Reddy Kilowatt, for those who had forgotten, or for those who never knew in the first place, was the spokesman, spokesthing, spokesvolt? for the electric utility industry. He had a torso and limbs made of lightning bolts, a light bulb for a nose, and wall outlets for ears.
 
The character was dreamed up by an executive at Alabama Power Company in the 1920s but quickly spread to other utilities as a way to promote both consumption and safety.
 
BC Electric introduced "Reddy Kilowatt, the Housewives' Pal" in radio and print advertising during 1944. As a symbol of the electric industry Reddy was shared by many privately owned utilities throughout Canada and the United States.
 
He was featured in advertising, comic books for kids, and all sorts of gimcracks and giveaway items you can still find on eBay today. There's also a credit union in St. John's, Newfoundland, still operating under the name Reddy Kilowatt.
 
The trademark rights to Reddy Kilowatt were bought by Northern States Power Company, which set up a subsidiary to license Reddy Kilowatt and Reddy Flame, a character created to promote natural gas.
 
That Reddy Kilowatt is no longer a leading figure in the world of corporate advertising isn't, pardon the phrase, a shock. Electric utilities are supposed to be encouraging their customers to use less electricity, not cheering them on to buy more stuff to plug into the wall.
 
So Reddy Kilowatt was sent to the Advertising Icon Retirement Home, wherever that may be, at the ripe old age of 40, which is ancient for an advertising icon.