ARBY'S has spent several years carving out a position for itself as ''adult fast food.'' But now Arby's is turning to a cartoonish kitchen implement to help rescue its sagging brand recognition.

The chain's new animated character is named Oven Mitt. Goofy, assertive and a bit of a ham -- much like Tom Arnold, the celebrity who is providing its voice -- Mr. Mitt is Arby's new spokesthing and will appear in an $85 million national advertising campaign, beginning Sunday. W. B. Doner & Company of Southfield, Mich., has the account.

Turning over a brand identity to a nonhuman object, however, can be a risky marketing move in the fast-food business. The public may not warm up to Oven Mitt, just as they did not cotton to KFC's trash-talking cartoon colonel and Domino's Bad Andy, a puppet that was quickly relieved of his assignment.

The emergence of Oven Mitt signals a sharp creative change for Arby's, a 3,200-store system franchised by the Triarc Companies, based in New York. Previously, Arby's used a voice-over from the singer Barry White in spots called Appetite Man, to highlight specific products on its menu. Oven Mitt is more about building the Arby's brand, company executives said.