Log in to become a member of Rob Tendick's Fan Club!
At one time, the humble mud flap or splash guard were nothing more than truck and auto accessories of thick black rubber, meant to protect your truck from stones, dirt and other debris thrown up from the road. Over time, mud flaps have gone from functional truck and car accessories to a pop culture form of self-expression.
A classic image found on these truck and car accessories is recognized as "The Mud Flap Girl". Who hasn't seen this buxom silver silhouette of the long-legged beauty, one leg crossed over the other, hair blowing in the wind? This famous character was based upon the well-known model Leta Laroe. She was created by Bill Zinda of Wiz Enterprises in Long Beach, California, to promote his line of truck and auto accessories .
Another character commonly seen on truck and car mud flaps is Yosemite Sam, pointing his guns with the caption "Back Off!" or, "All Fired Up". Other classic Warner Brother's characters that have been used include Daffy Duck and Tweety Bird.
Classic mud flap characters have become such a part of pop culture, that they've moved out of the arena of car accessories, and started appearing in commercials and on TV. One such commercial appeared during the 2006 Superbowl, and featured the Mud Flap Girl and Yosemite Sam driving off in a Honda Ridgeway.
Arizona officials were apparently not amused, and have proposed legislation banning both cartoon creatures due to a perceived political incorrectness, regarding sex and guns. Currently, the legislation about truck and car accessories has been thwarted.
This means that auto accessories and mud flaps can be embellished with the image of your choice. And this will remain to be true, as long as that law doesn't pass.
Self-expression isn't a reason to sacrifice quality auto accessories anymore. You can find many manufacturers who can produce a mud flap to your vehicle and personality type. Whether you want a skull and crossbones or the Ghostbusters logo, mud flaps can be created with top-of-the-line materials to let you "keep on truckin'".
Currently, custom mud flaps seem to be most popular on company vehicles. Anyone ever caught behind an 18 wheeler on the highway or following a commercial van in city traffic, knows how effective a custom mud flap can be, if it used as an advertising tool. Companies wisely invest a little extra money in this truck and auto accessory, thus creating a advertisement on wheels that proudly displays the company name and phone number on eye catching mud flaps.
More than mere truck and auto accessories , mud flaps can be a unique form of showing off who you are or acting as a clever bit of advertising. Never before have truck and car accessories been so interesting, versatile and amusing while it protects!
Alex Springton is an expert in auto mechanics and understands the importance of a well maintained vehicle. Alex has had good experience using automotive software from Winworks and recommends their auto shop software to other mechanics for car repair estimates, fleet maintenance, and shop scheduling.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
tweet this!