One man’s trash is a trucker’s new hood ornament. It can be quite jarring to see a fuzzy little guy on the grille of a massive, dirty, powerful truck, but the reasons behind a teddy bear or retro figurine being on the front of a large semi-truck (which the trucker may or may not own) are more deep and meaningful than you’d expect.
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The New York Times talked to six truck drivers for a story about the reasons truckers have stuffed animals as hood ornaments. One said that the stuffed animals are meant to represent the driver and their character. This can be as simple as an old plushie that highlights a trucker’s personality or a stuffed animal that represents their children. Or it can be more complex: According to Mashable, some cultures believe that hanging toys from a truck can ward off ghosts.
Sometimes, however, it really isn’t that deep. One trucker told the Times that he chose a doll to put on his vehicle because she was pretty, while another said he liked to collect defective figurines that caught his attention.
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These truckers are often doing tough, laborious jobs and just need something cute to latch onto. Kelly Horn, a truck-company owner in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, told the newspaper LNP: “It’s hard, it’s dirty, and they’re outside in the elements. It’s not like they have a desk where you can put pictures of your family. They are just trying to personalize things and have some fun.”
