Why on earth would a Pegasus come to be shorthand for Mobil Oil and by proxy, Dallas?
Long story short: Mobile Oil has changed it’s name many times and bought out several other oil companies. They kept the red winged horse logo from a long ago acquisition.
Full explanation: The Pegasus was the trademark of subsidiary oil company out of South Africa. The Vacuum Oil Company of Cape Town trademarked the Pegasus after briefly using a gargoyle as their mascot. Vacuum Oil Company was actually based in Rochester New York and was subsequently bought by Standard Oil. This new merger was called Socony Vacuum Oil Company. Socony Vacuum went on to buy Magnolia Petroleum, the creators of the magnificent Magnolia Building. The building was part of the deal. Socony Vacuum became Socony Mobil in 1955, then just Mobil in 1966.
Tah-da! Now you have the Mobil Oil in the Magnolia Building with a Pegasus on top crazed mash-up!
Image: the front of the Magnolia Building. Jason Flowers at FlowersFilm.com
Tours are available and the Magnolia Building figures prominently.
