Pony Express? Nope, Moo Mail!

Posted August 14th, 2006 at 12:42 pm by Bennett Porter, Senior Director, Buzz Marketing

 6 Comments / Filed in: Behind the Scenes

We’ve been fielding a fair share of questions lately about the large purple cow that made a cameo in our fun video tour of Yahoo!. And rightly so…

Large purple cows are a rarity anywhere, let alone in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Well, for inquiring minds, here’s the scoop (no pun intended — for those of you who’ve ever stepped into a barn):

The cow in question, affectionately known to us all as Yahoo! Moo Mail, grazes peacefully in the reception area of Building D on our bucolic Sunnyvale campus. But unlike other bovines, this one’s the world’s first Internet-connected cow. Yes, its bright yellow saddlebag sports a computer where Yahoo! guests can check email as well as browse the Web, scan the Farmer’s Almanac online, whatever.

For history buffs, Yahoo! Moo Mail came about as part of CowParade New York 2000. It was front and center in a herd of more than 500 life-sized cows dotted strategically across the city. These cows were created by artists and regular Joes (although we have to wonder just how “regular” someone who creates a life-sized cow in their living room really is…) as part of a unique public exhibit showcasing New York’s rich arts community. The event benefited New York’s arts community, school children, and public parks (OK, I stole those lines from a press release — busted!). Yahoo! Moo Mail was corralled at South Street Seaport all summer, where it was seen, browsed, and invariably climbed on by some 10 million people (and possibly a few love-struck cows?).

The 600-pound fiberglass Yahoo! Moo Mail has graced our Sunnyvale campus ever since, where it continues to delight guests and scare the living daylights out of more than a few small children. She did make a quick trip to Georgia in the summer of 2003 for CowParade Atlanta. (And yes, Yahoo! Moo Mail is an anatomically correct “cow girl.”)

A side note for die-hard trivia fans: Our beloved Yahoo! Moo Mail actually has a twin sister. The other old gal is rumored to be in the backyard of an unnamed Yahoo! employee, but no one’s talking.

L. Bennett Porter
Senior Buzz Director

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6 Comments Add your own

clofresh | August 14th, 2006 at 1:37 pm

An entry on a Purple Cow without mention of Seth Godin (http://www.squidoo.com/sethgodin) ?? Tsk!

David Dalka | August 14th, 2006 at 2:08 pm

Thanks for the follow up to my question, I greatly appreciate it!

Too bad it’s a New York “copycow” and not an original Cow on Parade from Chicago!

Does Yahoo Moo Mail have a spam filter I wonder?

Nicki Dugan | August 15th, 2006 at 9:43 am

Clofresh:

Yes, Seth definitely immortalized purple cows, but our Moo Mail cow wasn’t a Seth thing. It predated his book by three years. BUT… you bring up a great point. When Seth’s book came out, the purple cow icon was too hard to resist since we already had one in residence. Our marketing team embraced the philosophy and started giving out “Purple Cow Awards” for projects that met Seth’s purple cow criteria: “Something remarkable… worth talking about. Worth noticing. Exceptional. New. Interesting.” We pray at the church of Seth. (You know he’s a former Yahoo, right?).

Jim Ellwanger | August 15th, 2006 at 1:33 pm

Seth Godin is the one who immortalized purple cows? Gelett Burgess is spinning in his grave.

DangerPony | August 15th, 2006 at 4:50 pm

What about the blood, sweat and milk that went into making this baby? How about props for the designer???

-pony

Nicki Dugan | August 16th, 2006 at 11:29 pm

DangerPony and Jim Ellwanger – Where are our manners? Yes, calving credit goes to former Yahoo! art director Amy Armock who fitted our cow with her email saddlebag and grape-toned swirls. And apologies to Mr. Burgess… although bovine discrimination has clearly dissipated over the last century — Moo Mail contends that being a purple cow has distinct privileges nowadays.