Home » Cold Start: Haulin’ The Wicker

Cold Start: Haulin’ The Wicker

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If you’ve wondered where the expression “haulin’ the wicker” comes from, meaning to carry a lot of stuff, rapidly and a little recklessly, then I’m delighted to show you this old 1978 Ford Escort van brochure, because this is the genesis. A distribution error from Ford of Britain’s brochure printer caused a copy of this page of the brochure to go out with the Sunday Times, so huge numbers of people saw this image of the Escort van, crammed full of wicker.

Ford of Britain, hoping to mitigate the error and cost, sent a fleet of Escort vans to collect as many errant brochure pages as possible, as quickly as possibly, resulting in many vans tearing ass around the city, crammed full of reams of paper, knocking over trash cans and side-swiping fences.

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The public conflated the wicker in the image with the speeding vans, and the expression stuck. If you were rushing to the airport with an armload of overnight bags and carry-ons, you were hauling the wicker, as you were when you rushed home with two full grocery bags, or if you were collecting a dozen rambunctious kittens.

Also, I may have just made all this up.

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Rollin Hand
Rollin Hand
2 years ago

Must be headed to one of those all-night wicker places…

Rafael
Rafael
2 years ago

I am not a native speaker, so I had no idea that “hauling the wicker” was a thing! I just saw a literal description of the brochure on the header, no big deal. Took me a while to realize I was missing out on another brilliant linguistic archeologic piece from our very own Torchiana Jones!

DysLexus
DysLexus
2 years ago

The exact derivation of the phrase has been disputed:

At that same time in East London, mass confusion ensued. A crowd vigorously chanted “Haul in da Wicca,” as a mad mob searched high and low for the local pagan priest allegedly transporting pig hearts in large wicker baskets.

Brian O'Neill
Brian O'Neill
2 years ago

You mean it doesn’t have to do with The Wicker Man?

unclesam
unclesam
2 years ago

One does not simply haul wicker. Most undignified.

Cool Dave
Cool Dave
2 years ago

Making me nostalgic for my ‘80 MkII! Man that was a fun first car!

Lew Schiller
Lew Schiller
2 years ago

Haulin’ the Wicker is now part of my lexicon

Chris Savino
Chris Savino
2 years ago

LOL farm camp.

Jason Douglas
Jason Douglas
2 years ago
Reply to  Chris Savino

Turns out Torch is just dropping Otto off in an empty field every morning at dawn and coming back to pick him up at sundown.

David Smith
David Smith
2 years ago
Reply to  Jason Douglas

Stop crushing Torch’s head.

Jason Douglas
Jason Douglas
2 years ago
Reply to  David Smith
Boulevard_Yachtsman
Boulevard_Yachtsman
2 years ago

Wasn’t there was an early Saturn prototype here in the States that was known for “Haulin’ the Wicker”?

Jason Douglas
Jason Douglas
2 years ago

I can’t believe that they were able to get that Star Wars tie in by having Luke Skywalker load the wicker in that bottom image.

Adrian Clarke
Adrian Clarke
2 years ago
Reply to  Jason Douglas

They’re out of wicker at Tosche Station.

Wesley Brooks
Wesley Brooks
2 years ago
Reply to  Adrian Clarke

It’s the only way to safely transport those power converters.

Man With A Reliable Jeep
Man With A Reliable Jeep
2 years ago

“Haulin’ the wicker” almost sounds like something that would be in practice in the south. Except I’ve never seen any real evidence that anyone from the south moves that fast, unless it’s a race. I might incorporate it into my own idioms here in the great north, though.

Jason Douglas
Jason Douglas
2 years ago

Then you, sir, have never been in a bar at last call.

FUCK YOU
FUCK YOU
2 years ago
Reply to  Jason Douglas

This is why nobody is *ever* in a rush in New Orleans—no closing hour.

SquareTaillight2002
SquareTaillight2002
2 years ago

I believe the story originated during the 70’s Britain labor disputes. Factories had become so dysfunctional that the workers could not wait to get to their favorite picnic and fishing locations, hence “haulin’ the wicker”.

Not THAT Florida Man
Not THAT Florida Man
2 years ago

Autopians conflated the Cold Start with stories full of grammatical and syntactical errors “and the expression stuck.”

Torch, I can’t wait for the next story where you or David are haulin’ the wicker.

Not THAT Florida Man
Not THAT Florida Man
2 years ago

Hey Torch, I didn’t actually see any errors. I was just trying to expand on the fun of this wonderful story. You and David, the whole team, are doing a great job.

BigThingsComin
BigThingsComin
2 years ago

What is Farm Camp?

Santiago Iglesias
Santiago Iglesias
2 years ago

The preview I see is a picture of a camouflaged development pickup truck

Last Pants
Last Pants
2 years ago

Yeah can’t decide if that’s part of the joke? It’s too early

HT
HT
2 years ago
Reply to  Last Pants

This was even funnier when the image was wrong

Dar Khorse
Dar Khorse
2 years ago

This incident also doomed the “Atlas Shrugged” inspired ad campaign that was planned to involve a year long series of “Who is Ebenezer?” ads. Sadly, the big reveal has been lost to history.

David Smith
David Smith
2 years ago

I don’t see a brochure, I see a picture of a pick up truck.

InWayOverMyHead
InWayOverMyHead
2 years ago
Reply to  David Smith

If we are going to be hyper literal, why not tell us where this picture of the pickup truck is?

InWayOverMyHead
InWayOverMyHead
2 years ago

I see there was a previous picture posted. I respectfully apologize and withdraw my snark.

David Smith
David Smith
2 years ago

No problem, strange things happen.

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
2 years ago

I’m totally thinking of one of the lesser-known but still great episodes of Fawlty Towers now.

Interesting front grill badging…when did Ford go to the oval emblem in the UK? In the ’80s?

Dar Khorse
Dar Khorse
2 years ago
Reply to  Jack Trade

Ah, perhaps all those baskets are full of… duck?

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
2 years ago
Reply to  Dar Khorse

One of them has no duck. It’s the surprise.

Dar Khorse
Dar Khorse
2 years ago
Reply to  Jack Trade

If you don’t like duck, you’re stuck!

Adrian Clarke
Adrian Clarke
2 years ago
Reply to  Jack Trade

I think (but I’d have to check) that later versions of the Mk2 Escort reverted back to the blue oval on the grill. It was definitely present on the Mk3 Escort.

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
2 years ago
Reply to  Adrian Clarke

Thinking about it, here in the States, the Mustang (Fox body) might have been the first model to use the blue oval in the late 70s?

Nlpnt
Nlpnt
2 years ago
Reply to  Jack Trade

Most of the line got it in the ’82 model year except the Fairmont which was on its’ way out.

T Beam
T Beam
2 years ago

Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

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