Mack Bulldog hood ornament turns 80
Oct 17, 2012 10:20 AM
The iconic Mack Bulldog hood ornament is celebrating its 80th birthday.
The Bulldog first became associated with Mack Trucks during World War I. British soldiers nicknamed the Mack AC models used in the Allied effort “Bulldog Macks” because of their tenacity. The Bulldog moniker stuck from that point on.
Years later in 1932, Alfred Fellows Masury, a chief engineer at Mack Trucks, was in the hospital for surgery. During his recovery, he hand-carved the first model of the Bulldog hood ornament out of a bar of soap.
Once released from the hospital, Masury applied for a patent on his design. The patent was granted October 11, 1932. Masury was killed in the crash of US Navy airship Akron in 1933, the same year the Bulldog hood ornament began adorning Mack trucks. The hood ornament functions as a grip for opening the hood of the truck.
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