|
Pegasus - According to Greek
mythology, when Perseus cut off the snake-covered head of the Medusa, Pegasus
the flying horse leaped full-grown from the blood-soaked ground.
To tame
Pegasus, the goddess Athena provided the mighty horse trainer, Bellerophon with
a magical golden bridle. Bellerophon and Pegasus performed many deeds including
the slaying of the fire-breathing Chimera. Unfortunately, when the ego-driven
Bellerophon tried to fly Pegasus to Mount Olympus to join the gods, the
winged-steed bolted and cast Bellerophon to Earth, where he spent the rest of
his life wandering the planet shunned by both gods and man. Pegasus now resides
in the heavens as a constellation of stars.
In the 20th century, the Pegasus character was used as the winged mascot for the Exxon Mobil Corporation. Their
flying red Pegasus symbol was used as early as 1911 and adopted as a trademark
in the U.S. shortly after the organization of Socony-Vacuum in 1931.
The Pegasus logo, a symbol of "speed and power" was first colored red by the Mobil Sekiyu in
Japan. In 1934, Magnolia Petroleum Company [Exxon Mobil Corporation's predecessor] erected a "oil derrick" atop the 29-story Magnolia Hotel building.
It supported two 30 by 50 foot red neon signs made in the image of Pegasus, the flying red horse.
A restored version of the original revolving Pegasus was reinstated as a part of the Dallas Millennium Celebration where a $600,000
duplicate flying red horse neon sign was relit at midnight to bring in 2000.
The original 1934 sign has been put on display in a shed at the Dallas Farmer's
Market. The building's elevator lobby features elevator doors with the Pegasus
logo.
TRIVIA NOTE: The Pegasus character appeared in the movie
Clash of the Titans(1981) starring Harry Hamlin as Perseus and on the 1963 animated cartoon series
THE MIGHTY HERCULES where Pegasus carried the legendary Hercules on his many adventures in ancient Greece
Discover more about Mobil and Pegasus in the book "An Unauthorized Guide to Mobil Collectibles: Chasing the Red Horse" by Rob Bender
and Tammy Cannoy-Bender (Shiffer Books, ISBN: 0764307827).
The Mobil "Pegasus" image is featured prominently on
the gas tank of the famous "Bathing
Suit Vincent" motorcycle driven by rider Rollie Free. On September 13, 1948,
he raised a motorcycle speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah to a speed of
150.313 mph. The motorcycle he rode was the very first Vincent HRD Black
Lightning, owned by the California sportsman John Edgar and sponsored by Mobil
Oil.
External Links
Back to Top |
