Fans of The Simpsons will recall the episode where Homer acquired a "Canyonero," which was a monstrously-sized SUV weighing more than two Sherman tanks. These fans will also recall that Homer immediately gave the vehicle to Marge when his coworkers pointed out to him that it was the "F" (for female) model which had a lipstick holder instead of a cigarette lighter and that he would be stigmatized as less than a man if he drove it.
While not as lavish or large as the Canyonero, the 1955 Dodge La Femme would have been equally disfavored by Homer. In order to appeal to the ladies, Chrysler created this special model with a pink and gray two-tone exterior as well as pink floral-patterned upholstery. Also included were two special boxes built into the passenger compartment to hold the factory-provided pink raincoat, umbrella, and handbag. The handbag, shaped like a chevron and bearing a large metal clasp to be engraved with the name of the owner, contained a compact, lipstick case, comb, cigarette lighter, cigarette case, and change purse. These items were created by Evans of Chicago, which apparently was some hoity-toity designer.
Poor sales caused Chrysler to drop the model after 1956. For reasons lost in history, Chrysler apparently never featured it in print ads or TV commercials, and it is quite possible that a lot more women (or chauvinistic husbands) might have paid the extra $143 to buy this particular model if they had simply known about it.
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| By Dyno Tested at English Wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
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