A distelfink is a stylized goldfinch, probably based on the European variety. It frequently appears in

Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch (), also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans, are an ethnic group in Pennsylvania in the United States, Ontario in Canada, and other regions of both nations. They largely originate from the Palatinate (region), Palatina ...

folk art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative art, decorative. The makers of folk art a ...

. It represents happiness and good fortune and the

Pennsylvania German The Pennsylvania Dutch (), also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans, are an ethnic group in Pennsylvania in the United States, Ontario in Canada, and other regions of both nations. They largely originate from the Palatinate region of Germany ...

people, and is a common theme in

hex sign Hex signs are a form of Pennsylvania Dutch folk art, related to Fraktur (Pennsylvania German folk art), fraktur, found in the Fancy Dutch tradition in Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Barn paintings, usually in the form of "stars in circles", began to ...

s and in

fraktur Fraktur () is a calligraphic hand of the Latin alphabet and any of several blackletter typefaces derived from this hand. It is designed such that the beginnings and ends of the individual strokes that make up each letter will be clearly vis ...

. The word ''distelfink'' (literally 'thistle-finch') is (besides ''Stieglitz'') the German name for the

European goldfinch The European goldfinch or simply the goldfinch (''Carduelis carduelis'') is a small passerine bird in the finch Family (biology), family that is native to the Palearctic zone in Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. It has been introduced t ...

In popular culture

During the 1940s, variations of Distelfink birds with flowers, hearts and tulips became popular designs for crochet, pottery and wallpaper patterns. Distelfink was adopted as the name for a chain of drive-in restaurants serving

food that became popular across Pennsylvania during the twentieth century. Sandoe's Distelfink, which was located in Gettysburg, which was built by Cecil Sandoe in 1954, was patronized by a number of prominent Americans, including former

first lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...

Mamie Eisenhower Mary Geneva "Mamie" Eisenhower (; November 14, 1896 – November 1, 1979) was First Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961 as the wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Born in Boone, Iowa, she was raised in a wealthy household in Colo ...

and Baltimore Orioles baseball star

Brooks Robinson Brooks Calbert Robinson Jr. (May 18, 1937 – September 26, 2023) was an American baseball player who played his entire 23-year career in Major League Baseball as a third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles from 1955 to 1977. Nicknamed "Mr. Hoove ...

.Reed, Lillian.
In its heyday, Distelfink Drive-in served celebrities
" Hanover, Pennsylvania: ''Evening Sun'', March 9, 2018. European Goldfinch on Spear Thistle

In the story "

The Sign of the Triple Distelfink ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

", the American

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...

Don Rosa Keno Don Hugo Rosa (), known as Don Rosa (born June 29, 1951), is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his comics about Scrooge McDuck and other Disney comics, Disney characters. Many of his stories are built on characters an ...

used a ''triple distelfink''

as the origin for

Gladstone Gander Gladstone Gander is a cartoon character created in 1948 by Carl Barks for ''Walt Disney's Comics and Stories''. He is an anthropomorphic gander (male goose) who possesses exceptionally good luck that grants him anything he desires as well as p ...

's remarkable luck.

Notes

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External links

Example of a distelfink
American art German-American culture in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Dutch culture Visual motifs