White illustration of a flame with a face and arms and legs on a faded red background

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Black and red text on a yellow background with a black and white photograph of an eye

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Illustration of an electrical plug character on a silver background

Created in 1951 by Andrew McLay for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the character known as Willie Wiredhand (wiredhand as in being the farmer's hired hand) became the “spokesplug” for electric cooperatives and continues to do so to this day. Willie’s birthday takes place on October 30, during National Co-op Month.  

As Richard Biever describes in his history of Willie, "Electric cooperatives initially wanted to use Reddy Kilowatt as their spokes-character. Reddy—depicted with a body and arms and legs of jagged red lightning bolts and a round head equipped with a light bulb nose and outlets for ears—had been around since 1926 and was being used by 188 of the nation’s private power companies as of 1951. However, Reddy’s creator —Ashton B. Collins, who had licensed his character to the private utilities—believed that electric cooperatives were “socialistic” because they borrowed money from the federal government. Not only did Collins refuse to let Reddy be associated with cooperatives, he instructed his lawyers to warn NRECA that any rival character cooperatives might develop would infringe on his exclusive trademarks."

Red and white illustration of a person in a hat with black text on a white background

The El Dorado Refining Company, also known as "El Reco," existed in El Dorado, Kansas, from 1917-1958. It was later bought out and is now known as HollyFrontier El Dorado Refining LLC. Oil fields in El Dorado were discovered in 1914, and as the need for crude oil increased, El Reco was one of 29 refineries built. It is now only one of three refineries that exist in the area and is holding its own as one of the biggest in the Great Plains.

Photograph of a stove on a white background with blue text on a white background with a blue outer edge with white text

The Culter and Proctor Stove Company was established in 1867 by David Choate Proctor and Richard Culter, the grandfather of the artist of the same name, in Peoria, Illinois. In 1905 the company patented a self-feeding coal stove that used air surrounding the feeding chamber to keep coal from overheating until it was fed into the stove. By 1919 they had traveling salesmen reaching as far north as Canada, east to Michigan, and west to the Dakotas.

Illustration of a black and yellow torpedo with a black, red and white bomb character sitting on top on a white background

Torpedo and Bombing Squadron 2 (VT-2) was established on July 6, 1925 on board the Aroostook at Pearl Harbor. The squadron’s first insignia was a winged dragon. It evolved over time to be a dragon dropping a torpedo. VT-2 was reformed several times, most notably during World War II. Pilots during the war were heavily involved in the islands of the South Pacific.

Black and white photograph of a tire on a red background with red text

The Avanti is an American sports car that several production companies created. Originating with the design of the Studebaker Avanti in 1963, the Avanti Motor Company in the late 1960s, and followed by more productions in the late 1980s all the way to 2006. Avanti tires for Avanti models made between 1983 to 2006 can still be purchased from major tire manufacturers. 

Illustration of a brown cow with a blue ribbon on it in front of green grass with an outer yellow edge with brown text

The Golden Guernsey trademark has been owned by the American Guernsey Association since 1962, and was heavily advertised during that period. The name was first used to advertise a milk product in 1923. Guernsey cows are a reddish-brown, very docile breed whose milk has a high butterfat and protein content, and has a golden color due to a high concentration of beta carotene. Guernsey milk contains 12% more protein, 30% more cream, 33% more vitamin D, 25% more vitamin A and 15% more calcium than average milk. 

Blue and white General Electric logo

General Electric (GE) is an American corporation that is headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut and was founded in 1892. GE specializes in appliances, medical devices, and software development, among other things. In 2011, GE ranked as the sixth largest firm in the U.S. by gross revenue. Over the course of its history, two GE employees have won the Nobel Prize: Irving Langmuir in 1932 and Ivar Giaever in 1973.

Illustration of a person in a pink suite with cape, white boots and green shorts on a white background with black text

The C.F. Blanke Tea & Coffee Company was founded by Cyrus F. Blanke in St. Louis, Missouri and operated from 1889-1940. The mascot for the company was a devil based on a character in a German play, Faust, in which a devil tempts the main character with unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Ergo, the company trademarked a devil character to tempt consumers to purchase their rich coffee blends.