish musician that became famous in the 1970s as Viktor Kalborrek, soloist of the band Hullujussi. After Hullujussi disbanded in 1976, Mantere c ...
from the beginning of the character in the 1970s until 1999. He was then replaced by actor
Sami Kojonen.
The advertisements are
parodies of typical 1920s-era adventure
movies where a group of
villains kidnap a woman and torture her by withholding water and other drinks from her. Somewhere at a distance, Kari Grandi hears her cries for help and rushes to her aid. First he drinks a carton of Grandi juice, then he drops the empty carton on the ground and steps on it. The ensuing
sonic boom knocks out the villains, and Kari Grandi is able to revive the woman by giving her a carton of Grandi juice.
The
narration of the advertisements always ends with an established
catchphrase:
:''Hän on kaikkien janoisten sankari, aikamme legenda: Kari... Grandi!''
In
English:
:''He is the hero of all who are thirsty, the legend of our time: Kari... Grandi!''
The character's name is an obvious homage to the actor
Cary Grant. The character Kari Grandi was himself parodied in the Finnish
sci-fi movie ''
Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning'', in the form of Babel 13 security officer Mihail Karigrandi (English name: Mikhail Garybrandy), who is a parody of the ''
Babylon 5'' character
Michael Garibaldi
Michael Garibaldi is a lead fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series ''Babylon 5'', played by Jerry Doyle.
Character history Overview
During most of ''Babylon 5's'' five seasons, Garibaldi is the Chief of Sec ...
.
Television in Finland
Male characters in animation
Drink advertising characters
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