Character of the Week: The Flying A Dog

Flying A was owned by Tidewater Petroleum, and was a major gasoline brand from the 1930s to the 1960s.  The Flying A Dog, named Axelrod, was an advertising character for Flying A Service Stations in the 1960s.  He starred in a few commercials, appearing in his A-shaped doghouse with a worried facial expression.  Axelrod was the perfect mascot for these commercials because as a basset hound, his natural demeanor was one of a worrisome hound dog.

The commercials featured sayings like, “When it comes to your car…oooh, do we worry!”  Also heard was “The house that worry built.”  Sometimes there was the catchy jingle, “At Flying A we worry … about your carburetor … your sparkplugs, muffler, tail lights and your voltage regulator.”

The commercials featuring Axelrod ran during broadcasts of the New York Yankees baseball games because Flying A was a sponsor.  Tidewater Petroleum also owned the rights to Pacific Coast Conference, so Flying A advertisements ran during west coast football and basketball games. Axelrod the Flying A Dog also appeared in print ads featured in “Saturday Evening Post.”

In 1966, the western US stations of Tidewater Petroleum were bought out by Phillips Petroleum Co. and were rebranded with Phillips 66.  In the eastern US, Flying A was replaced by Getty, and later, Texaco.  Axelrod The Flying A Dog was phased out, but he remains alive in collectible merchandise that was made in his likeness.