'Where's the beef?' ad turning 30 this week It's hard to believe that 30 years ago this month, Wendy's first aired its iconic "Where's the beef?" ad. The commercial, which first debuted on the small screen on Jan. 10, 1984, featured three white-haired women examining a hamburger. As they rave about the large and fluffy hamburger bun, one woman, Clara Peller, addresses the obviously small hamburger patty paired with the bun. "Where's the beef?" she demands during the ad. The phrase caught on and was eventually printed on a slew of merchandise, including T-shirts and bumper stickers. It was also memorably used by former Vice President Walter Mondale during the 1984 presidential election. Peller later filmed a series of sequels to the original commercial, during which she'd always shout her signature line, "Where's the beef?" Recently, Wendy's began using the phrase once again in 2011 to promote their Hot 'N' Juicy burgers.