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in May 1895 and became his most widely known work. It originally had the longer title "The Purple Cow's projected feast/Reflections on a Mythic Beast/Who's Quite
Remarkable, at Least". This publication of the poem also included an illustration by Burgess featuring a cow jumping over an art nouveau
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Burgess came to resent its popularity. A few years after writing the poem, Burgess wrote another short poem in response, titled "Confession: and a
Portrait Too, Upon a Background that I Rue", which appeared in the final issue of
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brand ice cream. The Purple Cow brand started in 1934 and was an ice cream shop inside of Meijer stores starting in the 1960s. The name is based on
Burgess's poem shared by founder
209:. The phrase has also been used for the marketing concept of choosing a name which "makes your audience stop in their tracks and wonder why the title was chosen."
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fence heading towards a naked human, with both the cow and the human filled in black. A poster version of his illustration is part of the collection of the
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to his three sons. Fred Meijer handed out cards for free ice cream at any Meijer Purple Cow ice cream shop to customers as part of a promotional campaign.
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in which Filby is making fun of not only Fletch but his albatross of a first name, which is a recurring theme in the series of books.
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tobacco blend manufactured by
Cornell & Diehl blended by the late Bob Runowski and crafted for the Chicago Pipe Show years ago.
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The poem became popular, eventually becoming what one commentator called "he most quoted poem in twentieth-century
America, after '
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has used the phrase "Purple Cow" for the concept of marketing a product as "intrinsically different" in his book,
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American Art
Posters of the 1890s in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Including the Leonard A. Lauder Collection
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has a purple cow head on a post. Its status as a local landmark led to the naming of Purple Cow Road.
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if he'd ever seen a UFO. Truman reportedly responded by reciting lines from
Burgess's poem.
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A slightly modified version of the final line of the poem is referenced in the book
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Race and Time: American Women's
Poetics from Antislavery to Racial Modernity
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Several parodies of "The Purple Cow" have been written by others, including
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599:"Hank Meijer shares poem that inspired retailer's Purple Cow ice cream"
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without credit to
Burgess. Many years after its appearance, publicist
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The poem was first published in the first issue of
Burgess's magazine
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555:"Meijer Celebrates National Ice Cream Day with Purple Cow Ice Cream"
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Historic Walks in San Francisco: 18 Trails Through the City's Past
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appeared at Burgess's home with a cow he had painted purple.
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Strange But True San Francisco: Tales of the City by the Bay
237:"Irwin!" Roy Filby echoed. "I'd rather see one than be one!"
118:'". In addition to being widely anthologized, it was often
828:"Book Review: Fletch and the Man Who by Gregory Mcdonald"
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Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
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Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
25:
Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
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Marketing for Scientists: How to Shine in Tough Times
220:, which, in turn, took its name from Burgess's poem.
807:. Williams College, Archives and Special Collections
373:. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1987. pp. 113–.
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621:"Excerpts from 'Fred Meijer: Stories of His Life'"
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166:was once asked by UFO researcher and publisher
773:Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design
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173:"Purple Cow Creamery" is also the name of the
96:in which Burgess's "Purple Cow" first appeared
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192:The "Purple Cow Drive-In" ice-cream stand in
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437:. Courier Dover Publications. pp. 10–.
400:. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 103–.
295:. Heritage House Publishers. pp. 357–.
465:Montanarelli, Lisa; Harrison, Ann (2005).
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499:Wilder, Marshall P., ed. (May 28, 2006).
642:Smith, Bill; Harmsel, Larry Ten (2009).
650:. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. pp.
533:. Prometheus Books. 2002. p. 371.
502:The Wit and Humor of America, Volume I.
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736:Kuchner, Marc J. (November 15, 2011).
577:"History of the Purple Cow at Meijer"
336:. University of Iowa Press. pp.
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34:The original "Purple Cow", from 1895
397:Children's Books and Their Creators
683:"Dooms, Virginia: Purple Cow Head"
139:Ah, yes, I wrote the "Purple Cow"—
50:. It was first published in 1895.
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431:Gardner, Martin (June 19, 2012).
770:Rogers, Scott (April 11, 2014).
646:Fred Meijer: Stories of His Life
66:The Purple Cow by Gelett Burgess
505:Infomotions.com. Archived from
471:. Globe Pequot. pp. 165–.
145:I'll Kill you if you Quote it!
742:. Island Press. pp. 81–.
212:A purple cow is the mascot of
1:
530:Shockingly Close to the Truth
328:Gray, Janet (April 1, 2004).
579:. meijercommunity.com. 2017
78:I'd rather see than be one.
181:stores which creates their
141:I'm Sorry, now, I wrote it;
76:But I can tell you, anyhow,
16:1895 poem by Gelett Burgess
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116:The Night Before Christmas
109:Metropolitan Museum of Art
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143:But I can tell you Anyhow
72:I never saw a Purple Cow,
162:United States President
74:I never hope to see one;
805:"The Purple Cow Mascot"
776:. Wiley. pp. 49–.
557:. prnewswire.com. 2017
289:Richards, Rand (2002).
394:Silvey, Anita (1995).
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226:Fletch and the Man Who
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434:Best Remembered Poems
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869:Cattle in literature
707:Godin, Seth (2003).
509:on February 17, 2012
84:Publication history
46:by American writer
623:. Mlive.com. 2019
601:. Mlive.com. 2017
120:transmitted orally
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265:"The Purple Cow"
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168:James W. Moseley
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833:November 26,
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605:January 19,
583:January 19,
561:January 19,
187:Fred Meijer
859:1895 poems
853:Categories
540:1573929913
252:References
229:(1983) by
218:Purple Cow
201:Seth Godin
183:Purple Cow
40:Purple Cow
21:Seth Godin
811:August 8,
199:Marketer
177:owned by
124:Jim Moran
271:26 March
175:creamery
157:O. Henry
132:The Lark
103:The Lark
94:The Lark
789:June 8,
755:June 8,
484:June 8,
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353:June 8,
308:June 8,
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179:Meijer
23:, see
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813:2015
791:2014
778:ISBN
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717:ISBN
694:2021
669:2014
656:ISBN
629:2022
607:2024
585:2024
563:2024
535:ISBN
515:2022
486:2014
473:ISBN
452:2014
439:ISBN
415:2014
402:ISBN
375:ISBN
355:2014
342:ISBN
310:2014
297:ISBN
273:2013
246:pipe
54:Poem
654:–.
652:248
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