[3][4] This program was part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal", and continues as the Rural Utilities Service in the United States Department of Agriculture.

[3][4] The NRECA was founded in 1942 as a trade organization to represent these rural co-ops and provide additional services which were too expensive individually.

[9] The opinion, written by Judge Harry E. Watkins, stated that "[t]he names Reddy Kilowatt and Willie Wiredhand are entirely different.

[12] A political campaign, "Minutemen for Rural Electrification", included an image of Willie dressed as a Minuteman, which appeared on stage behind then-Senator John F. Kennedy at a 1959 NRECA event in Washington, D.C.[13] In the 1960s, a family group of musicians known as The Willie Wiredhand Serenaders hosted a local television show, sponsored by several electric co-ops,[14] and gave touring performances.

[17] A five-foot animatronic mascot at the office of the Electric Power Associations of Mississippi could move its arms and speak.

[18] Branded items including Willie Wiredhand wristwatches and aprons were given as prizes for sponsored local events.

[21] An animated neon sign of Willie in Sand Point, Seattle, created in the 1950s and out of repair for decades, was restored in 2000 through a crowdfunding campaign.

[8][24] The NRCEA produces an annual Christmas ornament of Willie,[18] and other items have included bobbleheads[21] and handmade pens.