While he was a coach for ten years and a broadcaster for thirty years, John Madden helped the NFL become more popular. But football wasn’t the only thing he brought attention to.
Madden also helped the turducken to rise in national prominence after he discovered it late in the 1990s.
Prior to Madden, turducken was a dish mostly found in Louisiana and other southern states that not many people knew about. Now, its much better known and the word turducken has been added to the dictionary.
What is a turducken, and how did John Madden make it famous? Read on to learn all about one of John Madden’s favorite foods.
For many families across America, Thanksgiving just wouldn’t feel complete without seeing the legendary John Madden attempt to carve a turkey by hand. Madden’s hilarious turkey carving blooper has become a cherished Thanksgiving tradition over the years. Let’s take a look back at the origins of this memorable holiday moment.
Who is John Madden?
For those unfamiliar, John Madden is a former NFL coach and broadcaster who became famous for his animated, larger-than-life personality. After coaching the Oakland Raiders to a Super Bowl victory in 1977, Madden transitioned to a broadcast career as a football analyst and color commentator.
Madden worked for all four major American television networks over his decades-long broadcasting career. However, he’s best known for his work covering NFL games on CBS, Fox and ABC’s Monday Night Football alongside Al Michaels.
With his boisterous voice big gestures and tendency to ramble, Madden brought tons of charisma and entertainment value to NFL broadcasts. His popularity as a broadcaster led to the hugely successful Madden NFL video game franchise published by EA Sports.
The Infamous Turkey Carving Blooper
In the early 2000s, Madden starred in a famous Butterball turkey hotline commercial on Thanksgiving day. The premise was simple – Madden calling the Butterball help line because he was having trouble carving his Thanksgiving turkey.
What viewers didn’t expect was to see Madden take matters into his own hands by trying to rip the turkey apart with his bare hands! He tosses the knife aside and starts tearing at the turkey like a crazed bear.
Madden grunts and yells as he violently rips and shreds the helpless turkey carcass. Feathers fly everywhere as Madden destroys the bird using just his brute strength. It’s one of the most surreal and hilarious things you’ll ever see a celebrity do in a TV commercial.
The absurdity of seeing this huge football legend manhandle a raw turkey like a grizzly is what makes the scene so funny and so memorable. Over the years, the outrageous spectacle of Madden throttling the turkey has cemented the commercial’s place in the annals of classic Thanksgiving clips.
Why the Commercial Worked So Well
There are a few reasons why Madden’s turkey commercial worked so brilliantly:
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Played to Madden’s Strengths – Madden was known for being big, loud and cartoonish. The commercial captured his larger-than-life personality perfectly.
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Unexpected – No one tuning in expected to see Madden rip a turkey apart caveman-style. The sheer shock value made it hilarious.
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Relatable Frustration – Struggling to carve a turkey is a familiar Thanksgiving pitfall. Madden’s over-the-top reaction embodied this frustration.
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Abject Ridiculousness – Seeing Madden Hulk out on a turkey was just so silly and surreal. The imagery really stuck with people.
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Re-Watchability – It’s the kind of absurd spectacle you just have to keep re-watching every Thanksgiving.
The Blooper Lives On
Years after retiring from broadcasting, Madden’s turkey carving debacle still gets aired each Thanksgiving for new generations to enjoy. For many folks, it just wouldn’t feel like Turkey Day without seeing Big John manhandle that bird.
The commercial is a testament to Madden’s ability to entertain and make people laugh. He had a natural humorous charm that came through in the absurd turkey carving scene.
Even over a decade later, Madden’s turkey struggles still feel fresh and hilarious thanks to the brilliant slapstick concept. It’s impossible not to crack up seeing Madden eschew knives and just start ripping the turkey apart like a bear.
The former coach always had a flair for colorful theatrics. His turkey carving blooper perfectly encapsulated this quality and etched itself into pop culture history. It’s the type of fun, goofy holiday moment that never loses its appeal.
So when you settle in to watch football this Thanksgiving, be sure to keep an eye out for Madden’s legendary turkey commercial. It’s the perfect prelude to a hearty holiday feast!
What is a turducken?
A turducken is a dish that combines turkey, duck and chicken into one, as its name would suggest. It is made when you stuff a deboned chicken into a deboned duck into a deboned turkey. Typically, there are layers of stuffing in between each bird as well.
Who invented the turducken?
This is up for debate. There appear to be two strong candidates for its creation, one of which is Cajun chef Paul Prudhomme. He claims that he invented it in the 1970s, as detailed in a NOLA.com article.
However, Heberts Specialty Meats in Maurice, La. , says they came up with it in 1985 when a customer asked them to combine three birds into one. Even after Glenn Mistich opened Gourmet Butcher Block in 1994, the Hebert family still claimed the space. His wife Leah comes from the family that owned Heberts. Turduckens are one of their holiday specialties.
So, there are a few people who might have invented the dish, but no one knows for sure. That said, it cant be denied that Prudhomme helped to popularize it before his death in 2015.
▶️ John Madden Turducken 2002 Monday Night Football Eagles Vs. 49ers
FAQ
Did John Madden invent the turducken?
What is a turducken Madden?
What did Madden call the turkey?
Who made the turducken famous?
Why did John Madden give away turduckens?
John Madden’s love for Turduckens was so profound that he began giving them away to players for a great game. During the Thanksgiving Bowl on Fox Sports, he awarded the players of the winning team a Turducken for their win.
What was turducken before Madden?
Before Madden, turducken was a little-known dish that was largely prominent in Louisiana and other parts of the south. Now, it’s much better known and the word turducken has been added to the dictionary. What exactly is a turducken?
Did John Madden give out the Turkey Leg Award?
Watch John Madden break down all things Thanksgiving and hand out the acclaimed “Turkey Leg” award. Relive the most dramatic moments in Monday Night Football history. From Peyton Manning vs. Ryan Leaf to Bryce Young vs. C.J. Stroud, check out every time the top two picks from the draft played against each other during their rookie seasons.
Did John Madden have a turkey with six legs?
John Madden once joked about wishing he had more victory legs to give out, specifically for the offensive linemen. This was not related to a turkey with six legs. A barbecue owner in Texas took up the challenge and created an artificial six-legged turkey. The following year, Madden gave out victory legs to Dallas’ Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman.
When did Madden first eat turducken?
It was over two decades ago that Madden first tried the turducken, leading him to talk about it on the air and show it during many a Thanksgiving game, popularizing a dish that was familiar in Louisiana before thousands of turduckens were mailed around the world. How did the turkey-duck-chicken make its way into Madden’s hands (literally)?
How many turduckens does Madden sell?
Two weeks later, there was a FOX camera crew in his shop because Madden chose turducken to be the official “All-Madden Team” food. This year, he estimates he’ll sell between five and six thousand turduckens, two of which were shipped to Madden himself.