Chessie (mascot)

Derived from an etching by Viennese artist Guido Grünewald, the image first appeared in a black and white advertisement in the September 1933 issue of Fortune magazine with the slogan "Sleep Like a Kitten."

The promotion proved widely popular and, in addition to national print advertising, grew to include calendars, clothing, and even two children's books about the character.

Chessie's mate was Peake, who was introduced in the June 1937 issue of Life magazine and was the father of her two kittens, "Nip" and "Tuck".

When in 1972 the C&O merged with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and Western Maryland Railway, the newly formed holding company was named the Chessie System after the popular image.

Chessie System also adopted the "Ches-C" logo, which incorporated the silhouette of the kitten into the "C" of the railroad's name.