BEHIND THE ICONIC ONTARIO ROAD SAFETY MASCOTS
BY MADDY KYLIE
The names Mr. Beep and Blinky the Police Car may sound familiar to some — especially those who grew up in the Greater Toronto Area anytime between the 1950s and 80s.
For those who don’t remember them, these are the names of two iconic road safety teachers that can be best described as human-like cars. Mr. Beep covered road safety in Ontario. He was initially created by an oil company called British Petroleum (BP) in 1957 and was used for advertising purposes. The company also sold miniature toy versions of him at its gas stations.
Soon after BP turned the toy version of Mr. Beep into the real thing. Using a 1959 Ford Zepher chassis, Mr. Beep was transformed into a life-size car, which was used at public events to teach children about road safety. He also visited schools and made several television appearances.
Mr. Beep was self-propelled, and from 1959 to 1964 toured Ontario during the summer months giving safety lectures to school children. His lectures were broadcasted using three speakers, which were concealed under the hood. He was also fashioned with a microphone that allowed children to ask questions which were then transmitted to the operator who would answer the question. When BP ended the campaign, Mr. Beep was donated to the Ontario Safety League and the Quebec Safety League. Soon after, Mr. Beep was sold (sometime between 1964 and 1965).
He ended up becoming the mascot for Kentucky Fried Chicken for about a decade and then in 2013, Mr. Beep made his way back in the spotlight in an episode of History Channel’s Canadian Restorers, where the original vehicle was restored.
Since then, little has been said about the whereabouts or use of Mr. Beep. However, one thing is for certain he was one of the most fascinating and monumental road safety teachers in Ontario. Not to say he didn’t have any competition though.
In the late 1960s, Roy Wilson, the Metro Toronto Police Sergeant at the time, asked CHUM radio station to sponsor his new invention: Blinky, a talking police car that also taught children about road safety by blinking. After getting the okay from CHUM, Blinky was fast to fame.
By the mid-1970’s Blinky had earned himself a starring role in a short, animated film called “Blinky: Traffic Safety Rules.” The show was played in schools across GTA and was aired on the Uncle Bobby Show. Over 100,000 students had viewed the film between the late 70s and early 80s.
What made Blinky effective and somewhat terrifying was his ability to appeal to his target audience. With Kindergarten students he would use songs and rhymes to teach road safety, while older students would be exposed to graphic demonstrations of Blinky running over a doll infused with red paint. After many years of scaring and informing children about road safety, Blinky’s designer Wilson sold him for $1.
Blinky has long retired from his days teaching road safety, but he still gets a few moments in the limelight by taking part in the Toronto Santa Claus parade every year.
