As we have learned over the past few weeks, the Ford Mustang owes its original success to a number of factors. From a unique marketing strategy to offering more engine and accessory options than any competitor, the Mustang was set up to be the most successful new American car of all time. That’s why it will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year.

Ford’s year-long celebration of the Mustang recently took a look at the evolution of the Mustang’s pony emblem, an integral part of the pony car’s history. From a sketch to a wooden model to the sharp lines of today’s galloping horse badge, the Mustang’s emblem has gone through some changes, big and small, in the past 50 years.

The very first Ford Mustang concept debuted in 1962, and bore little resemblance to the Mustang as we know it today. Along with the concept car came a galloping horse badge with a red, white, and blue tri-bar designed by Phil Clark. Clark had been sketching the galloping horse badge for a few years, and his design would inspire later emblems and badges.

But the Mustang was almost known as the Cougar, as a competing design featuring a prowling American big cat was also favored. There was also debate as to which direction the Mustang or Cougar emblem should face, though eventually Charles Kereszetes final design, carved in wood and facing left, was chosen for production.

The Mustang II concept, which debuted in 1963 was the first public debut of the finalized pony badge emblem. The emblem underwent several changes over the years, with the Mustang II emblem turning the tri-bar into a roman numeral number two. The running horse emblem disappeared from the Mustang’s exterior entirely during the Fox-body Mustang years,  with the exception of  the dashes of 1990 and later models. The running horse without the tri-bar was seen again with the 1994 model.

Since then, the Mustang emblem has undergone several background changes, including a pink ribbon to support breast cancer awareness. Then in 2010 the Mustang badge got another revision that made it sharper, crisper, and better suited for the 21st century. With the 2015 Mustang due to debut in a few short months, a new look on this old badge seems overdue. Then again, why mess with perfection?