The next time you deliver cargo in Seattle, you might stop by the city’s Museum of History and Industry to catch up on one of Channel 19’s quirkier news items: the pink Lincoln Toe Truck. It’s shaped like a human foot and was first featured in Overdrive in July 2000, a photo from which you can see on OverdriveRetro.
At that time, Ed and Connie Lincoln had used the Toe Truck and similarly configured pink trucks for nearly 25 years as their sole source of advertising their business, Lincoln Towing. Eleven years ago, they were seeking new owners for the longtime iconic display.
In 2005, a few years after the Lincolns retired full-time, the Toe Truck was housed in Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry and made part of a permanent display with other celebrated legends in the Hall of Icons and Eye Candy. It rests next to the original model for the Seattle Space Needle, the Running Rainier Bottle (depicting the famous beer) and the Eddie Bauer Cougar, among other archives.
“It showcases Seattle’s innovative spirit and sense of humor,” says Kimberly Jacobsen, executive assistant to the museum director. “It’s among friends.”
Although Ed Lincoln is retired, he is still engaged in entrepreneurial projects – and still promoting them with images of the pink truck adorned with five human-looking toes. In October 2010, his 328-page memoir, “Life Through the Rearview Mirror,” was published by Book Publishers Network. “By nature I’m a storyteller,” he told the North Seattle Herald Outlook in February. “Especially stories that are true but extra unusual.”
Amazon.com reviews of the book reflect a well-told, humorous and compassionate account of the kind of risks needed and challenges encountered for small business owners. For long-haul, owner-operators running over-the-road hauls, Lincoln’s account may give valuable insight into what life is like for the tow truck owners – with a solid dose of puns included.