The Stig - Cultural Impact and Merchandising

Cultural Impact and Merchandising

The Scotsman described the Stig in 2008 as a "real-life James Bond able to tame the most powerful cars, while possessing all the mystique of Zorro" The Sunday Times in 2009 described the Stig as "not a man but an idea, possibly an extraterrestrial", speculating that, along the lines of the Spartacus mythology, that the more people were linked with the character, the stronger the mystery would become. It paid tribute for how long the show had actually kept the secret.

On the question of 'Who is the Stig?', it has been described variously by The Telegraph as one of the most popular internet search questions of 2009, by The Times in 2009 as one of the ten most-searched-for terms on the Ask.com internet search engine, and by the Sunday Times as most-asked question on the internet in 2008. In addition, the Sunday Times has stated that on-line and text-answering services rated it as one of the most popular questions of all time, along with the meaning of life.

With the BBC asserting that the anonymity of the Stig was a vital part of the show's appeal which was valued by the audience during their legal dispute with HarperCollins, an on-line poll by The Guardian asking the question "Do we need a new Stig?", returned 64% "Yes - his identity should always be a mystery", against 36% for "No - why the big fuss over a man in a helmet?".

After the High Court judgment allowing Ben Collins to publish his autobiography revealing himself as White Stig, The Guardian asserted that the question of the character's identity had "always been one of the modern age's greatest mysteries", and immediately posed the question, "if the Stig is dead, then who'll be the new Stig?", adding, "The whole beauty of the Stig is that we don't know who he is. He's just a jumpsuit and a helmet, the contents of which are eminently replaceable".

The Stig has been notionally 'spotted' in the wild in images collected for Google Street View. He was photographed by a Street View car standing on the side of the A82 road in Loch Ness, Scotland. He was also captured by a Street View tricycle in three locations within Legoland Windsor in Berkshire, including riding a go-kart and sitting on a camel. A Street View image taken from the A40 Westway of the Stig apparently standing in a window of the Top Gear office in BBC Television Centre in West London was reportedly just a cardboard cut-out.

The BBC has capitalised on the mystery behind the Stig by marketing "I AM THE STIG" T-Shirts and variants through the Top Gear shop. Other Stig merchandise has included bubble wash, pens, keyrings, soap on a rope, lunchbags and a "sonic toothbrush".

Through a partnership with Polyphony Digital, The Stig's helmet and overalls are available for purchase in the videogames Gran Turismo 5 and Forza Motorsport 4 as avatar items, which also feature the Top Gear Test Track.