'Watch the tram car, please': Woman behind iconic Wildwood phrase files lawsuit
WILDWOOD, N.J. - Decades after becoming a staple of the Wildwood boardwalk, a 5-word announcement has sparked a new lawsuit.
Floss Stingel, who recorded the iconic "Watch the tram car, please" message on a tape recorder in 1971, is now suing the Wildwood Tram Car Operators.
The lawsuit alleges that Stingel's voice recording has been used without her explicit consent.
On Tuesday, she stood with her lawyer in front of the tram car store and announced the lawsuit. "I just spoke into a recorder and then it’s been used ever since," Stingel said. "They’re making money on the toys and I don’t get anything out of that."
The phrase has appeared in television documentaries, apparel and even toys.
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The lawsuit was filed against the City of Wildwood and several Wildwood entities and businesses.
Stingel’s lawyer claims millions of dollars were made by using her voice for commercial purposes.
"She has not been paid a single penny for this," Emeka Igwe, Stingel’s attorney, stated. "All she has received is free tram car tickets, which she usually gives away. We’re just asking for what’s fair, for using her voice for over 50 years, which the City of Wildwood has used in brochures and has used to attract tourism to the boardwalk."
Asked why Stingel waited until now to take action, Igwe replied, "She attempted to get a copyright in 2010, but received a denial from the USPTO because the recording was done before 1972 and therefore statutory copyright laws did not apply. Last year, she learned that Plush Tram Cars containing her voice were being sold for profit, and that motivated her to finally seek legal action for compensation."
FOX 29's Bob Kelly spoke to Stingel earlier this year about how it all began.
"Somebody I was dating…he just asked me, said they needed a message for the tram car," she said.