One of the most famous Jeeps of all time is NELLYBELLE. She became famous first in the movies in the early 1940's starring Roy Rogers, the "King of the Cowboys", and later on TV on "The Roy Rogers Show", broadcast from 1951 until 1957.  A 1946 Willys CJ-2A civilian jeep, Nellybelle was owned by Cowboy Roy Rogers and driven by Roy's comic sidekick, Pat Brady. The modified Willys flat-fender jeep had sheet metal doors fabricated and painted with her name "Nellybelle" visible in most shows.  Her name came about due to a long-standing tradition of Pat having trouble with transportation; first with an ornery mule in the early movies where he used phrases like "Whoa, Nelly!"; Later it became Nellybelle the jeep that he had trouble operating. [Rumor has it that "Whoa, Nellie" was also a frequent cry given by Cowboy Gene Autry's pal Frog Millhouse (Smiley Burnette) as he tried to stay aboard his horse, Ring-eyed Nellie. This "Whoa Nellie" use by Gene's sidekick would predate the use by Roy's side-kick by some years, since Gene Autry 'discovered' Roy Rogers.]  On Roy Rogers Western Adventure show, the jeep was always conking out or acting up on the poor cook & friend of Roy & Dale, Pat Brady. It was a standard ploy for Nellybelle the jeep to have bad brakes and/or some other mechanical problem that got Pat into trouble. Often as Pat drove Nellybelle around Mineral City (the mythical town of the shows setting), he would talk sweetly to his jeep hoping his verbal compliments could convince Nellybelle to run better. NellyBelle the jeep made it on the cover of 2 coloring books as well (1) (2). Roy Rogers considered Nellybelle to be part of the family and even says so in one episode telling wife Dale Evans; "Well, she (Nellybelle) is part of the family, Dale."  Roy kept the jeep Nellybell until the day he died. Nellybelle was displayed at the Roy Rogers - Dale Evans Museum in California for many years. The museum moved from Victorville, California to Branson, Missouri in 2003. The Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum in Branson, MO finally closed it's doors December 12, 2009 with most of the museum's items going to the auction block. Nellybelle was sold at auction in New York on 14 July 2010 to a private museum for $116,500. (More on Nellybelle).  Nellybelle's license plate number was 3P5-388. Speculation: Roy Rogers chose to include a Jeep in his program because he noticed that Jeeps were very popular, especially with children, after WWII. Rogers himself owned a Jeep which he used for hunting, off road cruising and travel to and from his studio.

WWII news re: Roy Rogers: Roy and his horse, Trigger (in LIFE 1943), toured the country during World War II raising millions in the sale of bonds to aid the war effort.
WWII news re: Pat Brady: In 1943, Pat was called into the army and was with Patton's Third Army in Europe and won citations for valor and two purple hearts. The Sons of the Pioneers back home made sure he had his share of their earnings while he was away. Karl Farr state that "Pat was with Gen. Patton’s third army in Germany and was once in a newsreel. The top of his tank was blown off at close range just as he was bending over to pick up a shell. He had the Purple Heart. He slept in a dentist's office in Germany and sent home all the drills, also a German officer’s uniform and about 30 guns. Anything he could get his hands on he sent home before the crack down."  He returned to the Sons of the Pioneers in 1945. He also owned a Willys CJ flat-fender he named the "new Nelly Belle" which he drove around Colorado Springs CO. (A nice webpage on Pat Brady).