I do see the resemblance, but I always thought that critter was inspired by Alex in "A Clockwork Orange."
Either way, that little critter is so gross that even now, long after they have stopped using him to promote their product, I still can't bring myself to eat at Quiznos.
I always think of a rat on a sub roll.
"I still can't bring myself to eat at Quiznos."
That has got to be one of the most ill-begotten ad campaigns of all time, associating those "things" with anything edible. If I were a franchisee, I'd have sued.