Electric Co-op Today

He’s every bit the baby boomer, born when Harry Truman was president, in an era when a computer occupied an entire room. Yet while his contemporaries contemplate a Florida retirement condo, Willie Wiredhand shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, Willie’s popularity might be greater than ever.

Willie Wiredhand stars in a Minnesota corn maze. (Photo By: Meeker Cooperative Light and Power Association)

The veteran mascot of the electric cooperatives turns 60 on Oct. 30. It was on that day in 1950 that Andrew “Drew” McLay, a freelance artist working for the NRECA, created “Willie the Wired Hand.” A year later, and after a slight name change, Willie Wiredhand became the association’s mascot. By 1952, the Arkansas statewide published “Willie Wiredhand,” a song with lyrics such as, “I’ll light your home and I’ll light your barn, and I’ll pump your water too.”

In the six decades since he first appeared, Willie has seen his icon pals come and go. Speedy Alka Seltzer has pretty much retired, and Mr. Whipple long ago squeezed his last roll of Charmin. So why does Willie—like the Energizer Bunny—keep going and going and going?

“There’s an element of fun about Willie,” said Janine Weidow, NRECA’s director of external marketing, and keeper of all things Willie. “In a serious world, he’s quirky and fun.”

He’s also a modern guy, complete with a Facebook page boasting more than 830 likes.

“The people active on his Facebook page are both young and old, everyone from linemen to office managers to marketing and communications staff,” Weidow said. “He’s the friendly guy next door who works at the co-op, and employees identify with that.”

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