Mr. Horsepower
Encyclopedia
Mr. Horsepower is the cartoon mascot and logo of Clay Smith Cams, an auto shop established in 1931. He is a sneering, cigar-smoking caricature of legendary hotrod guru Clay Smith. Mr. Horsepower is rarely without a cigar
, but when he is, he has a "cigar replacement" - such as a candy cane
for the holidays.
The Mr. Horsepower logo is commonly seen as a car decal, tattoo
, t-shirt logo, car mat, or garage clock.
Some people have confused Mr. Horsepower with the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker
. The notable points of contrast are that Woody Woodpecker's beak is curved but smooth on top and bottom, and his head-feathers form a well-contained "V" shape in early iterations or a sprout of sorts in newer iterations. The most obvious difference, however, remains in the portrayal of Mr. Horsepower, the Eddie's Auto Parts logo and the Thrush Bird as maniacal, whereas Woody the Woodpecker exhibits a more high-spirited insanity.
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
, but when he is, he has a "cigar replacement" - such as a candy cane
Candy cane
A candy cane is a hard cane-shaped candy stick. It is traditionally white with red stripes and flavored with peppermint or cinnamon; however, it is also made in a variety of other flavors and may be decorated with stripes of different colors and thicknesses...
for the holidays.
The Mr. Horsepower logo is commonly seen as a car decal, tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
, t-shirt logo, car mat, or garage clock.
Popular culture
- The logo has appeared in video games, most prominently perhaps in Sega GT 2002Sega GT 2002Sega GT 2002 is the sequel to Wow Entertainment's Racing Game Sega GT, released in Japan late in 2002 as a competitor to the PlayStation 2's highly successful Gran Turismo 3. The game was originally intended to be released for the Dreamcast, but when the Dreamcast was discontinued in 2001, the game...
for the XboxXboxThe Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
video game console. - The guitar of Spinal TapSpinal Tap (band)Spinal Tap is a parody heavy metal band that first appeared on a failed 1979 ABC TV sketch comedy pilot called "The T.V. Show", starring Rob Reiner...
's Nigel TufnelNigel TufnelNigel Tufnel was the lead guitarist of the rock band Spinal Tap featured in the 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap. He was played by actor Christopher Guest.-Character biography:...
is decorated with Mr. Horsepower on the body and also on the headstock. - The logo has also appeared in the Coen brothersCoen BrothersJoel David Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers...
' Raising ArizonaRaising ArizonaRaising Arizona is a 1987 comedy film directed by the Coen Brothers and starring Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, William Forsythe, John Goodman, Frances McDormand and Randall "Tex" Cobb. Not a blockbuster at the time of its release, it has since achieved cult status...
, where the main character, H.I., and his antithesis, Leonard Smalls, both had tattoos very similar though not identical to that of the thrush birdThrush (bird)The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
. - The logo has also appeared in a wide range of movies including Spider-ManSpider-Man (film)Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film, the first in the Spider-Man film series based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was directed by Sam Raimi and written by David Koepp...
and Gone in 60 Seconds.
Some people have confused Mr. Horsepower with the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures...
. The notable points of contrast are that Woody Woodpecker's beak is curved but smooth on top and bottom, and his head-feathers form a well-contained "V" shape in early iterations or a sprout of sorts in newer iterations. The most obvious difference, however, remains in the portrayal of Mr. Horsepower, the Eddie's Auto Parts logo and the Thrush Bird as maniacal, whereas Woody the Woodpecker exhibits a more high-spirited insanity.