Pep Boys, The - The commercial mascots of PEP BOYS, the $1 billion automotive parts and services company based in Philadelphia since 1921. The Pep Boys included Manny, (dark-rimmed glasses and cigar), Moe (mustache) and Jack (clean shaven) all fashioned after the company's founders, Emanuel "Manny" Rosenfeld, Maurice "Moe" Strauss and W. Graham "Jack" Jackson. Actually, it should be Manny, Moe and Izzy. When W. Graham "Jack" Jackson left the partnership soon after it was established, his face was replaced with the face of Izzy Strauss, Moe's brother. For years, their images have adorned PEP BOYS storefront entrances nationwide. On April 13, 1987 3-dimensional latex rubber figures of Manny, Moe and Jack debuted in three commercials created by Broadcast Arts of New York, the same company which made the clay animation on PEE WEE HERMAN'S PLAYHOUSE on the CBS network. In the TV spots the three Pep Boy mascots drove up in a cherry-red 1920s convertible and proceed to walk into the Pep Boys Stores. The character "Jack" was cast as the clumsiest, bumping his face into the entry door. In 1991, in an attempt to portray the company as "more modern," Mitchell Leibovitz (the company's president) announced that the Pep Boys characters would be phased out of their advertising catalogs, and other promotional material but as of 2002 the Manny, Moe and Jack mascots still represent the company in ads. Pep Boys currently have over 300 locations in 18 states.