While opinions on these matters may vary widely, many film buffs still consider the 1995 Oscar-winning Best Picture film Forrest Gump to be one of the best American films of all time. Regardless of opinion, it was undoubtedly one of the biggest hits of the 1990s, and it established Tom Hanks among the preeminent dramatic actors of the era.
Hanks won his second consecutive Best Actor Oscar—following 1993's Philadelphia—for his performance in the title role, portraying the simple-minded yet courageous Forrest with an almost insouciant earnestness. Of course, the role required Hanks to perform several on-screen tasks, and since his shrimping magnate was a fan of manicured lawns and helped maintain the grass on municipal property in Greenbo, Alabama, several scenes in Forrest Gump featured Hanks operating an old ride-on lawn mower.
As you may recall, Gump mowed these lawns, as well as his own, riding a Snapper rear-engine lawn mower. This isn't just a clever example of product placement on the part of the filmmakers. And it's no coincidence, as Snapper was one of the largest brands in the lawn mower market when Forrest began his lawn care business, and a rear-engine lawn mower—a welcome alternative to a larger, more expensive tractor—would have been considered cutting-edge for the era. This detail is one of many that helped make Forrest Gump authentic, despite its many historical fictions.
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Snapper is a true legend in the lawn care industry.
A vintage Snapper Snapping Turtle lawn mower resting on a freshly mown lawn - Snapper
If you were around and familiar with the lawn mower market from the 1960s to the 1980s, you likely used a Snapper lawn mower to mow your lawn. However, if you've never heard of Snapper mowers, it may be because the company struggled in the 1990s, largely due to the emergence of cheaper competitors.
Before its collapse, however, Snapper was a true innovator in the lawn mower market, and its aptly named "Snapping Turtle" was one of the first self-propelled lawn mowers produced for residential use. This mower was Snapper's first model, introduced in 1951. Eleven years later, Snapper changed the game again with the introduction of a rear-seat mower. After decades of success, Snapper was acquired by legendary small engine manufacturer Briggs & Stratton in 2004, and B&S kept Snapper in the lawn mower market for nearly two more decades.
By the late 2010s, Briggs & Stratton was facing its own financial problems and planned to sell the Snapper brand. However, the opportunity never materialized, and in 2020, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In 2023, B&S announced it would cease production of Snapper products in North America. Less than two years later, however, the brand returned to the market through a licensing agreement between Briggs & Stratton and Daye North America. Today, Snapper lawn mowers are once again sold by major retailers across the market and are once again among the top brands in the industry.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.