From national television commercials to greeting cards to hometown celebrations, the Budweiser Clydesdales have become a tradition during the holiday season.
The Budweiser Dalmatian, a Clydesdale’s best friend, has traveled with the hitch since the 1950s.
The Budweiser Clydesdales have been part of the Tournament of Roses Parade for 56 years.
Budweiser Clydesdales Celebrate 75th Anniversary with Special Rose Parade Float
ST. LOUIS (Dec. 17, 2008) — The Budweiser Clydesdales, a Tournament of Roses Parade tradition for 56 years, are celebrating another milestone — 75 years as the symbol of Anheuser-Busch and an American icon. The Clydesdales will pull the "City of St. Louis" float, "Seventy-Five Years of Entertainment," in the 120th Rose Parade themed "Hats Off to Entertainment" on New Year's Day.
The Clydesdales became part of Anheuser-Busch in 1933, shortly after Prohibition ended for beer, when August A. Busch Jr. and Adolphus Busch III presented a hitch to their father, August Busch Sr., to commemorate the first bottle of post-Prohibition beer brewed in St. Louis.
"The Rose Parade is especially significant for us this year as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Budweiser Clydesdales, which are beloved by millions in the United States and around the world," said Kathy Flanigan Busch O'Kane, co-producer of the "City of St. Louis" float. "The Clydesdales are not only part of the heritage of Anheuser-Busch, but they have also been part of the entertainment tradition of the parade for the past 56 years."
The "City of St. Louis" float, designed by Michelle Lofthouse of Phoenix Decorating Co., depicts the Budweiser Clydesdales' antique beer wagon and official home, the historic stable located at the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis. Built in 1885, the stable is listed on the Registry of National Historic Landmarks and is a favorite stop for visitors on daily brewery tours. The Clydesdales wagon is depicted using fine cut red strawflower with black seaweed "wheels" of fine ground rice and kidney beans. The front and rear arches of the stable are decorated with fine cut red statice and feature "stained glass" windows of purple, hot pink, light green and yellow gladiolus petals. The sculpted horses accenting the front arch are covered with fine crushed walnut shell, bronze strawflower, ground onion seed and powdered rice. The base of the float is highlighted with roses, daisies, carnations and irises in bright yellow, white, lavender, blue and orange.
"The introduction of the Budweiser Clydesdales in 1933 symbolized a national return to optimism," said Karen Flanigan Busch Buhl, co-producer of the "City of St. Louis" float. "Today, the Clydesdales still captivate crowds from coast to coast as a vision of majesty, teamwork and above all, quality."
The float also celebrates the anniversary of another St. Louis institution and National Historic Landmark, the Missouri Botanical Garden. The Garden is the oldest of its kind in the United States and will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2009. The float features the façade of the Garden's Linnean House, which was built in 1882 and is the oldest continuously operating public greenhouse west of the Mississippi River. The float also depicts the Garden's popular giant water lilies and "fountain" featuring water created with light and dark irises and lavender statice. Garden founder Henry Shaw is also depicted on the float feeding an apple to a young Clydesdale. "This year's float offers a historic look at St. Louis through two of its icons, the Budweiser Clydesdales and the Missouri Botanical Garden," Lofthouse said. "It combines the best of decorating opportunities in both dry and fresh flowers while depicting a piece of American history for all to appreciate."
Special guests riding the float this year are Missouri Botanical Garden President Dr. Peter Raven and his wife, Pat. For three decades, Raven has headed the Garden and is credited for turning the institution into a world-class center for botanical research and education and horticultural display.
Karen Flanigan Busch Buhl and Kathy Flanigan Busch O'Kane, granddaughters of the late August A. Busch Jr., St. Louis businessman and philanthropist, have co-produced the "City of St. Louis" float for more than a decade. They follow in the footsteps of their mother, Carlota "Lotsie" Busch Webster, who introduced the float and Clydesdales to the parade in 1953.
During the past 56 years, the "City of St. Louis" float has captured 25 awards in the Rose Parade, including 14 National and three Queen's awards. Most recently, the "City of St. Louis" won the 2005 Judges' Special Award for "outstanding showmanship and dramatic impact" for its "Harvest Celebration" float.
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.5 percent share of U.S. beer sales. The company brews the world's largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer, and a 27 percent share in China brewer Tsingtao, whose namesake beer brand is the country's best-selling premium beer. Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine's Most Admired U.S. and Global Companies lists in 2008. Anheuser-Busch is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and one of the world's largest recyclers of aluminum cans. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer, and continues to operate under the Anheuser-Busch name and logo. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.