Osborne bull

The Osborne bull () is a black silhouetted image of a bull in semi-profile. Erected as either 14 m or 7 m billboards, as of July 2022 there are 92 of them installed on hilltops and along roadways throughout much of Spain.[1][2] The bull was originally conceived as an outdoor advertisement for the Brandy de Jerez made by the Osborne Group in 1956, which also has the images on bottles and other advertising materials.

Similar bulls, also placed by the Osborne Group, but usually with the name of the Magno brandy printed on them, exist on mexican highways.[3]

History

The bull was created by Manolo Prieto in 1956 to advertise the Brandy de Jerez produced by the Osborne Group. His design was simple: the silhouette of a bull, entirely black but for the words Veterano Osborne ('Osborne Veteran') stenciled on it.[4]

The boards were placed near major roads in much of Spain. They were initially of wood and some 4 m high; within a few years they were made at least partly of metal and were up to 7 m in height.[4]

To comply with a 1962 law that prohibited advertising billboards within 20 m of a road, the bulls were moved back but were increased in size to 14 m, weighing 4 MT. Then in 1974, another law required all advertising billboards to be moved to a distance of 50 m, so the bulls were moved again.[4][5]

In July 1988 a law that prohibited all roadside advertising went into effect. All advertising content was removed from the billboards, although the bulls themselves remained.

New regulations governing national roadways in September 1994 called for the removal of all the Osborne bulls.

The bull today

As of 1998, the Osborne bull is no longer a strictly commercial symbol. Having become a cultural icon of the country, it occasionally becomes embroiled in its politics; as a symbol associated with the national identity of Spain, it is frequently the target of vandalism by members of nationalist and independentist movements within the country.

Because the Osborne bull has become such a recognized national symbol of Spain, some of the more independence-minded Spanish regions have taken to caricaturing its image. In these regions, it is not uncommon to find similar black silhouettes of, for example, the cow used by the Galicians, the donkey used by the Catalans, the sheep used by the Basques or the Tudanca cow used by the Cantabrians.

The image of the Osborne bull is internationally recognized and can be found on stickers, souvenirs, post cards and many other items. It has become a broader symbol for Spain by sports fans, who embed it in the flag of Spain in the manner of a coat of arms, and even by members of the Spanish Armed Forces on international missions. However, as a commercial logo owned by the Osborne Group, the company retains exclusive commercial rights to its use. This has resulted in various trademark infringement lawsuits through the years.

Once numbering almost 500 across all of Spain, as of July 2022 there are 92 Osborne bull billboards erected throughout much of the country. They are scattered irregularly around the country, with a larger concentration of the bulls appearing in the south. Many regions only have one bull, while others have none.[8]

The bull abroad

As of August 2017, four of the Osborne bulls remain, in a slightly different design, in Mexico. They retain their advertising function, with “Magno” (in white) and “Osborne” (in red) stenciled across them.[11]

An Osborne bull was erected in Spain’s North African enclave of Melilla in early 2011. Its location makes it visible along the length of the city’s Mediterranean coastline and even across the border in Morocco.[12][13]

Beginning in the early 2000s, Osborne began considering requests to erect bulls in cities outside of Spain, notably in Dallas and Copenhagen.[14] An Osborne bull originally from Spain’s Costa del Sol was installed as artwork in a public places fixture in Superkilen park in Copenhagen in the early 2010s.[15]

Incidents

The only bull in Catalonia, in the municipality of El Bruc, was toppled on 12 October 2002 by people who identified themselves as Catalan independentists, protesting against what they considered a symbol of Spanish nationalism.[22] On 3 August 2007, barely a week after the bull had been restored, Catalan independentists toppled it again.[23][24] Then in March 2008, residents of the town of Masquefa restored the bull once again,[25] only to see it ultimately demolished by the independentists less than a year later, on 24 February 2009.[26][27]

In popular culture

• An Osborne bull (and his testicles in particular) figures prominently in director Bigas Luna's 1992 film Jamón Jamón.[43][44]

• The Osborne bull was included in the exhibit "Signs of the Century: 100 Years of Graphic Design in Spain" held from March 14 to May 23, 2000 at the Queen Sofía National Museum Art Centre in Madrid.[45]

• John Robinson's character in Gus Van Sant's 2003 film Elephant wears a yellow tee shirt with an image of the Osborne bull.[46]

External links