76 gas station balls are going away

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runchadrun
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76 gas station balls are going away

Post by runchadrun »

I saw this, of all places, on the BBC News page:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4735280.stm

ConocoPhillips is removing the iconic 76 balls from their gas stations, replacing them with boring flat signs.

More info and a peition are at http://www.savethe76ball.com/ . There's also a forum where you can report missing or existing balls
Jeff
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Post by Jeff »

There is one station near me left with the ball. The others closed or remodeled.
storeliker
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76 Balls

Post by storeliker »

I have been in almost every 76 station in Bay Area a few years ago for a job but quit soon after I saw Farenhiet 911. Alot of the balls do not rotate anymore, but some still do. I would doubt they would take away all the balls. I have noticed since there merger with Circle K they have changed the color from a plain orange to a darker version. I would doubt 76 would replace these with darker circulating globes since neon and rotating signs (like some KFCS used to do) are going to the wayside. I am always happy to a 76 ball turning and happy they have kept the ones that sont turn. Lets hope they keep it that way.
me
Leuqarte

Post by Leuqarte »

An operational 76 Ball still exists at Monterey and Dunne in Morgan Hill, CA.
storeliker
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Rotating balls

Post by storeliker »

i saw the one on Geary past Japantown in city working. It is a fifty fity chance now to see then working or have them at all (especially if it is a Circle K 76)
me
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Post by mojavewolfpup »

most of the ones here in las vegas so far I believe are being stripped out. they took out all the gas pumps and replaced them with "conoco-phillips" branded pumps. mostly you find these at rebel stations. for some reason also they took out the diesel pump island that also had racing fuel and combined the racing fuel into the regular gas pumps. Why they took out diesel is beyond me at most of the stations.
marshd1000
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Post by marshd1000 »

I believe that the new 76 logo is not a dark orange but actually a red color. I believe that this is the color of Conoco and Phillips. I believe that this happened after the merger with Conoco. Here is some recent history about 76. Prior to acquisition by Phillips, 76 had been owned by a company called Tosco. Tosco had acquired the 76 brand from Union Oil of California, also known as Unocal. Unocal kept on being the a exploration and refining company. It is now owned by Chevron-Texaco. Anyway, Tosco here in the Northwest was the licensee for the BP brand. When BP re-entered the West Coast by acquiring Arco, Tosco then ditched the BP brand and expanded the 76 brand. I believe that just before acquiring 76, Tosco had acquired Circle K. Interestlingly enough in Arizona, many of the Circle K stores had 76 gas. After Phillips and Conoco merged, they have since sold off Circle K to the Canadian owner of Mac's convience store. So the change in the color of the 76 logo has nothing to do with Circle K, although there are still co-branded 76-Cirlce K stores.
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Dave
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Post by Dave »

marshd1000 wrote:I believe that the new 76 logo is not a dark orange but actually a red color. I believe that this is the color of Conoco and Phillips...
Indeed, Conoco used red and Phillips 66 did too, but before the 1960's, Phillips 66 used black on orange before changing to white on red.
storeliker
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A shade of orange

Post by storeliker »

it doesn't look fully red to me. It looks more like "International Orange" which the Golden Gate Birdge is painted and also was the same color the top of the Space Needle in Seattle was painted for the year of the fair before coverting to a white top.
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storewanderer
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Post by storewanderer »

It doesn't look fully red to me on the new red signs.

However, looking at a new red gas pump, it is clear that the color is indeed red.

Maybe we WANT it to look orange, so it does.
storeliker
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Color

Post by storeliker »

I'm am almost certain it is International Orange which appears to be more of a red color. Most people think GG Bridge is red but in fact Int Orange. I believe i read that in the business section of the paper awhile back. Not sure why they would paint the Space Needle top the same color during 62 Worlds Fair and am sure they did it again for an anniversery a few years back but missed out on seeing it for some reason.
Not sure why 76 would change the trademark color either. They own alot of Circle K's now with gas pumps and maybe the red logo of Circle K clashed to much with the lighter orange.
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jamcool
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Post by jamcool »

Conoco sold off Circle K to Couche-Tard of Canada several years ago...In Phoenix when the ownership changed Circle K dropped 76 gas at all of its AZ stores. Most sell just Circle K-brand gas but several have picked up the Shell brand
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storewanderer
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Post by storewanderer »

There are still some Circle K/76 sites left in CA, OR, and WA. A few of those are franchise operations. Others were Circle K sites retained by ConocoPhilips (not sold to Couche-Tard) and operate as corporate owned ConocoPhilips stations with the c-store being branded Circle K instead of Breakplace (as is used at Conoco corporate owned sites) or Kicks 66 (as is used at P66 corporate owned sites, of which there are very few).

ConocoPhilips franchise agreement for Circle K expires in a year or so. We'll see what they rebrand these convenience stores to.
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Post by Dean »

The 76 ball I will never forget is the one that you can't miss while you sit in Dodger Stadium. The station there was strategically placed so you could not miss it! Is it still standing?

With the ORANGE ball...that is why the seats were ORANGE. LA TIMES had an article a time back describing 76s corporate sponsorship.
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Post by runchadrun »

An update from http://savethe76ball.com/victory
The 76 Balls that come off their poles are no longer being smashed or cut into pieces, but being preserved for donation to museums like the American Sign Museum, Petersen Automotive Museum, NASCAR Hall of Fame, Museum of Neon Art and perhaps even the Smithsonian! And a new type of 76 Ball, colored red rather than orange, will soon be installed at up to 100 gas stations in the west.
As for Dodger Stadium, the Union Oil Company provided half of the capital for Walter O'Malley to build the stadium. It cost $16m to build the stadium and Union Oil advanced O'Malley $8m for 10 years broadcasting rights. They then resold the advertising to other sponsors. For many, many years the only advertising inside the stadium were the 76 signs above the scoreboards (they were round and flat, not balls) and next to the auxiliary scoreboards along the baselines.

A new color scheme including the orange seats in the loge section were installed in the 1970s. All of the seats in the stadium were replaced in the 2005 off-season with new seats in the original 1962 pastel colors. The loge seats are now a pale orange pastel. You can buy some of the old seats for $250/pair. I got a set for my birthday last year.
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