7 Crazy Weird Stories Behind the World’s Most Famous Logos

Apple, Windows, McDonald’s, Nike, Google…the list goes on!

Logos are literally everywhere we look. Even if we don’t use a certain brand, we generally still know what the logo represents.

In many cases though, the most interesting aspect of a logo is the story behind it. Read on to find out some of the odd stories and hidden messages behind these word famous logos.

1. McDonald’s – The Golden Arches

As one of the most famous logos of the world, the branding hasn’t changed in decades. But where did it come from?

We all assume wrongly that the “M” is derived from the word “McDonalds”. The design of the Golden Arches actually took inspiration from the shape of the original restaurants which used to feature prominent golden archways.

2. Chupa Chups – Melting Clocks

The logo was actually designed by the flamboyant Salvador Dali. He’s the guy with the funky mustache who painted those odd-looking melting clocks. He was good friends with the founder of Chupa Chups and designed the logo in less than an hour, while they ate lunch together!

3. Apple – Weird Rumors

As the Apple logo is one of the most famous logos in the world, there are several rumors about it. Some say it was a tribute to Alan Turing who allegedly committed suicide by eating a cyanide-laced apple. Whereas others believe there was a connection with the “fruit of knowledge” from the Bible.

While they might be interesting stories, the truth is actually pretty mundane. Apple is called Apple because Steve Jobs thought it sounded nice.

And the only reason it has a bite out of it is so that it didn’t look like a cherry!

4. NASA – The “Meatball” is Back

For the first 15 years “the meatball” logo, as it was affectionately known, was the busy little logo of NASA. It had the words NASA inside a blue circle, a whizzing spacecraft and a red arrow all surrounded by stars.

In the 70’s it was replaced by a generic looking logo with the words NASA, which they nicknamed “the worm”. But pretty much everybody hated it!

In 1992 they reverted back to the much loved “meatball” logo, with a few modern twists. And it’s still the same today.

5. The Michelin Man – AKA The Road Drunkard

The smiling marshmallow Michelin man we all know today wasn’t always so kid friendly. In the early days of the logo, he wore a pince-nez, had a cigar hanging out of his mouth, and held up a champagne glass to toast a weird pun about Michelin Tires.

The logo was given an unfortunate nickname – The Road Drunkard.

6. Starbucks – Risque Cups

Even if you don’t like coffee, you can’t avoid the Starbucks logo. The original logo had a design of a risque mermaid type woman with her breasts completely on display. Due to complaints, they kept her covered up, either with her hair or strategically placed objects.

7. Domino’s Pizza – 10,000 Dots

Domino’s Pizza has been around since the 1960’s. Tom Monaghan bought a small independent pizza store called DomiNicks, which he renamed as Domino’s.

The goal was to add a new dot on the domino for every store that they opened. But after only a year of expansion, the idea had to be abandoned. If they’d stuck with the original plan, the domino would have 10,000 dots on it!

Cool Logos for Your Brand

If you’re branding your company and are looking for inspiration, get in touch with Logo Depot. Their team of designers can create an awesome brand for your venture, even if you have a weird story behind it!

Hidden Messages in Famous Logos

Who knew there were so many weird stories behind popular logos. If you’ve found any weird hidden messages in other famous logos, make sure to comment below.

And whatever you do, don’t forget to take a look at our weird news page for more whimsical fun facts!

Weirdomatic is the place where all weird things come to life through the amazing world of photographs – a corner of our wild imagination or the whimsical face of the reality?