Throwback Thursday: Here’s Harvey Hackit

Meet Harvey Hackit, the reluctant handyman who, with a little help, becomes the complete master of his house. Hackit was the creation of the Lowe’s marketing team more than 35 years ago.  

The Oct. 13, 1990 issue of National Home Center News, the forerunner of HBSDealer, reported the story under the headline: “Reluctant handyman is Lowe’s latest ad angle.”

In the introductory comic strip above, Hackit says: “I used to be all thumbs, completely lost in the do-it-yourself jungle. To me, a claw hammer was nothing to mess with. There were things around the house that needed to be done, but I just couldn’t hack it.”

Here’s what Lowe’s director of investor relations William F. Brantley said about the character: “He’s a good visual shorthand and a simple way to give the reluctant, Saturday morning do-it-yourselfer some courage. We saw the character evolve from early scratch boards and he has become better. People are talking about him and saying that Harvey Hackit is their father or their cousin. They know someone like him.”

Despite his everyman appeal, Hackit was always intended to be used sparingly because heavy DIYers and contractor customers could not identify with him, Lowe’s reasoned. 

Do you remember Harvey Hackit? Tell us at [email protected].