March 22, 2007
Did you Know…? Reddy Kilowatt
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<sarcasm>Because the ultimate dream of every parent and corporation is to get kids to play with electricity:</sarcasm>
Over the years, Reddy has gone above and beyond the call of duty. He has not only warmed the hearts of adult consumers, but also got kids to play with electricity.
Emphasis mine.
This is an unofficial web site dedicated to Reddy Kilowatt, the cartoon character that was used as a corporate "spokesthing" for electricity in the U.S. The site features history, news, memorabilia, items for sale and more. Yee-haw!
I remember a great lighted/neon version of Reddy Kilowatt in the late 60′s and early 70s on Hillborough Street in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was very near the campus of NCSU and I assume was owned by Carolina Power and Light. I have no idea what happened to it but I loved looking at it when I was a kid headed to my grandmother’s house.
I am the only person that I know who has a Reddy Kilowatt tattoo. I am a retired power lineman so I think I earned the right to get it!
The artist who did it said that he had never done a Reddy tattoo before mine and he took pictures of it to hang on the wall in his shop.
Grateful Dead bassist, Phil Lesh, called himself Phil “Reddy Kilowatt” Lesh on their firt album, “Grateful Dead”.
Does anyone know who owns the rights to the Reddy Killowatt image? Could it be in the public domain by this time?
Reddy is owned by Northern States Power Company:
http://www.reddykilowatt.org/about/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reddy_Kilowatt