The coronavirus has upended most of life as we know it, and now it’s taking away an iconic tagline people have known and quoted for 64 years.‍

KFC has announced that it is retiring its Finger Lickin’ Good slogan because it doesn’t seem like the kind of message people should be hearing at a time like this.

With 2020 being the poster year for face masks, handwashing, and health officials reminding the public to refrain from touching their own faces, telling people to lick stuff off their fingers just doesn’t land quite right.

Blurred Out Slogan

In a cheeky ad campaign released on Youtube, the company depicted their own posters and chicken buckets with the store’s slogan blurred and pixelated.‍

"That thing we always say? Ignore it. For now.," reminded the fast-food chain operator in their ad.

KFC has been using the same slogan since it opened its first franchise in the 1950s, and the line has always attracted praise for being catchy and on-brand.

However, in light of recent pandemic-related events, BBC reports that no less than 160 people have complained about the slogan and the KFC adverts it appears in. To date, the Advertising Standards Authority has resolved 163 complaints alleging that the ads were ‘irresponsible’ for promoting behavior that could hasten the spread of the coronavirus.

Even as it acceded to the complaints, though, KFC said It’s finger lickin’ good is not gone for good.

‘When The Time Is Right’

The company said their age-old timeline will definitely stage a comeback -- but only “when the time is right.” ‍

“We find ourselves in a unique situation -- having an iconic slogan that doesn’t quite fit in the current environment,” explained Catherine Tan-Gillespie, global chief marketing officer for the chicken house. “While we are pausing the use of ‘It’s Finger Lickin’ Good’, rest assured the food craved by so many people around the world isn’t changing one bit.”‍

Knowing what we know about KFC, though, they already have an entire campaign ready to go for the return of their beloved slogan, once all this coronavirus madness comes to an end.