John Oliver ended Sunday night’s Last Week Tonight by daring Texas gas station giant Buc-ee’s to pick on a company its own size—and putting the dare on T-shirts, mugs, underwear, and more.
The chain of supersized travel centers has developed a cult following across the South, with its smiling cartoon beaver appearing on seemingly endless varieties of snacks and merchandise.
But as Oliver explained, Buc-ee’s has taken protection of its cartoon beaver trademark to extremes, repeatedly suing smaller businesses whose logos feature cartoon animals—even when they bear little or no resemblance to its beaver.
The company has argued that various alligators, bears, moose, and rodents share elements with its mascot design, citing their circular backgrounds, bright colors, hats, wide eyes and smiling side profiles.
Buc-ee’s has prevailed in nearly all of the cases it has brought, Oliver noted, usually because the other companies settled, redesigned their logos or folded completely. But he also quoted one legal expert’s warning that the chain could eventually encounter someone with both the means and the will to fight back.
“Which is where we come in,” Oliver said.
To make his point, Oliver brought back Mr. Nutterbutter, the seven-foot squirrel mascot whose 2017 Last Week Tonight appearance helped provoke coal executive Bob Murray’s unsuccessful defamation lawsuit against Oliver and HBO.
The show gave Mr. Nutterbutter a new “Buc-Off” logo incorporating nearly every characteristic Buc-ee’s has objected to elsewhere: a smiling cartoon animal facing right, a red tongue, a black circle, a yellow background and an arbitrarily selected hat.
Then it turned the logo into an actual product line.
For a limited time, the show is selling “Buc-Off” tumblers, hats, shirts, onesies, mugs, pajamas, umbrellas, stickers, socks, and underwear through Buc-Off.com, with all profits going to Hunger Free America.
“If any prominent gas station chain out there has an issue with our new logo and products and wants to get lawyers involved, then you know what? Bring it the f*ck on,” Oliver said.
The stunt puts Last Week Tonight in a somewhat different legal position than the smaller businesses Buc-ee’s has targeted. The “Buc-Off” logo is an explicit parody commenting on Buc-ee’s trademark practices, which gives HBO unique cover—though selling the image on merchandise means parody would not necessarily provide automatic protection.
Oliver closed the show by walking over to a replica Buc-ee’s exterior refashioned with the “Buc-Off” branding, where Mr. Nutterbutter joined him wearing his legally provocative hat.
“The beaver nugget is in your court,” Oliver told Buc-ee’s. “The next move is yours.”
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This is buc-king awesome!
$17.00 to ship a tee shirt is too fucking much to pay. Hard pass.
Sorry John I love you , But, I love Bucc-ees. Great prices on gas. Clean restrooms, yummy food. You are picking on the wrong beaver
You are fawning over a bully and getting buc- ed at bucees..
The family has been involved in nasty business, including the owner’s son recording kids in the bathroom and possessing illegal images/video of those same kids in the bathroom. Might wanna pick another chain to defend, cause this one ain’t it!
JUSTICE FOR WRINKLE THE DUCK – WRONGLY BANNED FROM BUC-EES!
You would either have to be somehow affiliated with Buc-ee’s or completely dence to miss the point this badly. It’s not about how clean their bathroom is.
You can be a Buc-ees fan AND also be fully aware and critical of the terrible actions behind the brand~
Turning a blind eye says a whole lot about you and your critical thinking~
Every time we pass buc-assess, we say look at all the eejjits getting buc-ed at buc-ees.
Go get’em John! I’ve been around buc’ees since they first started. They have become the playground bully that likes to push around other companies. They may be great places to stop but are overpriced and they are horrible on other business with these BS lawsuits. Everyone should expect more.
John, the Nelson family of Staten Island NY loves you and everything you stand for. We want to support your campaign against assholes like Buckee’s those shitheads.
Get Em John…Get Em!!!!
I’m ready to order a shirt but can’t really tell what it looks or the cost. I will admit I’m using my cellphone and my eyesight is sketchy at best
“BOOOO” TO BUC-OFF AND”LEAVE MY BUC-EE ‘S BEAVER AND BRISKET ALONE, WHY TRY TO MESS UP A GOOD THING?……”A SHOUT OUT TOO YOU….”BUC-EE’S…. KEEP POUNDING”💪
Way to go!!
John Oliver, thank you for this life lesson for yesterday I learned more about my self. I learned that as much as I truly love Buc-ees and their immaculate bathrooms, tasty rich fudge, slow cooked brisket and cheap beverage cups the size of my head, I love your style of unhinged brazenness many many times more. And if I had to choose one, sadly I would have to say Buc-off to the beaver. Mr. Oliver I salute you sir.🫡