# The Toyota emblem - what is it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2004, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808 "2004-12-03T00:20:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/1 "2004-12-03T00:20:20Z")
It looks like something from a “satan” movie. Well, sort of. 😉 For those of you who can’t picture it. [here’s](http://altura.speedera.net/ccimg.catalogcity.com/200000/207600/207651/Products/6726735.jpg) an image. I’ve tried to make out the Toyota name in there, but with little success. Anybody know how they came up with it? They seem to be quite proud of it. Does your mind wander when you’de stuck in traffic? 😃 Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/2 "2004-12-03T00:27:41Z")
[This site](http://gawlowski.com/matt/cars/car_logos.html) says: > [@](#): > > The Japanese have a bit of a weakness for mad badges. Hence, the current Toyota symbol that looks like a cowboy in a big hat, but is actually three elipses depicting the heart of the customer, the heart of the product, and the ever-expanding technological advancements and boundless opportunities that lie ahead. It says here. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/3 "2004-12-03T00:34:09Z")
I thought it was just a stylised capital letter T - the normal vertical and horizontal lines being replaced by ellipses, bouded by a larger ellipse. ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/4 "2004-12-03T00:36:55Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I thought it was just a stylised capital letter T - the normal vertical and horizontal lines being replaced by ellipses, bouded by a larger ellipse. FWIW, so did I. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/5 "2004-12-03T00:57:01Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > [This site](http://gawlowski.com/matt/cars/car_logos.html) says: Cool site. Thanks. I’m going to go back and read more of it. I knew the history of my Audi’s symbol, but that’s about it. I checked the Toyota site, but didn’t see anything there. To my overactive imagination, it looks like a steer’s, or better yet, a satan’s head. You do gotta squint some though. Thanks again. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/6 "2004-12-03T01:09:08Z")
Remember the [Celica logo](http://1982celica.illusionfxnet.com/itsadragon.html) from the early 80’s? I always thought it was a swan. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/7 "2004-12-03T04:20:48Z")
Always looks like a bull with horns to me. Not that I ever thought it really was that (until now I had no clue), that’s just what always pops into my head when I see it… ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/8 "2004-12-03T04:36:23Z")
To me it looks exactly like the [Malayalam](http://www.omniglot.com/writing/malayalam.htm) letter _ **ka** _, only upside-down. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/9 "2004-12-03T05:13:03Z")
A friend of mine (who worked for Toyota) told the the smart asses at Toyota Corporate claimed it was the Taco Bell logo. A sombreo if you didn’t get the joke. OK I guess it was a location joke, you had to be there ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/10 "2004-12-03T05:27:31Z")
I remember reading somewhere that it’s reminiscent of a Samurai helmet (w/ head). I can see the resemblance. I don’t know if that’s purported to be intentional or just coincidental. ---
**Author:** ![Fritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Fritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fritz)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/11 "2004-12-03T05:42:36Z")
It’s a freakin’ “T”… ---
**Author:** ![PaulFitzroy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2acd7d/32.png) [@PaulFitzroy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulFitzroy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/12 "2004-12-03T05:48:30Z")
I think the Toyota logo is lame. Its lack of angles or straight lines has negative psychological connotations for me. I’m glad I have a '90 4Runner, made before Toyota started sticking that dumb badge on their vehicles. The front of my grill just says “TOYOTA” instead of the badge, the old-school way. A friend and fellow Toyota truck owner has a “Toyota Off-Road” sticker on the rear glass of his '85 4X4 pickup and told me I should get one too. I told him I’ll pass. I wanted to keep it old-school. ---
**Author:** ![PaulFitzroy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2acd7d/32.png) [@PaulFitzroy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulFitzroy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/13 "2004-12-03T05:49:51Z")
(The “Toyota Off-Road” sticker features that newfangled badge, which I didn’t want laming up my vehicle.) ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/14 "2004-12-03T19:14:52Z")
> [@Fritz](#): > > It’s a freakin’ “T”… That, to me, is more a stretch than any of the other answers. Many Americans, like **PaulFitzroy** , seem to prefer things plain. Look at our “wild” new paper money. 😛 But the emblem _was_ conceived in Japan. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/15 "2004-12-03T20:46:18Z")
> [@PaulFitzroy](#): > > I think the Toyota logo is lame. Its lack of angles or straight lines has negative psychological connotations for me. > > I’m glad I have a '90 4Runner, made before Toyota started sticking that dumb badge on their vehicles. The front of my grill just says “TOYOTA” instead of the badge, the old-school way. A friend and fellow Toyota truck owner has a “Toyota Off-Road” sticker on the rear glass of his '85 4X4 pickup and told me I should get one too. I told him I’ll pass. I wanted to keep it old-school. what he said. Everytime I see one, I immediately say to myself, “fat cowboy!”. And I"m reminded of my natural aversion to all things cowboy–be it bronc bustin’, country music, pickup trucks, and exhortations such as “Yee-hah”! ---
**Author:** ![baileygrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@baileygrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/baileygrrrl)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/16 "2004-12-03T21:01:31Z")
There is very little doubt in my mind that it is a “T” ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/17 "2004-12-03T22:01:25Z")
Until this thread, I never saw it as anything other than a very obvious T. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/18 "2004-12-03T22:18:48Z")
> [@baileygrrrl](#): > > There is very little doubt in my mind that it is a “T” What it _is_ has already been answered. See **Mr. Blue Sky** ’s post, #2, and follow the link if you wish. Maybe your car is there. A Ferrari, right? Right now we’re just BS’n. 🙂 But if that’s a “T”, I’m Santa Claus. Now wait a minnit. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/19 "2004-12-03T23:09:44Z")
You know, everytime I see that logo I see all the letters in TOYOTA in that oval. A couple are harder to see than others, but they’re all there. I could have sworn that was it. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808/20 "2004-12-03T23:12:23Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > What it _is_ has already been answered. See **Mr. Blue Sky** ’s post, #2, and follow the link if you wish. It’s been answered, but is it the correct answer? That’s hardly a reliable cite to work from (it seems more like a joke merging Engrish and corporate-speak than a real explanation of the logo). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toyota-emblem-what-is-it/277808.md?page=2)