Why you shouldn't name your carwash after THIS Monster.
Mel Ohlinger • February 22, 2021
T-rex yes. Godzilla no.
Several people have suggested a Godzilla car wash. While this would make a memorable carwash AND a super fun brand, it’s not a great idea, but there are many terrifying monsters you could choose instead - like T-Rex.
To understand why you might want to choose T-Rex over Godzilla, let's review the differences between an iconic creatures like Tyrannosaurus Rex and Godzilla:
T-REX
1.
Huge head.
2.
Eats everything.
3.
Tiny arms.
4.
Smooth back and tail.
5.
Believed to be extinct.
GODZILLA
6.
Small head.
7.
Muscular arms.
8.
Stands erect.
9.
Spines on back and tail
10.
Retains aggressive lawyers.
Item 10 is the critical one.
According to numerous articles in the business press, Mr. Godzilla has an army of lawyers eager to pounce. They routinely force businesses to change their name, removed products from the market, obtain large sums from large corporations and small businesses, and force songs to drop their Godzilla music.
Add “zilla” to anything and you’ll probably get a letter asking you to stop. Add it to your parade float (like Honda did in 1990) and you'll be in litigation for years.
Why is Godzilla so litigious? It’s because Godzilla is the property of Toho, a Tokyo-based business that earns a zillion dollars each year by licensing Godzilla music, movies, toys, posters and other tie-ins. These scary lawyers aggressively protect the radioactive behemoth from anyone who dares to appropriate his lizardly image or sound for profit.
So don't have a Godzilla car wash... or any kind of zilla car wash. Godzilla is car wash cool and scary, but his lawyers are even worse.
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MEL OHLINGER
Speaker @ SCWA & CEO OF OHMCO
Event: Southwest Carwash Convention (SCWA)
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Date: Feb 25-27, 2026
AI & Carwash Digital Marketing Strategist Helping car wash operators build smarter, AI-powered businesses
SCWA 2026 Recap Location & Date: Fort Worth, TX Feb 25-27 2026 Who Attended: Mel Ohlinger, Mike Ohlinger With another SCWA conference under our belts, we can confidently say that this is one of our favorite shows and is a great way to kick off the year's trade show season. The only downside is flying out of Appleton --- our luck flying out of our regional airport and not hitting crippling delays or Home-Alone-worthy runs to make connecting flights has been...difficult.
Women In Carwash 2026 Location & Date: ClearWater, FL Jan 18-20 Who Attended: Mel Ohlinger, Mike Ohlinger, the KIDS Women in Carwash 2026: Sunshine, Mickey Mouse, and a Little Marketing Talk The 2026 Women in Carwash Conference brought us down to Clearwater, Florida this year. We decided to surprise the kids by bringing them along with us to take advantage of our time in Florida. We packed up the kids, booked the flights, and turned it into something a little bigger than a work trip. It was the kids' first time in Florida, and for Iona, her first time on a plane altogether. Watching her figure out what to make of that experience was worth the trip on its own. We spent a day at Disney before the conference kicked off, which was our first time there. Mike had been there as a kid, but being there as adults brings into focus the insane logistics behind the operation of the parks. Trying to see behind the scenes, looking for the signature paint colors that subconsciously indicates areas that your brain should ignore (spots that were under construction) was fun. The weather was a little dicey and cold (for Florida's sake), which made for some emergency sweatpant shopping, but it was a great day and night!
OhmCo Carwash Marketing 2025 Recap Some things happened. And then a few more did. And even more after that. Busy. That's the word of the year, of 2025. Whenever people ask us how we are, how we're doing, how we've been, my brain immediately calls that word up out of the depths while my eyes automatically drift upwards in the same song and dance. "Busy, but good!". As a small business owner, every single year brings new challenges, new victories, new skull-splitting migraines, new successes --- but trying to reflect back on this year just brings a bit of an initial blank. It's like when someone runs up to you to ask you what your favorite movie of all time is and you have to stop for a moment and realize you're having a hard time naming any movie, much less your favorite. Mel and myself (this is Mike here, putting pen to paper) have routinely been catching each other in conversations with exclamations that usually start and end with " That happened this year?!". I just want to clarify --- I'm not painting this kind of busy as a bad thing. In the world of bizz, having an influx of amazing customers and engaging, challenging projects is about everything you can ask and hope for. We've been extraordinarily fortunate to be able to work with some of the most interesting, hard working, kindest people in this industry, and watching them operate and succeed over this past year has been amazing. Anyways, I'll keep this recap kind of short, because: Busy . It is Christmas break, the kids are home, and that beeping noise that's coming from the kitchen is just getting louder and not going away. If this is as far as you make it --- THANK YOU to all of the industry professionals, clients, and operators that we've had the pleasure of working with this past year. Thank you for the continued business, trust, and support. We are excited to continue to offer the tools and design to help your business succeed in the carwash industry and can't wait to see what we can pull off in 2026.
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