The Osborne bull (in Spanish: Toro de Osborne) is a 14-metre-high black silhouetted image of a bull in semi-profile, and is regarded as the unofficial national symbol of Spain. The bull was created in 1956 by Manolo Prieto. Nowadays the conservation of the bulls is handled by the family of Félix Tejada.
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The Osborne sherry company (founded by Thomas Osborne Mann in 1772) erected large images of bulls starting in 1956 to advertise their Brandy de Jerez.[1] They were in black (with the brand "Veterano" in red on it) advertising boardings located on sites near to major roads throughout Spain. The original image was smaller and in a slightly different design. It got bigger as a law barred publicity within 150 metres of a road.
Later on a new law was passed in 1994, this time prohibiting such advertising, and so the boardings were to be removed. By this time the signs were nationally renowned, so although some campaigners wished them completely removed to fully comply with the intent of the law, public response resulted in the signs being retained, but completely blacked out to remove all reference to the original advertisers. The Court eventually allowed these signs to remain on the grounds that it has become a part of the landscape where it is present and its "aesthetic or cultural significance" thus turning it into a figure of public domain.
There are now only two signs in Spain with the word "Osborne" still written on them. One is at the Jerez de la Frontera airport in the province of Cadiz, and the other is in the nearby town of El Puerto de Santa María, where the Osborne headquarters is found.
The image of the bull is now displayed in stickers, key rings and the like. Also, in sport events where a Spanish team or individual take part, the bull is embedded by supporters in the Flag of Spain in the manner of a coat of arms.
There are about 90 examples of the Osborne bull advertisements. A few of them are also present, in a slightly different design, in Mexico, where it retains its advertising function.[2]
The Barcelona bull was vandalized by people who identified themselves as Catalan independentists. Later it was restored by a group of neighbours of Masquefa.[3] The only Bull in Mallorca is often vandalized due to independentist or other[4] movements .
| Region | Quantity | Region | Quantity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andalucía | 23 | Extremadura | 5 |
| Aragón | 6 | Galicia | 5 |
| Asturias | 5 | Madrid | 2 |
| Baleares | 1 | Melilla | 1 |
| Canarias | 1 | Murcia | 0 |
| Castilla-La Mancha | 13 | Navarra | 1 |
| Castilla y León | 14 | La Rioja | 2 |
| Cantabria | 0 | Comunidad Valenciana | 11 |
| Cataluña | 0 | País Vasco | 1 |
| Ceuta | 0 | TOTAL | 91 |