Prospy, the International Harvester Mascot
By Eric Willey
The McCormick-International Harvester Collection was an agricultural implement company formed in 1902 from a merger of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, the Deering Harvester Company, and three smaller firms.
In 1909, IH began to advertise its products with a new company logo. It also created a mascot named Prospy, short for Prosperity, to help people remember that trademark.
The sprite-like Prospy had a body made from an ear of corn, a spear made from a stalk of wheat, arrows made of timothy, which is a type of grass used for hay, and a helmet of clover and oats. Prospy wore a purposeful smile and carried a shield shaped like the new IH logo. Propsy first appeared on postcards, buttons, scarf pins, and watch fobs. These items were often given away at state fairs or mailed to potential customers.
International Harvester 'Prospy' Advertising Poster, 1909
1909 International Harvester "Prospy" Advertising Poster. View the original source document: WHI 4625
Prospy also spoke to customers and IH employees through his own column in the company magazine, Harvester World. Prospy offered short sayings and advice such as “The only dealer who can succeed with a long face is an undertaker” and “A ton of coal in the cellar is worth two baby-grand pianos in the creditor’s schedule.” These articles were titled "Prospy at the Bat" and can be viewed online by going to the IH Collection search page at
[link to]//www.wisconsinhistory.org/libraryarchives/ihc/search.asp
and searching for Prospy.
Prospy also appeared in foreign advertising materials, such as the Russian postcard shown below. Also, life-sized models of the farm-sprite were created and mounted on IH trucks.
'Prospy' Greeting Card from Russia, 1913
1913 "Prospy" Greeting Card from Russia. View the original source document: WHI 84989
International Model E Truck with 'Prospy,' 1915
ca. 1915 International Model E Truck with "Prospy." View the original source document: WHI 71666
International Model E Truck with 'Prosperity' Display, 1916
Chicago, Illinois. ca. 1916 International Model E Truck with "Prosperity" Display. View the original source document: WHI 6919
International Harvester used other mascots and advertising devices over the years, particularly as the company focused less on agriculture and developed truck, refrigeration, and other products. It is not certain exactly when IH stopped using Prospy as an promotional device, but a 1959 retrospective in The Harvester World mentions that the sprite lasted for several decades before another design was chosen to symbolize IH to customers.