His voice is famous on a New Jersey boardwalk. She wants to be paid.

Every visitor to the boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey, has heard Floss Stingel’s voice admonish them to “Watch the streetcar car, please” at regular intervals as trackless trains run up and down the boards.

Stingel’s traffic salute has echoed from streetcars for over 45 years. She has been invited to perform it live at boardwalk ceremonies and autographed memorabilia at a Wildwood museum. It can even be heard in an episode of “Sex and the City”.

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But Stingel has never been paid for his iconic line, according to a lawsuit filed Monday. The most he’s received for providing the voice of the Wildwoods, Stingel said, referring to the town and its closest neighbors, is the occasional free streetcar ticket.

Stingel, a longtime resident of North Wildwood, told The Washington Post that he cherished his place in the boardwalk’s history and hadn’t thought about questioning the city’s use of his recording, which provide without signing a contract or obtaining copyright. But last year, he visited the boardwalk gift shop and saw plush streetcar toys for sale that performed his voice.

“I was shocked and I was like, ‘How did you put my voice in there?'” Stingel said. “And they said, ‘Well, the city gave it to us.'”

Stingel sued the City of Wildwood, the Wildwood Business Improvement District, the Wildwoods Boardwalk Special Improvement District, the Wildwood Historical Society, and various boardwalk shops and attractions for misappropriating his likeness, citing not only the stuffed toys but decades of streetcars that generated millions of dollars for the city.

The lawsuit asks the city and other companies to compensate Stingel for using his voice for various commercial purposes. If not resolved by next summer, the iconic Jersey Shore Streetcar may be forced to temporarily find a new voice.

“You can’t make millions of dollars off his voice and not give him a dime, just give him free tram tickets,” said Emeka Igwe, Stingel’s lawyer. “That’s not fair.”

The city of Wildwood declined to comment, spokeswoman Lisa Fagan said Wednesday when contacted by The Post. The Wildwood Business Improvement District, the Wildwoods Boardwalk Special Improvement District, the Wildwood Historical Society and other defendants did not respond to requests for comment.

Stingel first captured her rendition of “Watch the streetcar, please” on a tape recorder in 1971 at the request of her boyfriend at the time, who worked for the family that owned the streetcars, according to her lawsuit. It was not his first performance. Stingel had previously provided commercial voice recordings for his then-employer, South Jersey Gas Company, according to his lawsuit.

Stingel’s iconic line has played continuously in the decades since: an estimated 6,000 times a day each time the iconic blue and yellow boardwalk trams pass pedestrians on their way to the beach, according to Stingel’s claim.

“It’s nice when people appreciate it,” Stingel said.

Stingel’s slogan — and Stingel herself — have also since been used in various other revenue-generating activities for the boardwalk and related businesses, according to her lawsuit. He attended a ceremony celebrating the streetcar service’s 60th anniversary in 2008 and performed a live version of his streetcar commercial and autographed memorabilia for the Wildwood Historical Museum. Wildwood’s gift shop sells plush toy trams that say Stingel’s line when you push a button.

Such was the renown of Stingel’s voice that it caused a face-off between Wildwood and another boardwalk on the Jersey shore. Atlantic City used Stingel’s recording when it introduced its own streetcar service in 2015, the Atlantic City Press reported. Wildwood officials said the recording, which was not trademarked, amounted to plagiarism of their local brand and threatened legal action. Atlantic City eventually replaced the recording.

Wildwood’s streetcar makes about $2.5 million each year, according to Stingel’s lawsuit. Despite fierce defense of Stingel’s voice, Stingel has never been financially compensated for her recording or for appearances and images featuring her likeness, according to her lawsuit. The most he has allegedly received are free tickets for the now $5 ride.

Stingel said discovering plush streetcar toys for sale that spoke in their own voice last year, which the gift shop didn’t tell her about, led her to reconsider the city’s use of he made his recording for decades and filed a lawsuit.

“It’s been so many years,” he said. “I guess I just looked past it until they started putting my voice on the toys.”

The lawsuit seeks damages and a temporary injunction to prevent unauthorized use of Stingel’s voice, which could force Wildwood’s streetcars to sing a different tune when they resume after the winter off-season.

Igwe, Stingel’s lawyer, said they did not want to permanently remove Stingel’s recording from the boardwalk.

“We hope the streetcars can continue with the voice of Floss,” Igwe said. “All we’re asking is that the defendants take the right step and compensate her accordingly.”

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