Watch For Flying Saucers (and Skanks)

 

A friend recently posted this hilarious photo, "WATCH FOR FLYING SAUCERS AND SKANKS," and I had a feeling there was more to the story! There was. This is a real sign, but the original wording before it was digitally altered was "skunks".

That's still weird, right?

That was the point! This, and other weird, humorous signs, once dotted the highways of Idaho. They were the creation of Farris Lind, the man behind the Stinker Station chain of gas stations. When Lind first opened in 1936, he sold fuel for way cheaper than the oil companies thought he should. One even publicly called him a 'stinker.' So, he called his stores Stinker Stores, and the mascot became a skunk named Polecat Pete, with red boxing gloves later added to symbolize the fight against Big Oil.

The signs came later, in 1946. Following WW2, the exterior plywood needed for roadside ads was scarce. Interior plywood was available, but it had to be painted on both sides for it to have a chance of surviving out in the elements. Since it had to be painted anyways, Lind began adding hilarious sayings to the back of his signs. One side was a normal advertisement for his gas station. The other side was a bright yellow message warning of lonely women, urging tourists not to annoy the locals, and suggesting a gift of petrified watermelon to the mother in laws.

The signs helped entertain drivers during those long, monotonous stretches of highway and were a staple for years, but many were removed when the Highway Beautiful Act was passed in 1965. Still, a few can be found if you know where to look! Obviously, I love all the ones I've found so far, but the original "Watch for Flying Saucers and Skunks" is my favorite. Starting in 1947 and lasting all throughout the 1950s, reports of flying saucers dominated news headlines throughout the country and advertisers absolutely jumped on the bandwagon, using those viral stories in their advertising. Here in West Virginia, Hinton Furniture Company was using flying saucers as early as 1947 in their newspaper ads!

Lind passed away in 1983, and the stores are now family owned and operated by the Jones family, who continue to uphold Lind's legacy of humor and fair pricing. And now, with the widespread sharing of this hilarious altered image, I hope that Lind's creativity and knack for advertising can once again be appreciated and experienced by a new generation.

Sources and Further Reading:

Farris Lind and the Stinker Station Signs (Idaho Farm Bureau Federation)

Weird Universe: Stinker Station Signs

Stinker Station Website