LIANE HANSEN, host:
If you put the rural northwestern Pennsylvania town of Bradford into the Google search engine, you'll find some interesting facts. It was an oil boom town in the late 1800s, and today is home to the oldestcontinuously operating oil refinery in the United States. Mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne was born in Bradford in 1934. And since 1932, Bradford has been the home of the Zippo lighter.
(Soundbite of the click of a Zippo)
The windproof lighter, with its familiar click and blue flame, has been an American mainstay for everyone from Gis in foxholes in Germany and Vietnam, to Indiana Jones.
(Soundbite of movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade")
Mr. HARRISON FORD: (As Indiana Jones) Try and burn through the ropes.
(Soundbite of lighter being lit)
Mr. PAT GRANDY (Marketing Communications Manager, Zippo): In '96, there was a Zippo lighter in every film that was nominated for Best Picture.
HANSEN: Pat Grandy is referring to "The English Patient," "Fargo," "Jerry McGuire," "Secrets & Lies" and "Shine." Grandy is in charge of communications for Zippo. He and Zippo historian Linda Meabon are taking us on a quick tour of the Zippo museum in Bradford. So, my first question to Meabon is, where did George Blaisdell, Zippo's founder, came up with that nifty name?
Ms. LINDA MEABON (Zippo Museum Curator and Historian): Well, the zipper had recently been invented in Meadville, Pennsylvania. And he loved catchy phrases and catchy names. And he loved that zipper, but he couldn't use it. So he took the E-R off and added the O - and that's how we've become Zippo.
HANSEN: Since the 1930s, more than 450 million Zippos have been manufactured. They are guaranteed for life, so there's still a lot of them out there. Some are emblazoned with four-leaf clovers, smiling Buddhas, grinning skulls, Harley insignias, American flags and evil clowns. But the most popular models are Elvis and the Playboy Bunny.
(Soundbite of Zippo commercial)
Unidentified Man #1: I'll blow your lighter out, too. I will.
Unidentified Man #2: No, you won't. It's a Zippo, the lighter that's really windproof. Prove it yourself. Try the fan test. See how Zippo lights with a zip even in wind. And Zippo offers you free service for life.
HANSEN: The tiny holes in the small chimney of the lighter make the Zippo windproof. Founder George Blaisdell got the idea one day while having a smoke with a friend out on the porch of a country club. His friend's European lighter seemed to work in the wind. Blaisdell saw an opportunity to adapt that design, one that has lasted and lasted.
(Soundbite of hammering)
HANSEN: The Zippo workshop is behind the museum in Bradford. Here, a handful of women, many of them smoking, sit hunched over workbenches processing and repairing Zippo sent in from Scotland, Missouri, Washington State and Brooklyn. Some 300 arrive every day.
(Soundbite of opening a package)
HANSEN: Often, there's an accompanying letter.
(Soundbite of paper rustling)
Unidentified Woman: Dear Zippo staff, this lighter belonged to my grandfather and was never used. Anyway, the wheel kept binding with the flint tube, which isn't solid in place. If you folks could fix this for me, I would be very happy. I will cover any postage. Thank you.
Mr. GRANDY: It's not like a toaster or a blender or something that you can just fix and send out. These are really family treasures, and so we try to be extremely careful with tracking them and fixing them.
HANSEN: Repair person Barbara Gervais has been at Zippo for 21 years. And one story still sticks with her.
(Soundbite of laughter)
Ms. BARBARA GERVAIS (Repair Worker, Zippo): This one guy said his pig ate his lighter - and he followed him around for two weeks. That one sticks in my mind.
(Soundbite of laughter)
HANSEN: The decline in smoking, and rules about carrying cigarette lighters onto airplanes - which, by the way, are no longer in effect - have hit sales at Zippo. Counterfeiting is a huge problem. And because of health concerns and fire marshals, the tradition of holding up a lighter at the end of a rock concert to show your appreciation and encourage an encore is no longer practiced. But Zippo found a solution for enthusiastic music lovers. Now, they can download a virtual Zippo lighter on iTunes for the iPhone.
Mr. GRANDY: It's a flat screen and a picture of the lighter, but if we touch the lid, the lid will open, and it clicks just like the regular Zippo lighter. And if you shake the phone, you can shake the lid shut.
(Soundbite of laughter)
HANSEN: Just like you would if you had the lighter in your hand.
Mr. GRANDY: Just like you would if you had the lighter, and Liane, if you'd like to run your finger down the flint wheel, you can strike the flint, there we go. And there's...
HANSEN: First time, every time.
Mr. GRANDY: Virtual fire.
HANSEN: Oh, that's so cool. But even though the lighter now exists in cyberspace, the Zippo company in Bradford, Pennsylvania, expects to sell its 500 millionth real lighter by the end of the year.
(Soundbite of song "Under Pressure")
QUEEN: (Singing) The people on the edge of the night And loves dares you to change our way of Caring about ourselves This is our last dance This is our last dance This is ourselves Under pressure...
HANSEN: And if you'd like to see a real demonstration of the virtual Zippo, visit our blog at npr.org/soapbox.
(Soundbite of cheering)
HANSEN: You're listening to Weekend Edition from NPR News.