Cartoon stick figure in top hat riding a bicycle, pointing to the back design of a Bicycle playing card — representing the Bicycle Playing Card configuration mark non-traditional trademark.

Trademark: Bicycle Playing Card

First Used: January 23, 1893

First Registered: November 7, 1893

Current Owner: THE UNITED STATES PLAYING CARD COMPANY (CARTAMUNDI GROUP) [1]

Trademark Type: non-traditional trademark; trade dress; configuration mark

Primarily Associated With: playing cards [2]

Brief (and likely incomplete) History [3]:

The United States Playing Card Company is the owner of several timeless and historically significant trademark registrations, including the Bicycle® Playing Card configuration mark, one of the earliest, still active US trade dress and configuration mark registration, and the Squeezer Trip Play Card configuration mark.

The Bicycle brand of playing cards was first introduced in 1885 by the United States Playing Card Company, which was founded in 1867 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company had already established itself as a leading producer of high-quality playing cards, and the Bicycle brand was created to appeal to the growing popularity of cycling in the late 19th century. The name "Bicycle" and the accompanying branding reflected the country’s fascination with bicycles, which were considered cutting-edge technology and a symbol of modernity and freedom. Over time, the brand became synonymous with durability and quality, gaining widespread popularity in the United States and internationally.

The iconic Bicycle Playing Card design was launched in 1893 (around the same time Nintendo first started releasing playing cards in Japan) and depicts a pair of ordinary bicycles from the late 19th century with a “three-wing” symbol in the middle between the bicycles. The bicycles served as a central motif to reinforce the Bicycle brand name, appealing to the public's enthusiasm for cycling. The "three-wing" symbol does not have a definitive, publicly documented meaning. Some interpretations suggest that the symbol was intended evoke imagery of movement or freedom, consistent with the cycling theme that inspired the Bicycle brand. The design’s decorative nature also aligns with Victorian-era influences, where ornate and symmetrical patterns were popular in art and design.