Why Did The Chevy Suburban Get A Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame? Here's What You Need To Know

On December 5, 2019, the Chevrolet Suburban was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was the second inanimate object, after Disney World in 2004, to gain this distinction. 

The award was surrounded by some controversy. Why the Suburban? There are plenty of cars that are more famous than Chevrolet's people hauler. Some of them have names, like the Bluesmobile, or the General Lee (the 1969 Dodge Charger that became more famous than the human characters in the TV show "The Dukes of Hazard"). Another Charger, this time a 1968, was overshadowed by arguably the most famous Ford in history, the 1968 fastback Mustang GT in the film "Bullitt," the name of which Ford even used for a special edition 2019 Mustang. GM also has its share of famous cars, such as the 1978 Trans Am used in "Smokey and the Bandit" and the 1970 GTO in "Two Lane Blacktop," in which a Goat's driver was called GTO.

The reason that the Chevrolet Suburban got its star is that it has played a role in a film or TV show every year since 1950 according to the Internet Movie Cars Database. The car made its debut in 1941, in the film "Nice Girl?"

The car has come to add a certain seriousness to a situation as well. Because government agencies and bad guys alike often use the Suburban, several of them together tends to flag that a group is gathering. When the Suburban got its star, Hollywood car coordinator Dennis McCarthy told NBC News, "First, it's one of the most versatile vehicles in the business, able to fit with any type of character. Second, it can help instantly give a scene added importance. When a convoy of black Suburbans appears on-screen, you know that's not the time to leave your seat to buy popcorn."