The term “Skunk Works” originated from Al Capp’s satirical comic strip Li’l Abner, which featured a remote, smelly “Skonk Works” factory that produced a concoction of dead skunks and old shoes. In 1943, Lockheed engineer Irv Culver jokingly referenced this, calling their secret, foul-smelling, and highly restricted P-80 jet fighter facility the “Skunk Works”.  Wikipedia.