Wildwood’s ‘Watch the tramcar’ voice wants NJ town to finally pay up

⭕Floss Stingel recorded the iconic phrase "watch the tramcar, please"

⭕Stingel said she never gave permission for wider use

⭕She has filed a lawsuit seeking compensation

WILDWOOD — The woman whose voice has been heard for generations warning vacationers to “watch the tramcar, please” is suing the city for using of her voice without compensation.

In the newly filed lawsuit, Floss Stingel says she read the line into a tape recorder for a then-boyfriend who worked for the Ramgosa family in 1971. The family brought the tramcars to many U.S. cities and used the recording as a safety message. It has gone on to become an iconic slogan known worldwide promoting Wildwood.

Stingel has participated in some promotional events, including a postcard show in 2008 during which she signed autographs. She also made a special recording to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Wildwood tramcars.

Her message was used in a plush toy that uttered the phrase and was heard on HBO’s “Sex and the City” for an episode featuring Atlantic City. B&B Parking, which operates tramcars in Atlantic City, used the recording until a lawsuit was filed in 2015.

Igwe during a press conference estimated the voice has been heard 80 billion times, according to CBS Philadelphia coverage.

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Paid in free tickets

Stingel said she never gave permission for other uses of the recording.

"Ms. Stingel has never been compensated for her recording, except for occasional free tram tickets, which are not commensurate with the commercial value derived from the use of her voice," the lawsuit says. "Defendants have used and monetized Ms. Stingel’s voice recording without her continual, explicit consent, and have gained significant commercial benefits from its usage without providing Ms. Stingel with just compensation."

The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensation and for her voice to stop being used until she is properly compensated.

"I'm sure they're going to be upset with this and probably not use my voice again, I would think," Stingel said during a news conference Tuesday, according to CBS Philadelphia.

The Wildwoods Boardwalk Special Improvement District, Wildwood Historical Society and the George F. Boyer Museum, Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Waterparks, and St. George’s Stores are all named as defendants in the lawsuit.

A spokeswoman for the city declined to comment on the lawsuit.

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