For sale on eBay:

~~~ A COOL LITTLE REDDY KILOWATT ZIPPO WITH BOX FROM 1963~~~
BRADFORD IN TOP LEFT, PA. IN TOP RIGHT
ZIPPO SCRIPT IN THE CENTER
2 DOTS ON THE LEFT, 1 DOT ON THE RIGHT
PAT. 2517191 CENTERED ON THE BOTTOM
LIGHTER WORKS FINE CONSIDERING THE OUTER APPEARANCE
~~~SUPER CONDITION FOR A COLLECTOR~~~

Also noted: Reddy Kilowatt auction items, including a frisbee, beanie baby, golf balls, cooler, hat, t-shirt and mousepad. Donated by Xcel Energy. Retail value of $250.00.

Someone used Reddy in a photography class assignment:

Made on an obsolescent machine with an obsolescent editing program running under an obsolescent operating system, putting together 6 frames shot with an obsolescent camera of a bobble-head doll in a pile of downright obsolete equipment, including the voltage regulator from a B-17. Darn.

Originally uploaded by Gamma Infinity

Check out this comic book from 1946:

What do you get when you combine a famous commercial spokescharacter who’s gotta bolt of lightning jutting out from between his legs…dinosaurs…E.C. Comics…and the Hollywood studio responsible for “Woody Woodpecker” cartoons? How about “REDDY MADE MAGIC”, a comic book — that originally bore a cover-price of only a nickel! — starring ODDBALL icon REDDY KILOWATT as he tells us “the amazing true story of electricity”! Shocking stuff, eh?

REDDY KILOWATT IN “REDDY MADE MAGIC” is a glue-bound, 16-page — including pulp-pager “covers” — comic that’s not exactly a “giveaway” due to its “5¢” price tag. It’s the very first of a number of comics starring Reddy Kilowatt published over the years. It bears the description, “Story based on cartoon TECHNICOLOR motion picture, ‘Reddy Made Magic’, produced by Walter Lantz Productions, Universal City, California.”

Did you know that Reddy Kilowatt was also a high school mascot? Minnesota’s Granite Falls High School had Reddy as their mascot for nearly 60 years until school consolidation led to his retirement. NSP had a power plant in Granite Falls for many years.

Big, big thanks to GFHS alum Kari H. for the bit of trivia and for sending in these photos!

A school folder.

A graduating class.

A homecoming pin.

A GFHS sign.

A vintage drawing of Reddy.

Memorabilia from 1978.

Something from reader Roger Caudron, which I am way late in posting….

Here’s a photo of Reddy in place in the ISU Design West Studio. This photo is free for your use in promoting Reddy Kilowatt, your web site, www.reddykilowatt.org and his display in Downtown Sioux City.

Reddy in Sioux City

Here’s the article from the Sioux City Journal on the homecoming.

Thanks Roger!

Here’s a very interesting post over at examiner.com:

Bob Simmons of Crosscut.com just posted an article on how the prospective buyout of Puget Sound Energy by Australia’s Macquarie Group is raising hackles among those in their service area who fear higher rates and less control. As a result, some are calling for a mass takeover by local PUDs (public utility districts)…

1941 billboard with Reddy

Which brings up this billboard, which I found in the excellent photographic database of the Seattle Municipal Archives. If it’s a little hard to read, here’s a transcript.

HOODED EXECUTIONER [dragging Reddy Kilowatt, Puget Power's mascot, to the "chopping block for private enterprise," axe in hand]: If we can just get “Reddy” — the others will come easier!
NARRATOR: If they do — you may be next.

This was snapped on May 14, 1941, on Aurora Avenue N. in Seattle. This particular campaign of Puget Power’s failed, as City Light completed its buyout of private utilities within the city limits ten years later. But it does demonstrate that they’ve been fighting the fight for years, and will likely pull out all the stops this time around.

Thanks for the heads-up Ben!

A Fort Worth forum discussion on an old Reddy sign that used to be on a power plant:

I grew up in Stop Six and Poly, and moved to Ohio in 1978 when my parents passed away. I was wondering, is Reddy Kilowatt still on the side of the Handley power plant? I remember him being there, lit up at night as a kid, and if my memory serves me correctly he was quite large and neon. I have looked high and low for pics of the plant with Reddy on it but haven’t found any.

Totally unrelated to Reddy Kilowatt: I probably should mention that my new book is out. It’s published by the weird and wonderful folks at BlueQ. It’s a nice little photo book of the sad chairs of St. Louis. No, really. Discarded chairs in alleys. Abandoned chairs on street corners. Abused chairs on loading docks. You get the picture. You’re gonna like it.

Check out www.50sadchairs.com to see some page samples and (if you want) by it at Amazon or Blueq.com.

C’mon!

No Reddy Kilowatt to be seen here, but I remember these videos from when I was a kid.

A story from the holidays last year…

When I came home from work on Friday, it was to a surprise package in the mail…from West Virginia…from someone I’ve never met before. Which is weird…that it came to my house, because usually I have things sent to Snap Snap, as someone is usually there to receive packages…so, I was thinking it was someone I knew…

Only it wasn’t…

I opened the package and what did I find?

A Reddy Kilowatt Christmas From the Kitchen vintage cookbook (and holiday decorating idea book) And I dropped dead…OK…I didn’t die, but I did cry.

Oh yes, I did.

I was so very touched that someone thought of me, and sent along something so treasured. Someone I seemingly didn’t even know…There’s not a lot of people who even know who Reddy Kilowatt is…except for one person I didn’t even think of…