In some of the commercials for one of the sponsors of the Bonanza TV show what was the specific shape of the brand that is burned into the famous Ponderosa map?

Answer 1

Your on the right track, pardner. it was not really an ad or sponsor for Bonanza but a product directly based on the show and a vehicle they used. The add- for the American Character company- mainly a doll manufacturer but diversified into vehicle construction for a four-way Bonanza Chuck wagon with various tops, tail gates, attachments for four distinct roles. the Brand was burned into a block of wood- not a live animal ( for the TV) commercial and simply bore the word BONANZA against an Oval brand shape or maybe rectangular like something on a back of a pair of levis- the familiar ( Tug of War) rubber design.. There was no need to menton the Cartwright family- a chuck wagon would be one of their products- the name literally means one who makes carts- or wagons, etc. Wainwright is similar but would refer to what we now call trucks.=then horse drawn. Hoboken had horse drawn garbage trucks ( Yuck!) as late as l94l, when health dept, intervened. That"s Hoboken NJ. In fact the wagon venture torpedoed American Character- which went out of business. Fortunately, star doll Tressie- not a Western character- was able to (Slide off the Tailgate) and be adopted, commercially by -IDEAL> it"s Ideal.