For weeks, I'd heard the rumors: somewhere down in Malibu there was a 76 ball at a closed gas station, trussed up in black plastic like some ultrakinky egg. Nathan even claimed to have seen it, though naturally he didn't have his camera that day.

Then Christopher and Claudia Nygard passed through town on their way to Oregon, and darned if they didn't snap a cameraphone pic while passing the strange black orb. Behold, the oddest 76 Ball in all L.A.!

A reader writes to say: Someone correct me if I am wrong (but I believe I remembered this correctly!) -- the original Union 76 fiberglass BALLS (NOT DISKS) were manufactured ONLY in my hometown of Galva, Illinois (population 12[?]).

Just FYI (a little fun factoid): one Spring (I was, perhaps, nine years old), Galva was hit by a tornado, and the 76 balls (which were usually neatly lined up in rows OUTSIDE of the factory) were blown all over the town! My next-door neighboor was gifted by Mother Nature with one, and we rolled around inside of it until the fiberglass worked its nastiness on us!

I also remember someone a few blocks away cutting one in half for his dog to use as a doghouse! (I hope the dog escaped the wrath of the fiberglass!) I may have that wrong (I was young!), but I am fairly certain that Galva is the ONLY place where the infamous orange balls were manufactured! I'd like to know more information, if anyone has any!

Thanks! Sharon (Johnson) Palmer

P.S. Galva is sister city to Gavle, Sweden!

Car Owners and California History Buffs Cry: Save the Union 76 Ball!

 
February 8, 2006  - For immediate release

Click to view petition.

LOS ANGELES- In 2005, ConocoPhillips, the Texas-based energy company that took over the historic California Unocal refineries and gas stations in 2002, commenced a campaign of design terrorism, ripping down the hugely popular orange and blue "76" branded ball signs in favor of a generic flattened red and blue disk.

 
To give the public a chance to be heard, an online petition has been launched by the authors of L.A.'s 1947project crime history blog. Signers are declaring their intention to boycott if ConocoPhillips doesn't reverse their redesign policy and show proper respect for the beloved 76 ball brand.

 
Petition co-writer Nathan Marsak, author of "Los Angeles Neon," says "Our urban fabric will lose a groovy, sexy element of its attraction with the disappearance of this turning orb‹an orb that still speaks "progress!" and "fun!" as opposed to its replacement, which resembles some sort of giant tombstone."

The 76 Ball is one of the 20th Century's most successful and enduring design icons. It has its origins in 1932's "Spirit of 76" advertising campaign promoting Union Oil's 76 octane fuel. The orange globe first appeared in 1947, with the familiar version of the design launched in 1962, with the Seattle World's Fair design by Ray Pedersen. In 1967, Unocal launched their wildly popular car antenna ball promotion, distributing 2,500,000 million of the miniature 76 balls in 1993 alone, and creating an antenna-top marketing revolution.

Here's what some of the petition's signers are saying: "I actually buy 76 gas because of their historic branding and am proud to have a 76 ball on my vintage 1963 car." (Mary-Margaret Stratton). . . "I used to buy from a 76 station only 2 blocks from my house. The day ConocoPhillips changed it to red and blue, I stopped patronizing it." (Guy Kudlemyer) . . . "It's like McDonald's dumping the arches. Just wrong!" (Sean Russ). . . "How can you destroy such a trusted icon?" (Kyle Barnes). . . "Please stop destroying American history." (Steve Tepperman).

Petition co-writer Kim Cooper muses, "If ConocoPhillips' intention was to lose any goodwill their customers feel towards the 76 brand, they're off to a great start. In 2004 they withdrew fuel sponsorship of NASCAR--killing off the longest such relationship in the history of the organization--and in late 2005 began chopping down the big orange pumpkin balls that cheer our urban landscape. Since my local station had its orange ball removed, I've started filling my tank elsewhere, and from our petition it sounds like many others are doing the same."

Petition authors Kim Cooper and Nathan Marsak are available for interviews.

See the petition here.