Case AIBDC: 0_6407
A milk jug with a lid in the shape of a cow's head. This jug was manufactured by Whirley Industries, USA, and was their most popular product from 1972 to 1980. It is made from injection moulded polyethylene.
Chosen for 10 Most Wanted because we wanted to include objects from the USA.
Contributing agents
Ian Holdsworth
What we wanted to know & what we found out
- Designer: John Downey based on an idea by Bob Sokolski
- Date: circa 1972-1980
We also learnt of the Whirley Industries expansion from launderettes and car washes into plastics, that the jug was titled Moo Cow and that it was based on a ceramic creamer.
Evidence trail
- Company contact
- Marketing material
- Personal testimony
The hunt
Company contact
Agent Holdsworth began by contacting Whirley Industries Europe and was told that the jug was titled MuhMuh and that it was designed by Bob Sokolski, both of which turned out to be inaccurate. He was however made aware that Bob Sokolski, one of the two people who had set the company up, was still working. This is a picture of the company's founders.
Marketing material
Agent Holdsworth then made contact with Bob Sokolski who sent a link to a brochure celebrating the companies fiftieth birthday. This is the key part of the text.
Personal testimony
Bob Sokolski confirmed that John Downey was indeed the designer, working to his idea, that the title was Moo Cow (not MuhMuh Cow) and his best memory for dates of production are circa 1972-1980.
