Hector the Cat eight of his nine lives due to "ignorance of road safety practices". This was followed by a short instructional film. In subsequent years other characters were introduced in calendars, instructional films, and comic books including Millie, his girlfriend (1973), Uncle Tom (1974), Hector and Millie's three kittens (1975) and his space friend Ding Dong (1982). A study in 1978 found that, although children enjoyed the characters and stories, the material had a number of inadequacies. It stressed that road safety research findings and child development theory would need to be considered for any future development. The character is currently used
Cocky (mascot) the "National Mascot School" for NCA, wrote a curriculum and handbook and trained a staff who traveled the United States teaching "the art of Mascot" at High School and College summer camps. JH stated that the most important and most memorable thing he did as Cocky was to visit terminally ill children and adults across the state. There were five "last request" situations in which people wanted a visit from Cocky. He made four of those visits, but regrettably was too late for the fifth. Tommy Donavan portrayed Cocky beginning in 1992, and later became the Carolina Panthers mascot, Sir