Skipping Girl Sign facts for kids
The Skipping Girl Sign, also called Little Audrey, is a famous moving neon sign in Abbotsford, Melbourne, Australia. It was probably the first animated neon sign in Australia. The sign was first put up in 1936.
It advertised a product called Skipping Girl Vinegar. The sign sat on top of the factory where the vinegar was made. In 1968, the sign was taken down. But people missed it so much that a new version was put up in 1970 on a different factory nearby.
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How the Sign Works
The sign is a metal shape painted to look like a little girl skipping. Neon lights outline her. At night, the lights turn on in a special order. This makes it look like the girl is really skipping her rope!
The First Skipping Girl Sign
Skipping Girl vinegar was made by a company called Nycander & Co. A Swedish person named Oscar Emile Nycander started this company. He was important because he built Australia's first yeast factory and vinegar brewery.
The first sign was designed in 1936 by an artist named Jim Minogue. He worked for a company called Electric Signs. This company built and took care of the sign. Nycander & Co paid them rent each year to use it.
The sign quickly became very popular. People in Melbourne loved seeing "Little Audrey" skip. The idea for a skipping girl and vinegar came from a skipping rhyme. The rhyme often included words like "salt, vinegar, mustard, pepper." In 1938, the company even held a skipping competition for girls to promote their vinegar!
Why the Sign Was Removed
In the 1950s, a different company took over Nycander & Co. The Abbotsford factory closed down in the mid-1960s. When the building was torn down in 1968, the sign was removed too.
A company tried to get "Little Audrey" back. But the company that tore down the building said they owned the sign. They sold it to a used car dealership.
The New Sign in the 1970s
Many people were upset that the sign was gone. A man named John Benjamin, who owned a nearby factory, decided to help. He worked with the local council to get the sign back.
Since the original sign was sold, a new, slightly smaller one was built. This new sign was put on the roof of his factory in 1970. This factory is at 651 Victoria Street.
The 1970 sign is now very important. It was listed by the National Trust of Australia in 2000. It is also on the Victorian Heritage Register. This means it is a protected part of history.
The sign lit up every night until 2002. Then, the building owners decided they could no longer pay for the electricity and upkeep.
Bringing Audrey Back to Life
In May 2008, people started asking for donations to fix the sign. The National Trust of Australia helped, along with a group called 'Friends of Audrey'. The building owners also agreed to help.
An energy company called AGL Energy paid for most of the repairs. They also agreed to pay for the power and future fixes. In return, they got to put their advertising at the bottom of the sign.
"Little Audrey" was taken down for repairs on March 23, 2009. She was put back up on June 10 of the same year. In 2012, AGL announced that solar panels on the roof would power the sign. This made it a "green" sign!
The Building's Future
In 2020, the news reported that the factory building was going to be sold. There are rules about how tall new buildings can be in that area. However, because the building is a heritage site, it might get extra floors. This could mean the Skipping Girl Sign would need to be moved even higher up.
Cultural Connections
The Skipping Girl Sign has inspired many artists and musicians:
- In 1973, the album Country Girl had a song called Skipping Girl. It was written by Barry Humphries.
- The sign appeared in a Melbourne TV movie called 'Bachelor Girl' in 1987.
- When the Southbank area opened in Melbourne in 1992, an artist made a neon work called 'Running Girl'. This art piece was a nod to 'Little Audrey'. It showed a modern woman jogging.
- A Melbourne indie pop band named themselves Skipping Girl Vinegar. They said they loved her because she is a "pop icon" and part of Melbourne.
- Another Melbourne band, My Friend the Chocolate Cake, mentions her in their song "It's All in the Way."
- On September 1, 2015, the Skipping Girl Sign was on a series of stamps. Australia Post released these stamps as part of their "Signs Of The Times" collection.
