The Bulldog has been the corporate symbol of Mack Trucks since 1932, but what were the circumstances?

The Bulldog nickname was given by British military engineers to a new model AC during World War I.  A trade publication noted that, “In appearance, these Macks with their pugnacious front and resolute lines, suggest the tenacious quality of the British bull dog.”

Fast forward to 1932 when Alfred Fellows Masury, Mack’s Chief Engineer, carved the first bulldog hood ornament out of a bar of soap while recuperating from a surgery. Masury applied for, and received, a patent for his design in 1932, and the Bulldog ornament has adorned Mack trucks ever since. Sadly, Masury was killed in the crash of U.S. Navy airship Akron in 1933, but his mascot lives on and is marking its 86th year.