Liberty Mutual turns ‘Liberty Biberty’ into a fuzzy new ad mascot
The insurer is adding a yellow puppet character to its commercials as it tries to keep its ads memorable in a crowded category.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Liberty Mutual is giving “Liberty Biberty” a body, a voice and a spot in its insurance-ad circus.
The company is introducing a fuzzy yellow character named Liberty Biberty in a new campaign launching this week, Variety reports. Jenna Lebel, chief marketing officer for Liberty Mutual’s U.S. retail market, told Variety the character is meant to capture the feeling customers get when they find insurance at what the company calls a fair price.
The phrase is not new to Liberty Mutual viewers. According to Variety, “Liberty Biberty” first appeared in the insurer’s commercials in 2019, when a character called “Bad Actor” mangled the company’s name while auditioning for an ad.
Lebel told Variety the line stuck with consumers far beyond that original spot. “That phrase has just taken on a life of its own. It caught on quickly. People repeated it. They even call our company ‘Liberty Biberty’ sometimes,” she said.
For Liberty Mutual, that gave the company a ready-made bit of ad-world property. Lebel said brands can spend “years and millions of dollars” trying to create something with that kind of recognition.
A new face in a mascot-heavy business
The yellow newcomer joins Liberty Mutual’s existing roster, including LiMu Emu and Doug, who have helped carry the company’s commercials in recent years.
Insurance advertising has long been packed with recurring characters, from State Farm’s Jake and Progressive’s Flo to Allstate’s Mayhem, Geico’s Gecko, Farmers Insurance’s Professor Burke and the Aflac Duck.
Lebel told Variety that insurance companies rely on those kinds of characters because they are selling a product consumers cannot physically hold. In her view, brand characters help link a company name to a feeling or memory when shoppers are comparing only a small set of insurers.
“Consumers, when they’re shopping for insurance, they’re shopping only a few brands, and it’s always the first few brands that come to mind,” Lebel said.
Liberty Mutual’s ad presence may be familiar to TV viewers, but the company is not the category’s biggest spender. Variety cited 2025 data from insurance-focused research firm Dowling & Partners showing Liberty Mutual was outspent by rivals including State Farm, Geico, Allstate and Progressive.
Built to beat ad fatigue
Variety reports that insurers keep adding characters partly to avoid wearing out audiences with the same ideas. That pressure has grown as major streaming services often run fewer ads overall, while sometimes serving the same commercial to a viewer multiple times in one session.
To make Liberty Biberty, Liberty Mutual worked with Jim Henson Creature Shop. Puppeteer Grant Baciocco provides the character’s voice, according to Variety.
Lebel said the company considered several other ideas before landing on the yellow puppet. Concepts included a unicorn, an alien visiting Earth and a family of Statues of Liberty. She also said Liberty Mutual consulted a panel that reviewed reactions from thousands of consumers.
The campaign will extend beyond standard commercials. Lebel told Variety sports fans may see Liberty Biberty integrations tied to NBC’s “Sunday Night Baseball” and ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” with more partnerships still being explored.
Liberty Mutual is not retiring its other ad personalities. Variety reports viewers should expect more appearances from LiMu Emu and Doug as Liberty Biberty gets a bigger role.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.