Why is the Nationals logo the same as Walgreens?

Written by Editorial Team | Last Updated: August 2026

The visual similarity between the Washington Nationals' iconic script "Curly W" logo and the commercial logo of the American pharmacy chain Walgreens is an extraordinary design coincidence rooted in classic American typography rather than corporate partnership or shared ownership. The Washington Senators first unveiled and popularized the cursive, calligraphic "Curly W" on their baseball caps during the 1963 Major League Baseball season, utilizing a flourish-heavy cursive script that was fashionable in mid-20th-century sports and corporate lettering. Around the same broad historical era, Walgreens developed its own stylized red cursive script "W" for storefronts and packaging. When baseball returned to the District of Columbia in 2005 with the relocation of the Expos and the creation of the Washington Nationals, the new ownership revived the historic Senators' 1960s "Curly W" to connect with the city's nostalgic baseball roots. While fans frequently joke about the resemblance between the cap insignia and the pharmacy chain, both logos evolved independently from traditional serifed cursive lettering scripts.

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