What do Dolly Parton, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Optimus Prime have in common?
They all have snow removal machines in Madison named after them.
In early 2023, the City of Madison in partnership with Wisconsin Salt Wise put out a call for submissions to name four of its snow removal vehicles. More than 1,200 names were submitted and from there, the city’s Streets Division narrowed down the choices. After the initial cut, Madisonians weighed in on the options through rounds of ranked choice voting.
Some of the suggested names included Barbara Salters, Brine of Tarth, Pushy McDriftyflakes, Willem DePlow, Snow Pesci, and Kung Plow Chicken.
In the end four names emerged as winners: Saltimus Prime, Snowbi Wan Kenobi, Dolly Plowton, and Seymour Pavement.
The baseball cards are now available for free at all Madison Public Library branches, both City of Madison Streets Division offices and other locations across the City. (City of Madison)
Why the puns?
“Naming these snow-fighting machines in the City fleet gives us an opportunity to highlight their unique roles in helping us travel safely through Madison [...] during the winter months,” Streets Division Public Information Officer Bryan Johnson said in January. “And, frankly, it’s fun.”
This isn’t the first time street equipment has been given special names. The city ran a similar campaign in 2022 to name its new trash and recycling compactors. The winning names were Rosie the Rubbisher and Cold Squeeze Often.
Recently, the city released collectable baseball cards to celebrate the snow machines. The four cards feature the vehicles and their names on one side and on the reverse, there are educational and fun facts about the machines. You can collect them all by finding the cards at any Madison Public Library branch, both City of Madison Streets Division offices, and the Henry Vilas Zoo.
