Can Henry Hoover be called a legend?

The majority of the global population would agree that vacuuming is one of the most painfully boring and tedious chores to do around the home. Yes manufacturers have tried to make it that little bit more interesting, take for example Dyson’s introduction of the ball. However it’s Numatic’s introduction of Henry over 20 years ago that brought a light-hearted element to a normally dull chore.

Yes we all love Henry’s cheeky face (reminiscent of an extra in a Disney film) but are his mischievous eyes enough to earn him legendary status. Well let’s take a look at the evidence ...

1)      For me a legendary status requires an immense following. Henry Hoover scores a big plus point on this as Numatic have sold over 6,000,000 units and that number increases month on month. Tell me a housewife/husband who passed by the rows and rows of grey, lifeless vacuums in a store window and stole a second wishful glance at Henry and his family; like a puppy in a pet shop window Henry tugs at your heart strings for you to take him home. With the advent of social media the Henry Hoover following has gone galactic. Just search on the giant that is Facebook and you’ll notice endless groups made up of 1000’s of people all raving about their Henry.

2)      Like any legend, family is undeniably important and Henry is no exception. Henry’s family (majority of which have names of various English monarchs) are a proud group of aficionados who have made people’s lives easier with their individual specialisms.  James is your cleverly designed ‘butler’, George is your amphibious vac and Hetty well Hetty hits the spot for all women who have found there are just too many men in their life. Henry’s family may be a colourful bunch (in the literal sense) but they work together to create a tour-de-force.

3)      To acquire legend status you must be able to travel across a variety of media. Take Elvis we see him on the cover of vinyl albums but also as an alarm clock, on a lunch box or stuck on a tin of sweets. Henry is also as prevalent appearing in stickers, on mops and the very popular desk-top mini Henry ... I can’t recall seeing a miniature HOOVER or Dyson sucking up biscuit crumbs from a PC keyboard.

Finally 4) Universal charm. Go online and see if you can find any negativity, poor feedback or anti-Henry sentiments anywhere! The thing is you won’t because like all legends Henry is adored by the masses. Sure there will be a few owners who talk about a broken switch here or a wobbly wheel there but rest-assured it’s still working and will they swap this for a different model ... will they heck!

Henry truly is a legend in mine and many others eyes. His efficient delivery, longevity, high quality and low cost has resulted in Numatic creating what many people couldn’t believe could happen ... a legend of the chores world.