History Lesson: The Keyless-Entry Fob

Did you know that the little remote transmitter that most people have on their keychain to unlock their car doors is called a "fob?" It's true! I recently discovered that most people did not know that, so I thought I ought to educate the populace. It's not enough for people to know its name, however, I think people should also know why it's called a "fob." So, without further ado, here is the history of the keyless-entry fob.

The wild rabbit-cousins of the Adirondacks are called fobruns. They, too, have long ears and a big nose but their tail is not bushy (commonly referred to as "cottontail"). It's more of a normal, short tail -- like that of a dog except about two inches in length. While that is their distinguishing characteristic, another tell-tale sign of the fobrun is the angle of its ears.

The ears are angled at at least 55 degrees at all times. If one moves in, the muscles in the fobrun's head move the other ear the appropriate amount in order to maintain the angle. If one moves out, however, the fobrun does not need to adjust its other ear. 55 degrees (or greater) between the ears must be maintained!

The fobrun was the inspiration for the original television set-top antennas which optimally maintained a large angle in order to receive maximum-strength signals. The first press junket showcasing the set-top antennas even had a fobrun on the table, but the reporters were only able to see it head-on. As a result, the set-top antennas were given the nickname "rabbit ears." Industry purists tried fiercely to change the nickname to something more accurate, but then cable television became the standard and set-top antennas were left to go down in history as "rabbit ears."

A decade after cable television's dominant entrance into the marketplace, automakers began producing remote-activated theft deterrent alarms. The remotes for these alarms were radio transmitters that sent a signal to a radio receiver in the car. It worked perfectly! The transmitters, however, needed a name.

"Remote Alarm Transmitter" could be compressed into the acronym "RAT," and few people wanted a "RAT" on their keychain. A fad in those days was to have a lucky rabbit's foot on one's keychain. The remote alarm pioneers wanted to capitalize on that, but they did not want it to seem blatant. A few of the radio-engineers on the team had been among the set-top purists who shunned the "rabbit ears" moniker. The fobrun had what few people in this world do: a second chance at fame and glory.

After a short market-research survey, the makers of remote car alarms dubbed the little transmitter a "fob," in honor of the lagomorph who was responsible for the wide-spread transmission of such cultural gems as "The Honeymooners" and "I Love Lucy."

Thank you, fobrun, for television and for helping us all to open our cars from within our pockets when the weather outside is frightful.