Woman behind iconic "Watch the tram car, please" warning sues Wildwood, New Jersey
WILDWOOD, N.J. (CBS) -- Generations of visitors have either hopped on board or seen the yellow tram car cruising down Wildwood's boardwalk.
"When I used to bring the kids down you always got out of the way of the tram car because of the voice," said Patt Quinn, who is from Northeast Philly.
"We grew up with that voice and the tram car," said Lynn McSwiggan, who lives in Wildwood.
That voice belongs to Floss Stingel, a lifelong Wildwood resident, who recorded the warning in 1971 as a favor for her boyfriend.
"I just spoke into a recorder, and it's been used ever since," said Stingel, who added those five iconic words have been a source of pride for her for more than 50 years.
But Stingel claims she never gave anyone permission to use her voice and has never received any money.
On Tuesday, Stingel stood with her attorney on the boardwalk and announced she's suing the city of Wildwood and several others for compensation. Stingel says she's coming forward now after stores started selling plush tram car toys with her voice last year.
"They're making money on the toys, and I don't get anything out of that," she said.
Stingel's attorney, Emeka Igwe, says the recording was made before copyright protections were in place.
Igwe didn't announce the amount of money his client is after, but he said the slogan has been used in TV shows, and documentaries, and during the summer the warning is played about 6,000 times a day.
"If you do the math, over the course of 50 years, you're talking about over 80 billion times the voice has been utilized by the defendants," Igwe said. "We're just asking what's fair. We all know that if you use someone's image or likeness they should be compensated for it, that's basic American law."
The mayor of Wildwood told CBS News Philadelphia the city does not comment on pending litigation and the city does not own the tram cars.
The lawsuit also asks the city and defendants to stop further use of Stingel's voice recording without obtaining proper authorization and compensation.
Stingel says she's aware the lawsuit may not go over well.
"I'm sure they're going to be upset with this and probably not use my voice again, I would think," she said.
Igwe says he may add more defendants to the lawsuit and is hoping for a quick resolution.
