Mack Trucks celebrates milestone for Bulldog hood ornament

The iconic Mack Bulldog hood ornament celebrated its 80th birthday earlier this month. The Bulldog first became associated with Mack Trucks during World War I. According to the company, British soldiers nicknamed the Mack AC models used in the war effort “Bulldog Macks” because of their tenacity. The Bulldog moniker stuck from that point on.

Years later in 1932, Alfred Fellows Masury, a chief engineer at Mack Trucks, was in the hospital for surgery. Not one to sit still for long, Masury hand-carved the first model of the Bulldog hood ornament out of a bar of soap during his recovery. Once released from the hospital, Masury applied for a patent on his design. The patent was granted Oct. 11, 1932. Masury was killed in the crash of U.S. Navy airship Akron in 1933, the same year the Bulldog hood ornament began adorning Mack trucks.