The Story of Mr. Yuk

If you grew up in the ’70s, ’80s, or ’90s, you might remember the stickers with a bright green face that warned, “Stay away—this is dangerous!” That face belongs to Mr. Yuk, one of the most recognizable poison prevention symbols in the U.S., who is still around today!

How Mr. Yuk began

The Pittsburgh Poison Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh created Mr. Yuk in 1971. At that time, poisons were marked with the skull and crossbones symbol. But studies showed kids didn’t see it as scary. Instead, they connected it with cartoons, movies, toys, and even the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team, which used the skull and crossbones as its logo. Instead of warning children, the symbol invited them to think of pirates and adventure.

To find a better option, researchers tested six different images with children in daycare. They placed the images—including a red stop sign, the skull and crossbones, and a green scowling face—on identical bottles of mouthwash often found at home. When asked which bottle they would avoid, most kids stayed away from the green scowling face.

One boy explained why: “He looks yucky!” His comment inspired the creation of the warning symbol and character we now know as Mr. Yuk.

Mr. Yuk today

In 1973,  Seattle Poison Center at Children’s Hospital (now Washington Poison Center) became the first poison center outside Pittsburgh to adopt Mr. Yuk. Washington Poison Center also became the only center with a life-sized Mr. Yuk mascot and the Yuk Mobile, which bring poison prevention education to communities across the state.

Today, many states and even a few countries use Mr. Yuk. Each sticker carries the poison center’s toll-free number (1-800-222-1222), which routes calls to the local poison center. Every year, poison centers distribute millions of stickers nationwide to help families prevent accidental poisonings.