Origins

The "Ranch Tooth" was originally a marketing gimmick for the fast food chain Wendy's to promote their new "Monterey Ranch" burgers and chicken sandwiches. The Ranch Tooth is a play on the term "Sweet Tooth". The introduction to the commercial acknowledges this as follows:

Man: "Some people have a sweet tooth. I've got this 'Ranch Tooth.'"

From that point on the man is acompanied by his Ranch Tooth (literally a giant tooth in a cowboy hat) everywhere he goes, with the tooth shouting the word "ranch" very loudly at inappropriate times, for example: while the guy tries to sleep, during a wedding, during a poker game, etc. For a while this was interpreted as a personification of the man's cravings for Monterey Ranch burgers and chicken sandwiches. It isn't until a later commercial that we find out other people can see and hear the Ranch Tooth, in a situation when the man is waiting on line at Wendy's to get his Monterey Ranch burgers and chicken sandwiches, as his Ranch Tooth says "ranch, ranch, ranch ranch, ranch..." Another customer on line snaps and shouts "COULD YOU TELL YOUR STUPID RANCH TOOTH TO SHUT UP?!"

This adds an entirely new dimension to these commercials, along with causing us to ask ourselves questions such as "Do people question the Ranch Tooth or just accept that it's there, and treat it as something normal?," and "Do other people have Ranch Tooths?," and "What goes on in the minds of Wendys' advertising executives?" Or, what about “when the guy with the Ranch Tooth travels by air, does he have to buy a separate ticket for his Ranch Tooth or would he be considered a piece of carry-on luggage?”

While it is unknown whether it has made any difference in sales, the Ranch Tooth has become a classic and memorable mascot of yet another half-baked idea from a tragically short-lived marketing campaign, for a recycled product idea from a cheap, unusually clean fast-food chain.

The Ranch Tooth in Popular Culture

The Ranch Tooth has virtually no significance in popular culture whatsoever, and deserves not to have it.

The Ranch Tooth in Politics

While the Ranch Tooth may seem unlikely to shape political events or sway politicians, it may have been the cause of two major events:

1. The Ranch Tooth commercial probably influenced War mother Cindy Sheehan to go protest at President George W. Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the current President of the United States and former Governor of the State of Texas. ...

2. The second, and far less likely result of the Ranch Tooth is that some politicians have bought, and even possibly eaten, Monterey Ranch burgers and chicken sandwiches. This is, however, far from likely.