A rare rhinoceros has called a south-side tire shop home for almost 30 years.
Modeled after a logo from a 1960s tire company, the bright pink horned animal with blue eyes, named "Tuffy," watches over customers and traffic from his perch atop Jack Furrier Tire & Auto Care shop on South Palo Verde Road near East Ajo Way.
When Jack Furrier opened his first location at 5852 E. Speedway in 1963 he had a local artist build Tuffy to celebrate the shop's grand opening.
Modeled after a cartoon character used by the now-closed Armstrong Tires - whose tires were considered "rhino-tough" - it is made from papier-mâché.
"It had a little motor in it that made the jaw move back and forth, and we had it wired up (for sound) and so two of my little kids would talk through the microphone," Furrier said. "They'd say 'Hi' to the kids, 'How are you doing? Where are you going? Do you like rhinos?' Just making idle conversation. I can tell you the kids really loved it."
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Some time later the 5-foot-tall rhino, which was originally gray, was painted its notable bubble-gum pink color and covered with fiberglass.
"We just thought a pink rhino would be a little unusual to say the least," Furrier said.
Tuffy vanished for a few years and was put into storage before he was hoisted above the Palo Verde location.
"One of my sons, Rick, said 'We gotta get that rhino out and put him somewhere,' " Furrier said.
Since then, Tuffy has served as a beacon for customers looking for the shop, and Furrier continues to use the rhino in advertisements.
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Contact reporter Veronica Cruz at vcruz@azstarnet.com or 573-4224.
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