Mr. Horsepower
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Mr. Horsepower is the cartoon mascot and logo of Clay Smith Cams, an auto shop established in 1931. He is a sneering, cigar-smoking caricature of legendary hotrod guru Clay Smith.[1] Mr. Horsepower is rarely without a cigar, but when he is, he has a "cigar replacement" - such as a candy cane for the holidays.
The Mr. Horsepower logo is commonly seen as a car decal,[2] tattoo,[3] t-shirt logo,[4][5] car mat,[6] or garage clock.[7]
[edit] Popular culture
- The logo has appeared in video games, most prominently perhaps in Sega GT 2002 for the Xbox video game console.
- The guitar of Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel is decorated with Mr. Horsepower on the body and also on the headstock.[8]
- The logo has also appeared in the Coen brothers' Raising Arizona, where the main character, H.I., and his antithesis, Leonard Smalls, both had tattoos very similar though not identical to that of the thrush bird.[9]
- The logo has also appeared in a wide range of movies including Spider-Man and Gone in 60 Seconds.
Some people have confused Mr. Horsepower with the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker.[3] The notable points of contrast are that Woody Woodpecker's beak is curved but smooth on top and bottom, and his head-feathers form a well-contained "V" shape in early iterations or a sprout of sorts in newer iterations. The most obvious difference, however, remains in the portrayal of Mr. Horsepower, the Eddie's Auto Parts logo and the Thrush Bird as maniacal, whereas Woody the Woodpecker exhibits a more high-spirited insanity.
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Genuine Hotrod Hardware BACSCC14 - Clay Smith Cams Mr. Horsepower Wall Clocks - Overview". SummitRacing.com. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BAM-BACSCC14/. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
- ^ "Mr. Horsepower (M) at Mooneyes Store: "Clay Smith Cams - Mr. Horsepower sticker Size: Medium (M)..."". Mooneyesusa.com. 2006-07-13. http://www.mooneyesusa.com/mr-horsepower-m-p-230.html. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
- ^ a b "Mr Horsepower - Clay Smith Cams". Knink.com. 2009-08-20. http://knink.com/media/p/34470.htm#nav. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Vintage Clay Smith T-Shirt". Mr-horsepower.com. http://www.mr-horsepower.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=60. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
- ^ ASP, SQL programming: Harriet Maybeck Tolly, site design: Michael Harrison. "Hot Rod Culture". The Hot Rod Company. http://www.thehotrodcompany.com/shopnow/show_dept.asp?dept_id=3&filterkey=cs. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ "Mr.Horsepower". Wolfgangguitars.com. 1984-03-02. http://www.wolfgangguitars.com/Mr.Horsepower.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
- ^ Raising Arizona Tattoos
