BULLSHIT

Some stories become a legend. The connection between the phrase "Bullshit" and the legacy of Paul W. Klipsch is one of them.

One Part of the Story

Some of the details of the birth of the "Bullshit" slogan are still to be unearthed or may be chalked up to folklore forever.

However, what we DO know begins with former Klipsch employee Bob Moers.

"Bullshit!"

In the 1960s, Bob Moers replaced Klipsch's longtime ad agency, Goodloe Stuck, with a Chicago firm. At this point, the new agency had a famous air-brush artist known for cleaning up photographs of hams for the Chicago meat industry, as well as “taking warts off” Playboy bunnies.

“Bill,” a worker with the agency, was in the office with PWK when he threw a hi-fi magazine he had been reading up into the air and screamed “Bullshit!” The article was about the AR-3A.

By this point in time, PWK had become thoroughly disgusted with loudspeaker advertisements claiming, “another major breakthrough."

Then Came the T-Shirt

In 1975, the legendary "Bullshit" T-shirt debuted. All employees received one for a photo shoot in front of the shipping dock.

Only Bob Moers put his back to the camera for obvious reasons.

Soon afterward, a University of Arkansas student was kicked out of class for wearing the audacious shirt.

Klipsch & Associates paid for his legal counsel.

That is Bullshit

Paul W. Klipsch certainly didn't hold back when calling out people on their you-know-what.

Ministers at churches in Hope, Arkansas knew this all too well, as PWK often confronted them after their sermons with a notebook full of pointers and challenges.

Heck, it's even said that he responded to a cleric by opening one side of his coat with "BULL" and the other one with...yup, you guessed it.

Bullshit Pins

To commemorate Paul W. Klipsch's fiery spirit, the word "Bullshit" is printed on plastic yellow lapel buttons that Klipsch hands out at big events like the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

No Bullshit

Whether it be in advertising or the product we produce, Klipsch is always looking to be straight-forward and honest with its customers just like Paul W. Klipsch.