While electric co-ops have mascot Willie Wiredhand promoting electrical safety and energy efficiency as a “spokes plug,” the electric world as a whole has a special “spokes BUG” — Louie the Lightning Bug — who’s willing and able to teach safety and efficiency to consumers of all ages and of all electric utilities. Louie’s caretakers at Moore Syndication have provided this bio:
Name: Louie the Lightning Bug® (Latinese: Ouielay ightninglay ugbay).
First sighted/identified: 1983; as the premier electrical safety “spokes bug.”
Home: Exclusively marketed by Moore Syndication since 1989.
Range: Presented by large and small electric utilities in the U.S. and Canada, and Atlantic and Caribbean islands. (Louie really gets around for a little bug!)
Commonly observed locations: TV commercials, costumes, safety videos, vehicle graphics, Internet, books, brochures, T-shirts, and specialty items. He makes appearances at schools, parades and public events, usually as a special guest of a local electricity provider. (You never know when or where Louie will turn up!)
Identifying behavior: Always promotes his message, “Play it safe around electricity.” In animated appearances, children are enthralled by his memorable safety jingles and distinctive voice.
Variants: Louie has the ability to change the light source in his abdomen, sometimes appearing as incandescent, LED or CFL bulbs.
A beneficial beetle: Louie has been a safety spokes bug to generations. And just as catching fireflies has been passed on from one generation to the next, Louie’s lessons of electricity and electrical safety are passed on to the latest generation of youngsters.
You can learn much more about Louie at www.mooresyndication.com. Louie can also be found on Facebook at his page, Louie the Lightning Bug.
Be sure to check out these related stories:
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- When it comes to an insect, Indiana draws a ‘blaaaaaaank’
- Proposed insect named for famed New Harmony naturalist
- Oh, Say, can you see if it’s a Say’s Firefly?
- Harnessing the power of the lightning bug
- Waxing poetic in the firefly’s glow
- Create your own mascot; maybe win a plush Louie the Lightning Bug!
Be sure to check out these websites for more information about fireflies:
