Another thing to fear? A T. Rex offering family fun and lessons on using the bus
When you’re out for a walk or wheeling through the neighborhood, look out for dinosaurs.
Since the beginning of August, there’ve been more than 140 sightings of prehistoric predators in Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater and Yelm. And you thought all you had to worry about were murder hornets and COVID-19.
Seriously, though, the dinosaur in question is not a threat. T-Rex, the new mascot of Intercity Transit’s Walk N Roll youth education program, is a human-sized — and human-footed — creature with quite a wiggle and a fondness for both dancing and cycling.
The non-binary, bicycling dino is popping up in business windows, at bus stops, in parks and along trails in the form of a poster.
Those who spot T. have a chance to win prizes in weekly drawings. To enter, send a photo or description of the sighting to walknroll@intercitytransit.com. Looking for hints about poster locations? Check out Intercity Transit’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
But the hunt for T-Rex isn’t just about winning a book or a bicycle bell, said Kerri Wilson, who runs Walk N Roll.
“The feedback I’ve gotten from folks is that this has given them something fun to do that’s safe,” she told The Olympian. “They can feel connected to the community while still being physically distanced from other people.”
Among T.’s fans are Paul Mott, 7 and in first grade at Pioneer Elementary in Olympia, and Eva Mott, 4, who both moved to Olympia this summer with their parents, Edna Kubala-Mott and Jeremy Mott.
“It was a fun surprise for Paul and Eva to discover a T-Rex along an urban trail we were exploring,” Kubala-Mott told The Olympian. “The kids feel like they’re on a treasure hunt. They love exploring trails and new neighborhoods while keeping their eyes peeled for more dinosaurs.”
If you want your own dinosaur — or at least a picture of one — you’re in luck. You can print out a T-Rex and hide (or display) it at your home or business.
While the “Where’s T-Rex?” game is happening only in August, the dinosaur made its first appearance in May in a video for the Child Care Action Council’s Virtual Safety Fair and has since made several more appearances, including a duet with a bus driver and an informational spot explaining how to ride the bus safely during a pandemic. It’s not easy for a dinosaur to manage that, since the mask required is very large.
Though safety conscious, T-Rex has trouble finding protective gear. On the poster, the dino wears a helmet that’s obviously been added in a graphics program.
“T-Rex is filled with air,” Wilson said. “You can’t put anything heavy on the top of their head or it just falls over.”
Despite such limitations — and despite the fact that the original T-Rex, Americorps member Kate Fauver of Olympia, has ended her service, leaving Wilson to don the dino suit herself — T. is likely to stick around.
“I suspect that we will do ‘Where’s T-Rex?’ again next year,” Wilson said, “because it has been so successful.
This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 5:45 AM.