The Osborne bull () is a black silhouetted image of a bull in semi-profile. Erected as either or billboards, as of July 2022 there are 92 of them installed on hilltops and along roadways throughout much of Spain.
Conceived as an advertising vehicle over ago, the Osborne bull has given its parent company extraordinary brand recognition around the world. With the passage of time, the Osborne bull has become enmeshed in Spain's cultural identity and is now considered an unofficial national emblem.
History
The , renowned purveyor of wines, spirits and various other food products, is the second oldest company in Spain and one of the oldest companies in the world. It was founded in 1772 by Thomas Osborne Mann, an English shopkeeper from Exeter who moved to Cádiz to trade in wines.
In 1956, Osborne wanted an ad campaign to promote its Brandy de Jerez. Designer came up with a simple but effective design: a silhouetted black bull with the words "Veterano Osborne" () stenciled on it.
Originally built out of wood and high and erected near major roads throughout Spain, by 1961 these "bullboards" were being built up to high and out of wood, steel and sheet metal to better withstand the elements.
To comply with a 1962 law that prohibited advertising billboards within of a road, the bulls were moved back but were increased in size to , weighing . Then in 1974, another law required all advertising billboards to be moved to a distance of , so the bulls were moved again.
In July 1988 a law that prohibited all roadside advertising went into effect. All advertising content was removed from the billboards, although the bulls themselves remained.
New regulations governing national roadways in September 1994 called for the removal of all the Osborne bulls. Public outcry over the bulls' removal resulted in the Congress of Deputies declaring them a part of the "cultural and artistic heritage of the people of Spain." The bulls stayed up. In December 1997, the Supreme Court ruled that the bulls could remain, on the grounds that they had become a part of the landscape and have "aesthetic or cultural significance."
The bull today
As of 1998, the Osborne bull is no longer a strictly commercial symbol. Having become a cultural icon of the country, it occasionally becomes embroiled in its politics; as a symbol associated with the national identity of Spain, it is frequently the target of vandalism by members of nationalist and independentist movements within the country.
Because the Osborne bull has become such a recognized national symbol of Spain, some of the more independence-minded Spanish regions have taken to caricaturing its image. In these regions, it is not uncommon to find similar black silhouettes of, for example, the cow used by the Galicians, the donkey used by the Catalans, the sheep used by the Basques or the Tudanca cow used by the Cantabrians.
The image of the Osborne bull is internationally recognized and can be found on stickers, souvenirs, post cards and many other items. It has become a broader symbol for Spain by sports fans, who embed it in the flag of Spain in the manner of a coat of arms, and even by members of the Spanish Armed Forces on international missions. However, as a commercial logo owned by the Osborne Group, the company retains exclusive commercial rights to its use. This has resulted in various trademark infringement lawsuits through the years.
Once numbering almost 500 across all of Spain, as of July 2022 there are 92 Osborne bull billboards erected throughout much of the country. They are scattered irregularly around the country, with a larger concentration of the bulls appearing in the south. Many regions only have one bull, while others have none.
Location of the Osborne bulls
Only two billboards remain in Spain with the word "Osborne" still stenciled on them. One is at the Jerez Airport northeast of Jerez de la Frontera in the province of Cádiz, and the other is in the nearby town of El Puerto de Santa María, where the Osborne Group is headquartered.
The bull abroad
As of August 2017, four of the Osborne bulls remain, in a slightly different design, in Mexico. They retain their advertising function, with “Magno” (in white) and “Osborne” (in red) stenciled across them.
An Osborne bull was erected in Spain’s North African enclave of Melilla in early 2011. Its location makes it visible along the length of the city’s Mediterranean coastline and even across the border in Morocco.