De Gaulle’s ambitious plans for energy self-sufficiency required funding. Almost every year from the mid-1950s to 1975, the government launched a bond that allowed the public to invest in the energy sector, providing capital for the construction of numerous key projects, including coal-fueled and hydroelectric power stations as well as general improvements to the national grid. Participation in these types of government-issued bond programs was not just seen as a reliable financial investment, but also as an expression of French solidarity and faith in the current administration. The impact of de Gaulle’s vision for energy self-sufficiency still resonates today: thanks to the infrastructure created through this and other bond programs, France generates approximately 95 percent of its electricity from low-carbon domestic sources. Rather than relying on their smiling signature character to promote this endeavor, Lefor-Openo turned a cleverly bent electrical cord and two bi-pin lightbulbs into a Gallic rooster, the national symbol of France.