|
Nipper the Dog -
The fox terrier mascot of the RCA Victor company
seen in numerous commercials and print ads.
Nipper was previously the symbol of the Gramophone Company, and later the
Victor Talking Machine Company which became RCA Victor in 1929.
The company logo of a white dog
(Nipper) sitting aside an Edison phonograph record player and listening intently
(head tilted) to "His Master's Voice" (trademark phrase of RCA) was inspired by
a painting of Nipper made by the dog's second master, Francis Barrand. Nipper
was born in England in 1884 and died in 1895.
In 1916, the 11-story tower in the RCA building in Camden, New
Jersey was fitted with four 15-foot stain glass circular windows featuring the
likeness of Nipper the dog.
Years later, the 500,000 square foot RCA building
fell into disrepair and the tower windows were donated to the Smithsonian
Institution. In 1999, in an attempt to make the building more attractive to
developers, the City of Camden commissioned Philadelphia artist John Beirs to
recreate four new stained-glass panels to replace the originals.
At 11:00 PM, on December 31, 1998, the former RCA landmark tower once again
illuminated the image of Nipper for all the world to see.
As of 1998, RCA's adorable mascot was resurrected in a series of new
commercials featuring Nipper and a smaller 1990s look-a-like sidekick called
Chipper.
A 15-foot statue of Nipper, on display in the city of Baltimore for some 22
years, sold in 1975 for the sum of one dollar.
External Links
Back to Top
|
