Hood Ornaments, Mascots, and Radiator Caps...Which is which?

[Guest ken bogren]

What is the difference between a radiator cap, a hood ornament, and a mascot?

Seems simple enough in the radiator vs hood ornament on modern cars where the radiator and its cap are both under the hood, but what about the earlier cars?

Is it a matter of age or style, or..? Are mascot and hood ornament synonyms?

[poci1957]

They are sort of used interchangeably, but I guess the hood ornament is for later cars where it actually mounts to the hood or atop the grille, and the radiator cap is, well, a radiator cap.

A mascot would usually be a figure or ornament attached to a radiator cap, but I guess it could also apply to prewar and early postwar cars with a figure mounted on the hood like a Packard or Cadillac. Just my opinion on this, Todd

[Jim Rohn]

^

that echoes mine as well, well said

[Guest ken bogren]

That's kind of what I thought.

Edited February 24, 2011 by ken bogren (see edit history)

[paulrhd29nz]

A mascot can not be limited to pre-war or early post-war cars or trucks for that matter. Case in point is the bull dog on a Mac truck or the ram on a Dodge. Is it a mascot or an emblem or an ornament?? For those two, I would have to say they are most deffently a mascot. A mascot to me is somthing that is Iconic, somthing to remember.

Can any one come up with more so called mascots that are more modern and not just an emblem like SS, or an emblem like some trapazoid with a thing-ma-jig passing threw it.

Paul

Edited February 24, 2011 by paulrhd29nz
thought about it more. (see edit history)

[Shop Rat]

I would think that the Flying Lady on Rolls Royces would be considered to be a mascot at least when they were on top of the radiator cap. Some radiator caps were kind of plain. Some had things like flying quail or a running greyhound on them.

[Dandy Dave]

How about The Jag, Jagaur. Has to be a mascot in my book. Dandy Dave!

[Fleek]

Dont forget the Mustang....

[Larry Schramm]

How about the Mack truck Bulldog?

[Guest ken bogren]

Mustang?

Brings up a question about where the line between a hood ornament and an emblem gets drawn.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

Prancing horse on Ferrari, sailing ship on Plymouth, whippet on a Whippet

[D Yaros]

This seems appropriate here. The March issue of Car Collector Chronicles has what I think (but then I wrote it ) is an interesting article on MotoMeters.

Dave (D.Yaros) on Scribd | Scribd

[keiser31]

As far as I am concerned, the Mustang horse is a grille emblem. I think it all evolved this way...radiator cap, radiator mascot/cap, hood ornament. The cap itself being the functional part of the beginning. The mascot added later to dress up or distinguish one car from another and then on to the ornament where it was strictly a trim item or sometimes hood release since the radiator cap went beneath the hood. The grille emblem went from across the radiator to the face of the radiator shell to the grille.

[john2dameron]

The greyhound was used by Lincoln in the early 1930's so Mack isn't the only product with a dog.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

And the Whippet as I already mentioned.

[Guest prs519]

How about the Pontiac Indians, which evolved from mascot to ornament to uh, icon. Please don't shoot me for muddying the water more. Icon, he says, what an idiot! ho!

[DLynskey]

What about thee Mercedes 3-point star? Even though it's not an animal it does stand upright on the hood. To me it's more of a mascot than an emblem.

Don

[Dave Mellor NJ]

And the Packard Cormorant

[Dandy Dave]

The greyhound was used by Lincoln in the early 1930's so Mack isn't the only product with a dog.

Brockway also had the Husky. Dandy Dave!

[Guest ken bogren]

... I think it all evolved this way...radiator cap, radiator mascot/cap, hood ornament. The cap itself being the functional part of the beginning. The mascot added later to dress up or distinguish one car from another and then on to the ornament where it was strictly a trim item or sometimes hood release since the radiator cap went beneath the hood. The grille emblem went from across the radiator to the face of the radiator shell to the grille.

Yeah, I guess that pretty much describes development/use of the various terms.

Thanks for your thoughts everyone.