New technology / old name

[whitesatinmopar]

Recently our local cable supplier was bought out by another company, and since we also get our computer service through the cable obviously it also changed. Now our web mail is called Roadrunner web service (or somthing similiar), I wonder if Ma Mopar gets royalities for the use of the logo and name? By the way, it is d@mn fast 

[Plum6Pak]

By the way, it is d@mn fast 

Why am I not surprised? 

[6pkrunner]

Actually Warner Brosthers/7 Artists own the name/image combination road runner. Ma had to lease the rights for it to produce the car. The internet provider use the actual cartoon and therefore would pay the royalities to WB.
A neat story was when the GTX was a success in the muscle car industry, the designers wanted a cheap, stripper version that they could sell to the everyday kids. The GTX was upscale and carried a large price, which most kids couldn't afford. The designers built the stripper version and reluctantly agreed to the name. However they stood firm that no cartoon character was going to be stuck on the car to make it a joke. It was at the actual unveiling to the press that one of the Ma marketing guys (his name escapes me now) had the decals in his pocket. When the car was prepared to be unveiled he quickly stuck them on near the emblems. At that time Chrysler did not have the rights to the name and Warner Brothers wanted what was thought to be a huge amount for the use. The overwhelming impression of the press was enough to convince Ma to get the rights for the character to market the car. Chrysler thought they would be lucky to sell 4,000 road runners in 1968. They sold better than 44,000.

[Plum6Pak]

So we can thank the anonomous guy giving the bird there at the unveiling huh? Thanks to him we have the cool little guy on our cars.
Meep Meep

[6pkrunner]

Glen - his name excapes me now. I'll try to locate it. He was one of the stylists/marketing guys. I do remember reading that he and another stylist used to be captivated by the intensity of their kids watching the road runner cartoons. They were also enthralled by the fact that nothing could catch the runner (well really Wile E.) and the "Latin" names the cartoonists gave the runner gave them fits. So they pitched the idea and all thought it was okay, but for the actual group that built the car. They thought it childish and demeaning to actually stick a cartoon on their car. The name they could live with as a nod to the Arizona state bird, but some cartoon?!?!?!? - verboten!
 So that's how he actually wound up sticking the decals on the car as it was just minutes away from its reveal. History is so much more interesting than works of fiction.
And let the designers try to convince the brass at Chrysler it was wrong when the forecast of 4000 units was surpassed......in the first month. 

And don't think that Dodge Division didn't notice the skyrocketing sales. It was shortly after that they debuted the Super Bee to grab a piece of the low cost cartoon youth driven muscle car sales action.

[Plum6Pak]

Thanks 6pk, that is some very interesting trivia, never new that and in my wildest imagination would I have ever thought that's how the little bird got onto the car. Glad they did it, it's one of the few things that seperate it from so many others. I believe mine is going to get a couple of the little guys applied where they belong. Clone in the works? Maybe. This RR talk has really got my juices flowing for the RR look. 

[Super Blue 72]

.... the designers wanted a cheap, stripper version that they could sell to the everyday kids.

Maybe Ford will market the Sponge Bob mobile? 



Cool history on the RR! 

[Plum6Pak]

  That's funny!

[hemi71]

Actually Warner Brosthers/7 Artists own the name/image combination road runner. Ma had to lease the rights for it to produce the car. The internet provider use the actual cartoon and therefore would pay the royalities to WB.
A neat story was when the GTX was a success in the muscle car industry, the designers wanted a cheap, stripper version that they could sell to the everyday kids. The GTX was upscale and carried a large price, which most kids couldn't afford. The designers built the stripper version and reluctantly agreed to the name. However they stood firm that no cartoon character was going to be stuck on the car to make it a joke. It was at the actual unveiling to the press that one of the Ma marketing guys (his name escapes me now) had the decals in his pocket. When the car was prepared to be unveiled he quickly stuck them on near the emblems. At that time Chrysler did not have the rights to the name and Warner Brothers wanted what was thought to be a huge amount for the use. The overwhelming impression of the press was enough to convince Ma to get the rights for the character to market the car. Chrysler thought they would be lucky to sell 4,000 road runners in 1968. They sold better than 44,000.

I've been around Mopars for a long time, never heard that version.

I always understood that when someone at Ma Mopar checked into the availability of using the name "roadrunner" they were amazed to find out it was available. That's when the Warner Bros copyright deal rose it's head. Chrysler entered into negotiations with Warner, and as time dragged on (Warner wanted sizeable $$ for the rights to use the name) the design of the graphics on the car were held up. They finally came to an agreement just before the unvailing of the car, so the graphics were done in black and white to expedite the production of the decals. 1969 saw the full color decals.

The idea behind the "stripper" hot rod is often credited to Brock Yates...I have no idea if that holds water or not. Just know that the roadrunner was the first car to run the quarter in 14 seconds and cost under $3K out of the box. That was the target that Ma Mopar was aiming at. supposedly Brock proposed this idea about 6 months before the Runner was introduced.

[6pkrunner]

I've got it in a book. I'll try to find the book and scan it.

[TreeFrog]

they have been around a long time...

[HemiDog]

The internet service you refer to as Roadrunner is owned by Time Warner Cable.  They are Warner Bros. So I don't think the royalties mean much to them.

[MJS73]

I always understood that when someone at Ma Mopar checked into the availability of using the name "roadrunner" they were amazed to find out it was available. That's when the Warner Bros copyright deal rose it's head. Chrysler entered into negotiations with Warner, and as time dragged on (Warner wanted sizeable $$ for the rights to use the name) the design of the graphics on the car were held up. They finally came to an agreement just before the unvailing of the car, so the graphics were done in black and white to expedite the production of the decals. 1969 saw the full color decals.

  I'd heard that the head of Plymouth didn't want to use the name Road Runner, but agreed if he got to pick the decal and selected the black-and-white version.  There was a story in Mopar Muscle a year or so ago when they printed the preview to the Mopar Nationals.  There was a Road Runner tribute at the show that year.

Mike