Do you Seniors remember seeing "Kilroy was Here" most everywhere during the 1940s / 60s?

Question

When I was a kid I thought Kilroy must be a world traveler supreme. You couldn't find a public restroom anywhere in the land he had not left his autograph in. Later I learned he was fictional, it was a disappointment.

Answer 1

Yup. And he's STILL around! I want to get my picture taken with Kilroy, but I seem to keep showing up right after he left 'cuz I always find his note letting us know he left there and was somewhere else. Whomever told you he is fictional must be nuts 'cuz I saw more evidence of his presence on the wall around this ritzy ditzy RV park over by the golf course. The city clean up team was painting over it! Kilroy rules! hahahaha

Answer 2

Funny this question is asked on the day I just received a great e-mail regarding just that. It is a long story, too long to copy and paste here. And while I haven't checked it on snopes, it certainly has the sound of credibility!

Just briefly it began with a man whose last name was Kilroy! During WW2 he checked rivets on ships as they were being built. Some riveters paid by the #'s of rivets were falsifying the count. It goes on from there and tells how and why he made himself known. I imagine one could google it and find the article, I hope you do as true or not, it makes for interesting reading. I believe it to be true because of all the detail in the story!

Answer 3

In Nottingham, as many other places all over the world, the phrase and the distinctive accompanying doodle—a bald-headed man (possibly with a few hairs) with a prominent phallic nose peeking over a wall with the fingers of each hand clutching the wall, was to be found in public WC's, walls, lamp-posts... all over the place.



I found the source site that might be of interest about 'Kilroy was here'. Here is an extract of part of it:

Kilroy and Hitler - The Rumour

Near the end of World War II, Adolf Hitler was absolutely and completely paranoid regarding one insurgent in particular. This individual seemed able to get into everything and anything that was thought to be secure in Nazi, Germany. He (Hitler) ordered his best men to begin actively searching for this super-spy and all troops were commanded to shoot and kill this menace.

The 'spy' Hitler was looking for was none other than Kilroy! GIs in occupied territory and spies in the German Army were vandalizing Nazi bases and equipment with the Kilroy logo and its well-known slogan. It wasn't intended as anything more than graffiti and a prank, but by the final year of Hitler's reign, he was convinced Kilroy could penetrate into any secure area and feared for his own safety thinking Kilroy was certain to kill him.



Origins:

Oddly enough, as widespread as the Kilroy phenomenon was there is no concrete evidence to verify either when or where it began, nor who began it in each country (USA, England and Canada). In England, the Kilroy logo was known as Chad and his slogan consisted of 'Wot no...?' The blank was usually filled in with whatever there was a shortage of or whatever was being rationed at the time. The Oxford English Dictionary states that Chad's origin is obscure, but that British Cartoonist George Edward Chatterton may have created it. Though the James J Kilroy story seems to be the most likely point of origin for the 'Kilroy was here' legend, there is possible evidence of occurrences of the Kilroy logo much earlier than World War II.

Though Chad was popular in England, just as Kilroy was in the US military, still nobody (other than James J Kilroy) has stepped forward to claim him as their own invention, even though there were 26 men named Kilroy in the military during WW2. There was also a Canadian version known as Clem and in the late 1960s there was a version in Los Angeles, California that went by the name of Overby. Perhaps the theory of Kilroy being an unknown super soldier wasn't so far off after all...?

Answer 4

I was born in 1930 during the depression. We were poor. I remember during the war we were given stamps to use with some money to buy meat, because the meat was rationed. People were collecting rubber to help with the war effort. Going to a movie was 9 cents. We didn't have a sled to use in the winter, so we would take a big piece of cardboard and slide down the hills at the highschool, which sat high on a hill! To go ice skating, I used to borrow my friends old ice skates. We did have a pair of clamp on roller skates, that cost a dollar. Then there was my favorite game of ball and jacks! Or we would play marbles. We may have been poor in money, but we were rich in spirit!

Answer 5

I remember Kilroy very well. He tried to make a comeback in the 80s but couldn't get his popularity back.

Answer 6

2 years ago I worked in a factory, and 'Kilroy was here' was written on the wall, I had no idea what it meant, but now i get it! Very interesting.

Answer 7

Near the end of World War II, Adolf Hitler was absolutely and completely paranoid regarding one insurgent in particular. This individual seemed able to get into everything and anything that was thought to be secure in Nazi, Germany. He (Hitler) ordered his best men to begin actively searching for this super-spy and all troops were commanded to shoot and kill this menace.



The 'spy' Hitler was looking for was none other than Kilroy! GIs in occupied territory and spies in the German Army were vandalizing Nazi bases and equipment with the Kilroy logo and its well-known slogan. It wasn't intended as anything more than graffiti and a prank, but by the final year of Hitler's reign, he was convinced Kilroy could penetrate into any secure area and feared for his own safety thinking Kilroy was certain to kill him.

Answer 8

Kilroy has been around since WW2. I remember seeing it quite a bit when my family was stationed overseas during the early '70s.

Answer 9

No, I wasn't born until 1952, so I don't remember, but I've seen a lot of history documentaries and I'm sure it was like a rallying point to keep up morale. Heaven bless Kilroy, whoever he was, and wherever it started.

Answer 10

I remember seeing it around written on walls and in public bathrooms. Kilroy was a character from WWII I think. Maybe a cartoon character like Beetle Bailey or maybe just symbolic. I dont know.

Answer 11

I've drawn Kilroy probably hundreds of times in restrooms and port-a-johns

from sea to shining sea.

Don't judge me.

Answer 12

I remember drawing that curious character on everything when I was in grade school. I didn't understand what it was all about,but it was easy to draw. Who was Kilroy anyhow?

Answer 13

I don't ever remember seeing " Kilroy was here" drawn, but my boss told me about him. He drew the simple character and showed me what he was talking about. That was in 1963 and I was nineteen.

Answer 14

You mean he wasn't real??? Wow!.. and all this time I thought...

owh...first Santa Claus, then the Easter bunny and now Kilroy! Sigh!

Answer 15

During WWII service personel spread that around the world. I don't recall seeing it after the war.

Answer 16

"Kiljoy" not only came here but made me redefine my warped perception of happiness.

I thought Kilroy was the forerunner for graffiti.

Answer 17

There were a lot of railroad tracks in my hometown and I remember seeing it on boxcars.

Answer 18

I don't think I ever saw it except on tv.

Answer 19

yes i do, it was written and spoken everywhere. long time ago. i had even forgotten about it, until now.

Answer 20

That and Zoro.

Answer 21

Huh?............what did you say?