bsgt78 Posted December 20, 2014 Share #1 Posted December 20, 2014 Hello I am trying to understand and to find out the beginning of this character: You can see that the little man is worldwide known because of the plane (I think). However, who knows the origine of the story (maybe the first patch)? There are so many fakes and it has been so many times duplicated that I have no idea where it comes from. Thank you for your help Laurent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantomf4 Posted December 20, 2014 Share #2 Posted December 20, 2014 The spook was invented by one of MDC's artist. It's like a emblem or mascot for the plane. He appears on anything and everything F-4 phantom related. Quit a popular guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter Posted December 20, 2014 Share #3 Posted December 20, 2014 PhantomF4 is right.When I was at Clark that little guy was everywhere.The plaque shops off base were filled with him.Wished I spent my money on that stuff than the bars and woman.....No I'm not.But he was popular there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted December 20, 2014 Share #4 Posted December 20, 2014 Originally designed by McDonnell staff artist Anthony "Tony" Wong in 1958 at his supervisor's request. This was when the F-4 was still a Navy only project. The spook really caught on when the USAF acquired the F-4 in the early 60s. Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantomf4 Posted December 21, 2014 Share #5 Posted December 21, 2014 funny how things work out, I used to collect nothing but F-4 phantom stuff when it came to planes, You asked your question this morning and i'll be that I found some stuff today at a local shop today. Here are some patches I picked up this afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantomf4 Posted December 21, 2014 Share #6 Posted December 21, 2014 As you see aircraft manufacture's where pretty good at putting names and mascot's to planes back in the day. The Voodoo patch is for F101 Voodoo mechanics. So that motto was Voodoo one-o-wonder, medicine man etc, the F-15 eagle Keeper was the F-15 mechanic, Eagle driver the pilot etc. It went back a ways, Mcdonnell made a Demon in the 50's that had a devil guy for a Mascot. But none are as popular as Mr. Spook. They had a hornet for the F-18 Hornet but it wasn't very cartoonish, I have a sticker for the av8b Harrier that has a Cartoonish Harrier bird. I'll post some pic's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantomf4 Posted December 21, 2014 Share #7 Posted December 21, 2014 sticker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantomf4 Posted December 21, 2014 Share #8 Posted December 21, 2014 navy patch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantomf4 Posted December 21, 2014 Share #9 Posted December 21, 2014 close up of the night owls patch, these units like the 497th out of Thailand flew single ship missions over the Ho Chi Minh trail at night and where super hazardous, you had to have 25 missions for this patch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantomf4 Posted December 21, 2014 Share #10 Posted December 21, 2014 As you can see most contractor's put a figure to there product. Here Emerson electric uses a little Indian boy for the Line of Cheyenne cannon's they produced. Also here is the Harrier sticker I mentioned earlier, It's advertising the 25mm cannon the plane used (they made this same thing in a patch also), it's the most cartoonish thing I have seen since the F-4 spook. I doubt you see another military mascot as popular as the spook was anytime in the future, and I also think his popularity is partly because from the 50's through the 70's television and cartoons where popular and if you think most men and women in the military are young so it makes an impression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter Posted December 21, 2014 Share #11 Posted December 21, 2014 That Night Owl is nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bsgt78 Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share #12 Posted December 21, 2014 Hello Thank you for your replies. So the mascot follows the plane, doesn't matter the country, correct? I don't have any phantom patches in the other countries. I took the last picture on internet (marchand'se website) so is it a business production or a real demand? Thanks Laurent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantomf4 Posted December 21, 2014 Share #13 Posted December 21, 2014 I posted this pic before but I want to mention it, The F-4 was in service for 40 plus years, they actually still have a few they fly. The plane was very popular and when units phased them out they reflected this on there squadron patches like this one. "ROCK RIVERS LAST PHANTOMS" Means they are the last Phantom unit in the USN. I haven't researched that but this squadron patch states that. You see all kinds of stuff like 30 years phabulous phantom's 40years, etc. There was actually planes painted with that. There is an F-4 right here in St. Louis that was THE 30 year phabulous phantom jet. It has a real history, it downed 2 mig-21's over north Vietnam, it was the aircraft to log the 1 millionth flight hour for the type and it was also the 30year phabulous phantom. it was a 110th squadron 131 tactical fighter wing aircraft with the Missouri National Guard. It is on a pedestal in front of the Missouri air national Guard headquarters building at