It’s time to polish the hood ornament until the ram glimmers in the light. The iconic Ram Trucks logo has been with the brand, in various forms, for over 80 years, and remains synonymous with Guts and Glory.
The Ram mascot was originally designed in 1931 by sculptor and University of Michigan art professor Avard T. Fairbanks, who initially considered tigers, lions and other animals before deciding on the Ram. As it turns out, Fairbanks was onto something. Ram Trucks and bighorn mountain rams have a lot in common – power and hard work, incredible climbing ability, a desire to break from the flock and a cultural significance that inspires us to reach new heights. The ram is so strongly associated with Ram Trucks that we did a five-point comparison of our trucks and the bighorn ram. You may be surprised how closely related the two are.
The connection is so strong, in fact, that it’s difficult to picture a Ram Truck without the iconic logo. So it’s surprising to find that the hood ornament, at least, didn’t make its debut in 1981, the year the Ram name was born. That first generation of Ram Trucks kept the Dodge model designations but pressed forward with its own unique identity, as seen in the 1981 Dodge Power Ram Royal SE W150.
The truck designs have changed throughout the years – even the Ram logo has gone through multiple iterations and placements on the vehicles. But the personality and the strength of the ram has remained the same since Fairbanks first set out to define the brand. We may change throughout the generations, but our lineage is unbreakable.
