Atomic Mouse of Georgia

Ringgold, Georgia

The Atomic Mouse was the mascot of Atomic Pest Control of Memphis from 1969 to 2013. It was the brainstorm of company owner Stanley "Les" Tubbs, who had a flair for promotion. Les bought the mouse for $2,000 from a company that pledged not to sell an identical mouse or "mouse eating cheese" within a 200 mile radius of Memphis. The mouse proved very popular -- Les even loaned it to a local theater when the movie "Willard" premiered in 1972 -- but when it was abducted (and recovered) in 1978, Les relocated the mouse to the roof.

Les passed away in 2002. His daughter, Carese Rice, told us that her dad had also designed the company's original spaceman logo in 1958, and that no one could come up with a satisfactory name for the mouse, although suggestions included "Easy Cheesy" and "Adam D. Atom." Carese said that her cousin once gave the mouse glowing red light bulb eyes, but they proved unpopular.

"He looked like an evil mouse," she said. "No one wants to see an 11-foot-tall mouse look evil."

In late 2013 Les's nephew inherited the mouse -- with the stipulation that it always remain in the family -- and moved it to his own non-atomic pest control business in northern Georgia. In tribute to its long-standing fame, the mouse has been restored and mounted on a special viewing platform. It is illuminated 24 hours a day, and despite Carese's misgivings, the Atomic Mouse's eyes once again glow red at night.