All Over The Map: Local slogans and jingles are ‘audio landmarks’

The little Elephant Car Wash sign may be made an official city landmark next week – but some local businesses that didn’t have neon had memorable jingles and slogans instead, and many endure as “audio landmarks.”

It’s been a rough week for old buildings around here – with the Wayne Apartments fire in Belltown, and the old Masonic Home in Des Moines likely facing demolition.

One bright spot is the Elephant Car Wash sign – the little one, from the back part of the parking lot – potentially becoming a landmark next week when the City of Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board reviews its nomination. Local pop culture nuts will recall that the sign up for possible landmark status isn’t the big elephant – MOHAI owns that one – this is the small elephant that Amazon owns and plans to display outside at 7th and Blanchard.

All of this seemed like a good excuse to listen to local “audio landmarks” – some slogans and jingles from local business, most of which have gone to that great elephant graveyard in the sky.

We’ve Got Crab Legs!

Sea Galley was once a sprawling chain of mid-range seafood restaurants, but now there’s only one left – in Yakima.

Russ Dunmire, Russ Dunmire!

Russ Dunmire was the Oldsmobile dealer in Tacoma for decades.

I won’t be undersold!

Appliance kingpin Jack Roberts and his wife Linda were fixtures on local TV throughout the 1990s. It’s hard to believe that he’s been gone for more than 20 years.

See me today at Glen Grant Chevrolet in Burien!

Glen Grant, who passed away in 1992, was the star of what seemed like dozens of variations of awkward, unintentionally quirky TV ads for his Chevrolet dealership in Burien.

Take a princess to sea, have a crumpet and tea!

The ocean liner Princess Marguerite sailed between Seattle and Victoria, BC for decades, and though the ship shipped out for good more than 30 years ago, the catchy theme song lives on. “She’s FERN aboard”?!?

KSEA is today’s beautiful music

Back when everyone’s favorite station was KIRO Newsradio 71 on the AM dial, our sister station on the FM side was KSEA 101, playing “beautiful music.” Listen all the way through to hear a tag by the legendary Terry Rose.

Other local slogans and jingles which belong in this impromptu register of historic audio landmarks include “Do The Puyallup,”; “The Boat Show, The Boat Show, The big Seattle Boat Show!”; “One Day Only at the Bon Marché”; and the “Longacres Doo-Dah” song. “Cal Worthington and his dog Spot” probably shouldn’t count, as Cal was more of a California guy who happened to own a dealership in the Northwest for a few years.

If there are others we missed, please let me know via my contact information below.

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