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A hood ornament (or bonnet ornament or bonnet mascot in Commonwealth English), also called a motor mascot or car mascot, is a specially crafted model that symbolizes a car company, like a badge, located on the front center portion of the hood. It has been used as an adornment nearly since the inception of .
In the early years, automobiles had their radiator caps outside the hood and on top of the grille, which also served as an indicator of the temperature of the engine's coolant fluid. The Boyce MotoMeter Company was issued a patent in 1912 for a radiator cap that incorporated a thermometer that was visible to the driver with a sensor that measured the heat of the water vapor, rather than the water itself. This became useful gauge for the driver because many early engines did not have water pumps, but a circulation system based on the "thermo-syphon" principle as in the Ford Model T.
The "exposed radiator cap became a focal point for automobile personalization."
Hood ornaments were popular in the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, with many fitting them to their vehicles. They also serve to differentiate cars and the ornaments were inspired by animals, mythological figures, and the automakers' logos. A common element on every Rolls-Royce since 1911 is the "Spirit of Ecstasy" on the hood that serves as a type of "calling card" and denotes the message of luxury. During the 1920s, advertisements for Mercedes-Benz emphasized their "star" hood ornament as representing the "world-famous product of the oldest automobile works in the world" and as the ultimate symbol of luxury.
A market developed supplying accessories to those who wanted to add an ornament or car mascot to their automobile. These were a way to express the owner's love of their car or customizing to express individuality. Most of these companies went out of business, with only Louis Lejeune Ltd. in England surviving. Sculptors like Bazin, Paillet, Sykes, Renevey, and Lejeune created detailed miniature , like .
Hood ornaments were viewed as "objets d'art" according to Dick Teague, who served as styling vice president at American Motors Corporation (AMC). A sculptor described some hood ornaments as “certainly some kind of sex symbol—a symbol of virility." There were Art Deco stylized women’s forms serving as hood ornaments. After World War II, Nash Motors commissioned George Petty to design hood ornaments featuring female figures without clothing for their cars. Petty used his daughter to make the "Flying Lady" hood ornament which became a marketing coup for Nash and the 1950 "Airflyte" models in the Nash Ambassador and Nash Statesman cars. Nash had four different versions of this iconic ornament on its vehicles for ten years before designing non-anthropomorphic hood decorations.
Teague brought back a hood ornament for the top-of-the-line AMC Ambassador cars because of the "good feeling" they provide to the owners "or at least a reminder of the money spent on the car." Others in the auto industry, such as Dick Macadam, a chief stylist at Chrysler hold the view that hood ornaments provide an aiming point for centering, "possibly making for easier and safer car handling."
Regulations introduced in the United States for the 1968 model year vehicles meant the disappearance of fixed stand-up hood ornaments, as well as spinner wheel protrusions. Later versions featured flexibly mounted (spring-loaded) stand-up hood ornaments designed to fold without breaking on impact, such as on the 1973 Ford Thunderbird, 1974 AMC Ambassador, and on the 1986 Jeep Wagoneer (SJ).
In the European Union, since 1974, all new cars have had to conform to a European directive on vehicle exterior projections. Rolls-Royce's mascot is now mounted on a spring-loaded mechanism designed to retract instantly into the radiator shell if struck with a force greater than . This same mechanism also lowers the ornament out of view when the car is turned off, protecting it from damage or theft while the car is parked up. Other hood ornaments were designed with a spring mount to fold on impact. For aftermarket ornaments, breakaway nylon fixings are available that comply with EC Directive 74/483.
The ornaments have been moved down from the hood to the grille. They are now viewed as overwrought and detrimental to aerodynamics.
Brand identification remains essential "as firms try to distinguish their company's cookie-cutter SUV, sedan or pick-up truck from another company's cookie-cutter SUV, sedan, or pick-up truck merely with a hood ornament or a name on the bumper."
Examples of hood ornaments include:
Additionally, many models in all price and market segments, such as Buick Regal, Chevrolet Impala, Jeep Grand Wagoneer (SJ), and Chrysler Cordoba, featured unique emblems and accompanying distinctive standup hood ornaments.
There are legal issues in protecting the designs of hood ornaments. Less expensive than patenting the design, protection by copyright may be possible "only if, and only to the extent that, such design incorporates pictorial, graphic, or sculptural features that can be identified separately from, and capable of existing independently of, the utilitarian aspects of the article." Thus, the Rolls Royce ornament could be used as a separate sculpture while most other distinctive hood ornament forms would not be considered free-standing items.
The best-known glass mascots were made by René Lalique in France. Other sellers or producers of glass mascots include Sabino in France, Red Ashay in England, and Persons Majestic in the U.S. The latter two had their products made in Czechoslovakia. Like Louis Lejeune Ltd., the Lalique Company is one of the few survivors from this era of motoring.
There is a collector's market for hood ornaments and car mascots. One of the most sought-after is the Nash Petty Hood Ornament, with one of the most largest followers of all hood ornament collectors. To satisfy collectors, reproduction castings of the "Flying Lady" are being made from the original Nash ornament.
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