After 29 years, Wendy's logo and mascot is getting a makeover.

Gone are the boxy letters and circle-confined Wendy (inspired by founder Dave Thomas' daughter at age eight) in favor of a freer look with a softer font, brighter colors, and pigtails that burst out of the logo's frame.

Design blog Brand New praised the new look by bashing the old:

"Wendy’s Wendy has been imprisoned for years inside a very tired-looking frame with an overly Western-ey wordmark, a strange filigree, and some crammed typography inside yet another tired-looking frame ... The new logo is an excellent update."

According to the AP, the new logo will launch in March 2013 and is part of a restaurant redesign that will impact 6,000 North American locations. Apparently restaurants that have already undergone the makeover have seen a 25 percent increase in sales.

Wendy's already launched a new advertising campaign by Publicis Kaplan Thaler (then just Kaplan Thaler Group) in April, swapping out its "You know when it's real" slogan in favor of "Now that's better."

New Design:

Versus the Old Design:

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.