Lambert airport. Unfortunately it is not in the 30yr paint scheme anymore. There is a lot of history in the F-4 and Mr. Spook is just part of the story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantomf4 Posted December 21, 2014 Share #14 Posted December 21, 2014 Hello Thank you for your replies. So the mascot follows the plane, doesn't matter the country, correct? I don't have any phantom patches in the other countries. I took the last picture on internet (marchand'se website) so is it a business production or a real demand? Thanks Laurent I'm not sure if any other country used him for a Mascot, I don't remember seeing a foreign patch with him on it. It's both, they make reproductions of all the old patches because there is a high demand for F-4 Phantom and Mr. Spook related stuff. Those patches are new made of old originals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantomf4 Posted December 21, 2014 Share #15 Posted December 21, 2014 That Night Owl is nice. Thanks, you don't want to know what I paid for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantomf4 Posted December 21, 2014 Share #16 Posted December 21, 2014 The only other plane I can think of with a lot of character publicity was the F-14 Tomcat, They had the Tomcat on a lot of stuff here are some examples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantomf4 Posted December 21, 2014 Share #17 Posted December 21, 2014 These are squadron patches not Grumman patches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantomf4 Posted December 21, 2014 Share #18 Posted December 21, 2014 Here's some more examples of factory patches, Notice the Hornet handler is the Mechanic for the F-18, also notice they have lost the cartoonish coolness of the older days. The raging bull for the Maverick, I think everyone has a symbol for there stuff. I don't know why they don't try to be more cool with there advertising, I think it would open up the field of collecting this stuff more. Just think back in the late 60's even Dodge had cool characters on there cars, like Roadrunner, superbee, duster, Demon etc. It was just cool back then I guess. But when it comes to airplanes, the Spook is the man. I hope my blabbing on about this helps you out alittle. I'm glad you asked, you don't see much on here about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted December 21, 2014 Share #19 Posted December 21, 2014 Hello Thank you for your replies. So the mascot follows the plane, doesn't matter the country, correct? I don't have any phantom patches in the other countries. I took the last picture on internet (marchand'se website) so is it a business production or a real demand? Thanks Laurent Yes, the spook was used by many countries. Your last pic is from a commercial enterprise, those are not patches used by actual units. I worked on F-4s for many years, including 5 in NATO servicing almost every variant from many countries. The list of real patches would number in the thousands! Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter Posted December 21, 2014 Share #20 Posted December 21, 2014 Thanks, you don't want to know what I paid for it. I'm sure it wasn't cheap but is nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bsgt78 Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share #21 Posted December 21, 2014 Hey, Thank you for the info. The mascot is also used for different other units either US or not US: Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantomf4 Posted December 21, 2014 Share #22 Posted December 21, 2014 Yes, the spook was used by many countries. Your last pic is from a commercial enterprise, those are not patches used by actual units. I worked on F-4s for many years, including 5 in NATO servicing almost every variant from many countries. The list of real patches would number in the thousands! Randy Yes the last picture of patches are from the factory, pilots etc used them as Mcdonnell Douglas gave them out to them. But you are right they are not squadron patches just contractor patches. If you had every F-4 patch I think you would need a small warehouse to house them LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter Posted August 24, 2016 Share #23 Posted August 24, 2016 close up of the night owls patch, these units like the 497th out of Thailand flew single ship missions over the Ho Chi Minh trail at night and where super hazardous, you had to have 25 missions for this patch. I have heard that the U.S. made NIGHT OWL patches were given out by McDonnell Douglas, like some of the North Vietnam mission patches? If so were there any certificates that went with the patch or patches? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantomf4 Posted August 25, 2016 Share #24 Posted August 25, 2016 I have heard that the U.S. made NIGHT OWL patches were given out by McDonnell Douglas, like some of the North Vietnam mission patches? If so were there any certificates that went with the patch or patches? I personally have never seen or heard of certificates, it's not impossible I guess. Maybe someone else on hear would know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter Posted August 25, 2016 Share #25 Posted August 25, 2016 I personally have never seen or heard of certificates, it's not impossible I guess. Maybe someone else on hear would know. Thank you Phantom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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