The Ski-Doo was originally intended to be called the Ski-Dog before a typographical error changed the name.
Joseph-Armand Bombardier’s company introduced the small recreational snowmobile in 1959. Promotional material reportedly changed the final letter of “Ski-Dog” to an “o,” producing “Ski-Doo.” Rather than correcting the mistake, Bombardier recognized that the new name sounded distinctive, was memorable, and could be protected as a trademark.
The name became closely associated with the modern recreational snowmobile. Earlier Bombardier vehicles, such as the enclosed B7 and B12 snow vehicles, were designed largely for practical transportation in snowy rural regions. Ski-Doo helped shift the market toward lighter machines for individual riders and families, opening snowmobiling as a major recreational activity.
A common mix-up is treating Ski-Doo as the generic name for every snowmobile. It is actually a brand owned by Bombardier Recreational Products. In Canada, however, “ski-doo” has sometimes been used informally to mean a snowmobile more generally, reflecting the brand’s cultural influence.