Under the headline "Bikini Time," Peoria Star Journal photog Fred Zwicky posted a series of pictures and captions depicting an annual rite of spring – the undressing of Vanna Whitewall.
Vanna is a rather tall brunette, and is far more shapely than her 450-pound official weight might suggest.
She is the 20-foot tall mascot for Peoria Plaza Tire Co., and has been since she debuted as “Miss Uniroyal” back in 1968. Uniquely, Vanna sports a red blouse and blue skirt through the fall and winter, but once the air turns warmer (and Memorial Day arrives), Ms. Whitewall doffs her duds for a bikini.
Workers at Peoria Plaza Tire dress and undress Vanna; her warmer weather clothes have custom-designed clips to keep them in place. The bikini is painted on.
You can figure this all out by checking out Fred’s photos here:
http://blogs.pjstar.com/eye/2012/06/07/bikini-time/
While you are there, check out some of the reader comments – primarily those by women tire buyers and from a couple of stone-age men.
One last time, fellas, being female friendly means WAY MORE than just clean bathrooms. Jus sayin’.
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The highways around the Greater St. Louis area have a new defender – the “Gator Getter.”
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Missouri Department of Transportation ponied up for a few of the devices, which were described as a rotating drum device about the width of a snow-plow. The unit mounts on the front of a truck, and can do its job at 50-55 mph.
Before the Gator Getter, it would take three trucks driving slowly or having to stop all together to scoop up tire debris. Now, a Gator Getter-equipped truck can make efficient – and safer – work of it.
So, beware Gators…there’s a new scooper in town. And perhaps in more towns near you.
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We’ve busted their chops a few times in this space, but we would be remiss if we didn’t give a well-deserved shout out to brothers Ray (75) and Tom (63) Magliozzi, who are ending their nationally broadcast “Car Talk” show after 25 years.
“Click and Clack,” as the brothers are known, are ending their live show run on NPR. Rerun segments culled from their 1,200 show collection will be run for the foreseeable future, starting this October.
The brothers Magliozzi will keep their twice-weekly written features coming, though, and we’re sure the subject of tires will come up more than a few times.
