Magikist was a U.S.-based rug cleaner manufacturer and cleaning company. After the company went out of business in 2001, the name was sold and is currently used by a Canadian manufacturer of car wash equipment. The original company was notable for its large advertising signs which were a part of pop culture in the Chicago area.
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[edit]History
Magikist was founded in the 1940's by Wilbur "Bill" Gage, who changed the name of his Austin Rug Cleaners to Magikist, melding the words "magic" and "kissed."[1] His wife at the time, Doris Greenwood, suggested the "sweetest name in rug cleaning" slogan and came up with the now famous lips. Subsequently, Gage operated Magikist in the Chicago area South of Howard and Lionel and Shirley Gelfand operated Magikist in the area North of Howard Street. In the Chicago area, theMagikist Lips (in the form of huge signs on the Edens Expressway, Dan Ryan Expressway, Kennedy Expressway,[2] and Eisenhower Expressway which lit up and flashed) were well-known landmarks. Chicago journalist Eric Zorn wrote a piece about the Edens sign (the last existing) after it was torn down in 2004.[3]
Built in the early 1960's, the Magikist lips signs on the Kennedy, Eisenhower and Dan Ryan expressways were 75 feet wide and 40 feet high at the pucker. Travelers from the early 1960s through the late 1990s, when the company moved and the signs 3,384 feet of neon lighting were shut off (and eventually demolished), tended to use them as landmarks to figure out how much longer it would take to arrive at their destination.[4]
Chicago musician/artist Wesley Willis frequently mentioned Magikist in his song lyrics,[5] although he used the word as a term of high praise, akin to "magician".
[edit]Gallery
[edit]References
- ^ Cordts, Michael. "Wilbur `Bill' Gage; founded Magikist, adopted `lips' logo." Chicago Sun-Times July 11, 1987
- ^ "Magikist lips". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
- ^ Zorn, Eric. "Magikist lips gave Chicago reason to smile." The Chicago Tribune January 29, 2004
- ^ Zorn, Eric. "Magikist lips gave Chicago reason to smile." The Chicago Tribune January 29, 2004
- ^ Staff. "Wesley Willis discusses his career, demons." The Tartan October 21, 2002
[edit]External links
- Magikist in pop culture
- Bemoaning the loss of a local icon
- A father recalls the Magikist lips sign in a letter to his astronaut son, at the time stationed on Mir space station
- Magikist Museum - Memorabilia
- TV commercials at The Museum of Classic Chicago Television
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