Capping My Collection Trivia Quiz

Answer: Shell

The cap I found belongs to the company known as Royal Dutch Shell. The oil and gas producer is more commonly referred to simply as Shell. The company has been founded in 1907 as the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company and the Shell Transport and Trading Company Ltd merged. It has since grown to become one of the largest energy companies in the world.

The company logo of Shell is a giant yellow scallop, apparently a sea shell called Pecten Maximus. This logo was created in 1971. The brand name "Shell" refers to one of the two companies involved in the original merger. One of the founders' father used to have a company selling sea shells to collectors in the city of London. The sea shells were mostly collected from the area around the Caspian Sea, which gave the son of the owner the idea to start exporting oil from that region.

Answer: Playboy

The second cap was provided by men's magazine Playboy. The magazine was founded in 1953 by Hugh Hefner. It features pictures of the kind that makes young boys want to steal a copy from their father, although many men claim to read mainly the interviews that the magazine features. The first centerfold to be placed on the cover was Marilyn Monroe. The brand name Playboy is not only used by the magazine these days. Playboy Enterprises produces various forms of adult entertainment.

The logo of Playboy is that of a rabbit wearing a bow tie. It was first featured in the second issue of the magazine and is created by Art Paul. It is meant to be frisky and playful.

Answer: Nike

Nike is a very large producer of sportswear and equipment. It was founded in 1954 by Phillip Knight and Bill Bowerman. Knight was an athlete at the University of Oregon and Bowerman was his coach. At first they acted as the distributor for Japanese shoe brand Onitsuka Tiger, but soon they launched products of their own, the first one being a soccer shoe. Nike has since developed to become one of the largest producers of athletic shoes and other sportswear.

The logo of Nike is called the "Swoosh" and is very recognisable, sort of looking like a wing. The design was made by Carolyn Davidson in 1971, an art student from Portland University. She received only $ 35 for it at the time. Apparently Phillip Knight did not instantly like the logo, but he suggested it would grow on him.

Answer: Ferrari

Ferrari is a manufacturer of Italian sports cars, founded in 1929 by Enzo Ferrari. It was originally called Scuderia Ferrari. The company first focused on producing cars for motor racing, but gradually expanded into producing road cars. In 1947 they produced their first road car, the 125 S. The company still sponsors racing teams, especially in Formula One.

The company logo is officially called the "Cavallino Rampante", or prancing horse. Using the logo was suggested by the Countess Paolina, whose son Francesco Baracca featured the horse on his planes. Baracca was a prominent member of the Italian air force and hero of World War I. Enzo Ferrari made the horse black. This was the symbol placed as a sign of grief on the planes of pilots that were killed in action. The horse was placed on a yellow background, the colour of Enzo Ferrari's birthplace Modena. He added the letters S F for Scuderia Ferrari and the colours of the Italian flag to the logo.

Answer: Lacoste

In 1933 Rene Lacoste founded "La Chemise Lacoste" with Andre Gillier. Lacoste is known as a famous French tennis player. At first the focus of the company was making tennis shirts, but soon they expanded into shirts for other sports, such as golf and sailing. Eventually the company expanded to one of the largest manufacturers of high-end clothing and tennis shirts. Other products include perfume and footwear.

The logo of Lacoste is the green crocodile. Rene Lacoste received the green alligator as his nickname, after he was involved in a bet concerning a suitcase made of alligator skin just before a Davis Cup match in 1927. When he started a company with Andre Gillier it was the logical choice as a logo for Lacoste, but, according to official Lacoste parlance, the logo is now called a crocodile.

Answer: Apple

Apple was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. At first the company did sell hand-built personal computer kits, named the Apple I. Wayne sold his share of the company back to the other two in 1977. They further developed new types of computers and gradually developed into one of the larger producers of consumer electronics, software and computers.

The company logo has been changed over the years. They started in 1976 with the logo of Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree. This logo was soon replaced by a rainbow-coloured apple. In 1983 the logo changed again to a picture of the same apple, this time in a monochrome colour. The apple traditionally has a bite out of it. The design is by Rob Janoff.

Answer: Chanel

Gabrielle Chanel, nicknamed "Coco", started a couture shop in 1909 in the city of Paris. Gradually her company has grown to become one of the leading fashion houses in the world. Next to the haute couture being produced, other products include handbags, cosmetics and perfume.

The logo for Chanel is a double C, that is interlocked. One of the C's faces forwards and the other one goes backwards. It comes from Gabrielle's nickname "Coco" and was given to her by the Chateau de Cremat in Nice.

Answer: McDonald's

The first restaurant under the McDonald's brand was opened in 1940 by Richard and Maurice McDonald in the city of San Bernardino. They soon expanded their operation which was noticed by businessman Ray Kroc. He made the suggestion to franchise the formula used at the restaurant and bought the rights to the franchise. The company soon became one of the largest fast food chains in the world.

The McDonald's logo can be practically seen everywhere and always seems to guide you to the nearest restaurant. It is a large "M" in the shape of golden arches. It was officially trademarked in 1961.

Answer: Starbucks

The first Starbucks store opened in 1971 in Seattle. The name was taken from a character in "Moby Dick". When the company was sold to Howard Schulz in 1987, the expansion started with stores opening in several other American cities. In 1996 the first Starbucks outside of North America opened in Tokyo. It has since grown to become one of the largest coffee houses in the world, selling not only coffee but also other drinks and sandwiches.

The logo of Starbucks is that of a siren. She was first featured with a double tail and the logo was in the colour brown. Later versions saw the tail gradually disappear and the colour change to green.

Answer: UPS

UPS stands for the "United Parcel Service". The company was founded in Seattle in 1907 as the "American Messenger Company" by Jim Casey and Claude Ryan. In 1919 the company changed to its current name. It has since grown to become one of the largest delivery companies worldwide and is recognizable by their brown vans.

The logo has seen changes over the years. At first the logo was a shield with an eagle carrying a package. In later versions the eagle disappeared and was replaced by the name of the company. The company colour brown has been mostly used in the logo. The logo is a simple design that is meant to suggest speed.