What in the world were they thinking? What happens when the logo
licensing department goes crazy? Let’s take a look… The Green Girl is all for licensing a popular trademark like our beloved leaping deer of John Deere. After all, we enjoy wearing caps, shirts, jackets and whatnot. And we’re fine with drinking coffee from a Deere mug and even wearing a JD belt buckle. Pens, pencils, calendars, etc. are perfectly useful and appropriate. However, I would prefer that more of the new items were done TASTEFULLY. And I’m afraid that the guy or gal in charge of good taste has left that department. Because things are WAY out of hand! The seal of approval While we’ve all seen lots of things for sale that don’t have the official seal of approval from the John Deere logo licensing group, we usually understand they’re just trying to express their brand loyalty as well as their creativity and craftiness. And there are lots of homemade handiworks that have led to nice licensing opportunities. But lately, it seems they’ve opened the floodgates on what constitutes an appropriate item to bear the official licensing leaping-logo stamp. I see so many things that make me scratch my head in wonder or scream out "What on earth were they thinking with that?!?!?" I always thought that Deere revered its brand and tried to keep its usage to thoughtful and tasteful items worthy of our hard-earned dollar. But that’s no longer the case. And I have proof. A bunch of bull Take for example, the John Deere bull stein! Please. This 12-inch-high beverage urn is supposed to be "a classy addition to your collection" according to one recent eBay auction listing. Sure, only 2,500 were "handcrafted in Germany" but I don’t see the connection. A big ugly bull wearing a green John Deere cap and bib overalls holding a pitchfork of straw while sitting on a bale. Duh. Dumb. Sure Germans know how to make beer steins, but give them some creative direction for the deer’s sake! What’s even more amazing is that this pukey piece of porcelain fetches a pretty big price tag too. I thought I’d seen it in a catalog for almost $200 but one sold last week on eBay for just over $100. I have a feeling they may have a lot of those 2,500 left in the warehouse yet! The Green Girl wouldn’t even give a buck for
the bull. Spilled salt Okay, I’ll admit that way back when John Deere dealers put out salt and pepper shakers with catchy little phrases like "Seasonings Greetings." But those don’t offend me as much as the new ones.
Runaway train Have you seen the hand-painted John Deere farmer guy on a railroad spike yet? It sure is creative. I’ll give them that much. He’s wearing a green cap and bib overalls…see a pattern here? And he’s holding a wrench in one hand and a hay baling hook in the other. By the quality of the leaping deer logo, this is obviously not an officially licensed item. But I don’t think it would fall outside the realm of possible opportunities. I applaud the creator’s ingenious invention and encourage him to contact the licensing department. If I had to venture a guess, I’d bet they’ll be all for it! In the toilet Of all the places to
decorate with Deere-related logos, I thought the toilet was off limits. I still have to wonder at the folks who bathe behind a John Deere shower curtain and dry off with deer-logo-ed towels. But the actual toilet seat itself?!?! C’mon! Do I want to stare at tiny tractors when I’m praying to the porcelain god? Sheesh! But sadly, it’s true. As of today, there are seven seats on eBay. Of course, they all claim to be brand-new, which is pretty important if I were going to buy a toilet seat! Okay, I should probably clarify that what some craftily creative folks are selling is actually a toilet seat COVER. The top part that guys never put down. Apparently, they sewed these with that busy yellow-checked tractor-speckled fabric. Again, these are not officially licensed by John Deere…not yet at least! Deere kids or Deere cows Don’t even get me started on
the overblown figurine collectible lines — from Mary’s Moo Moos to Enesco’s
John Deere Kids! No, I’m not a collectible scrooge. In fact, I collect an earlier edition of farm kids from Enesco called Country Cousins. And I do think many of these figurines are reasonably cute…not sure I’d go as far as adorable or precious…and the catchy slogans that go with them make a writer chuckle.
Have your head examined Sure, a John Deere cap or hat is an excellent way to show off your favorite brand. But aren’t skull caps (also known as doo
rags) a little too hip and happenin’ for a 164-year-old company? No, these aren’t licensed either but are the results of a stylish seamstress who saw the opportunity to make the first ever Deere skull cap. There are even two styles on the market — one is a standard green-and-yellow version; the other uses the fabric with the Santa on the tractor. So you can switch them for the seasons! Maybe The Green Girl needs to have her head examined?!?!? Thanks for letting me vent a little on this topic. I know many of you will unwrap some of these items this year…I just hope like them better than I do! If you’ve seen something out of line with a John Deere logo on it — either licensed or not — please drop me a note to get it off your chest! TextÝ © 2001 Brenda Kruse. |
You can get miniature tractor-wagon sets, a tractor with a barn,
a riding mower, the NASCAR race car, and a painted tin thing…all just to salt and
pepper your food! How many S&P sets does one family need anyway? And heaven forbid
your salt & pepper shakers look out of place on your table…now they have an
entire dishes set to complete the Martha Stewart style!
But there are just so darn many of them! How on earth could you ever
collect them all? You’d need an entire home full of shelves to show them off…and
tons of time to keep them dusted. 