WORKING ON A CULT FOLLOWING NOW

So to speak. ;-) Let me start from the beginning. Have a cuppa & a seat, this is a longer one.

Our cuz Chrissy took me to Build A Bear (BAB) in the Sarasota Square Mall so she could buy her niece, Leah, something for her BAB. Chrissy then noticed they had a frog BAB w/a shamrock on it. Our Chrissy LOVES her froggies so she got herself one that she named Freckles. I bought her a wee Florida t-shirt & Chrissy got her froggy jammies and a jean skirt to go w/the t-shirt. Yea, I was leaving Freckles bottomless and a bit of a ho. :-D Hmmmm I wonder since Chrissy got her baby here, and the baby frog is a U.S. citizen, maybe we can use that to get Chrissy here! No? Yea, probably not.

I was looking around to see if any of these BABs caught my eye but none did, I could feel one was there but wasn’t seeing it. So I just browsed around looking at the accessories. After she was done we all (me, Chrissy, Wes, AnneMarie & Tony) end up leaving BAB and walking around the mall for a bit. We had a blast in Spencers. AnneMarie bought an inappropriate Touretts Turtle and OMG! that thing is funny as hell! We had so much fun w/that thing! Anyway, on our way out of the mall Chrissy wants to stop back into BAB so Wes & I go in with her as AnneMarie & Tony roam around other stores, they had had enough of BAB.

Like I said, I just knew that there was a BAB there for me but I just wasn’t seeing it. SO I finally asked Andrew, “where is it Muck? I can feel him, where is he?” I then noticed the elephants, which Martin is impartial to. As I look at the elephants I see 2 dinosaurs in with the elephants. I heard “Bingo!” SO I take one up to the counter and asked if they were being discontinued because they weren’t up on a shelf, hoping the answer was yes, because then I would HAVE to buy it! My prayer was answered, they were being discontinued so I HAD to get him. SO we began the process of building our Muckersaurus.

When I explain to our sales girl, Nadine, why I wanted him and what he represents for us and my plans for him, she wanted to be the one to help me build him. SO we went to the stuffing machine and I stepped on the stuffing petal. Then I had to pick out a heart and rub it on different parts of my body and say a wee chant. Like rub it on my elbows so he’ll always be by my side. And my feet so we always stand strong or something to that effect. Nadine had me do these cool things to infuse my Muckersaurus with love. I wish I could remember exactly what she had me do. You also have a choice, if you want, to put in a beating heart. When Nadine asked me if I wanted one, It caught me off guard when I started to get choked up w/tears as I said “Yes, because I want to feel his heart beating again.”

After he was stuffed and he went up front to be sewed up, Chrissy, and I went to the computer to make up his birth certificate. Chrissy agreed when I  picked the name Mucker for my dinosaur which is why he is a Muckersaurus now. Then Chrissy, Wes and I headed off to dress my Muck. Wes was into it as his brothers have a few BABs, but he doesn’t. Wes found camo shorts like my Muck wore, we found a “Think Green” t-shirt which is perfect since Muck cared so much about the environment.  & represents his love of John Denver. We found a black cap that we can write “It’s All Good” on just like his hat he always wore when he didn’t want to do his hair. Then Wes found something so incredible, I just had to have it! It was a metal just like the one Andrew’s nurse, Dawn, gave him with the red, white and blue ribbon with a gold metal. But instead of SURVIVOR on this gold metal it sez “#1” on one side and “YOU’RE A STAR” on the other. Andrew’s Aunt Julie, where he stayed & his fav place when we would visit Ireland, would always say that to him. How perfect is that? A.Very!

But we weren’t done! BAB had a red electric guitar, just like the one Andrew saved up and bought for himself a few years ago. When we took Mucker to the Irish Rover, Bobby, the owner, said he would let us know the next time Brian Johnson from AC/DC is in so he can sign Mucker’s guitar just like he did Muck’s red guitar! How awesome is that!?

When we got Mucker home, Wes was on it helping me dress him all up. When we saw how much Wes was diggin my Mucker, me, Chrissy, and AnneMarie knew what we had to do. We had to run back to the mall ASAP and get Wes the last dinosaur for his birthday! So we did just that. Nadine helped us again and the 3 of us put a heart into Wes’s dino. Nadine took us thru the chants again which makes it so special. I love how much she was into it and helped make it really special. Who ever helped Chrissy didn’t do that with her.

Before we left for the mall, I asked Wes what he thought of the name I picked out and did he think there was a better one? He said he liked Mucker or Andrew. SO we knew what to name his now! A sly one I am. I had a lot of practice with keeping Martin’s sister’s visit a surprise!

This time the manger of the store, Cris, (she might have helped the 1st time too) was also helping us with Wes’s “Andrewsaurus.” We wanted to make this one about Wes, so we made his a skatersaurus with a skater shirt, jean shorts, a camo hat, converse shoes, AND a skate board! He is so cute! We also bought a birthday cupcake for his Andrew to hold.

We did wonder if Wes was gonna really be into it, but when we gave it to him he tore into it and got Andrew all dressed up! He put his camo hat on him backwards just like a skater dude. He played with him the whole night, carried him on his shoulders, had him skate boarding. We knew we did the right thing!

The next day Wes noticed that Andrew had a rip in his tail so we took him back for surgery. BAB fixed him right up no probs! I bought Mucker some converse shoes as well. The manager, Cris wanted a pic with me and Mucker for the BAB website. I told her that my plan is to get a cult following for Mucker like a “Where’s Waldo” sorta thing since we’ll be bringing Mucker to all our shows to sit by Muck’s pic.

We have already taken pics of our BABs at the beach @ sunset, grocery shopping, @ The Irish Rover, all 3 hanging around the house together etc. At our shows I will explain who Mucker is & what he represents and encourage people to get a pic w/him for the website. Now granted, we still have to figure out where we are going to put all this on the website but it will get done. :-D

I discussed with the manager Cris what my intentions were and she is loving it! Maybe as we make a name for ourselves, we can get BAB to buy in and participate in helping us to make Mucker famous! Develop a cult following if you will. I’d love to have a “Muckersaurus” clothing line. I have to go back and get Mucker a pair of sunglasses. He had none for the pool when we were in Orlando. My bad! I may get him some boxers as well. :-)

SO you see? I don’t want to develop a crazy ass, worship me, bad hair cut, Nike wearing, Koolaide drinking, comet waiting, I’m the Messiah kind of cult, but a fun, loving, uplifting cult following. There’s a difference… right? ;-) SO who’s in???!! Who wants their pic w/Mucker??

IT’S ALL GOOD!