In The Hudson Valley, We Wish You An Eggy Christmas
December 24, 2022 3:02 PM Subscribe
There are many various Santa substitutes celebrated around the world, but for sheer oddity, few can beat New Windsor's Eggbert the Egg.
Initially a mascot for selling eggs, Eggbert was acquired by Devitt's Nursery and Supply after being dropped, who then used the ovoid mascot as part of their holiday theming, until crowds forced his retirement. But with the expansion of the business, this allowed for Eggbert to resume his reign over the Hudson Valley.
Initially a mascot for selling eggs, Eggbert was acquired by Devitt's Nursery and Supply after being dropped, who then used the ovoid mascot as part of their holiday theming, until crowds forced his retirement. But with the expansion of the business, this allowed for Eggbert to resume his reign over the Hudson Valley.
I was expecting something more like Vincent Price as Batman‘s Egghead.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 3:10 PM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 3:10 PM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
I was expecting something more like Vincent Price as Batman‘s Egghead.
Egg-xactly!
posted by Ayn Marx at 3:22 PM on December 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
Egg-xactly!
posted by Ayn Marx at 3:22 PM on December 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
I got caught up right at 'many various Santa substitutes.'
Now I want to know why there are so many.
posted by porpoise at 3:54 PM on December 24, 2022
Now I want to know why there are so many.
posted by porpoise at 3:54 PM on December 24, 2022
New Windsor is an extremely unlikely-seeming spot for such hijinks. Admittedly, these are mild hijinks.
posted by Glomar response at 4:01 PM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Glomar response at 4:01 PM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
That's the most charming egg I've ever seen. Is it the eyebrows? Anyway, thank you for this.
posted by trig at 5:56 PM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by trig at 5:56 PM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
He really is el-egg-ant.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:07 PM on December 24, 2022
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:07 PM on December 24, 2022
I'm somehow reminded of all the eggs being thrown at King Charles of late....
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:15 PM on December 24, 2022
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:15 PM on December 24, 2022
This reminds me of the egg from HBO Brain Games but I can't find any connection between the two - just two good looking eggs?
posted by Tandem Affinity at 7:39 PM on December 24, 2022
posted by Tandem Affinity at 7:39 PM on December 24, 2022
(1980's Brain Games- I haven't seen the more recent...)
posted by Tandem Affinity at 8:09 PM on December 24, 2022
posted by Tandem Affinity at 8:09 PM on December 24, 2022
I remember visiting Eggbert when I was little! Good times in the Hudson Valley!
posted by silverstatue at 8:52 PM on December 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by silverstatue at 8:52 PM on December 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
porpoise > Now I want to know why there are so many [Santa substitutes].
The Wikipedia page for Mister Bingle of New Orleans sums it up:
Alline became aware that other department stores had mascots around Christmastime, particularly Marshall Field's Uncle Mistletoe, and pitched the concept of a similar mascot to Maison Blanche executives Lewis and Herbert Schuartz as an advertising strategy.
(Mr. Bingle, if you are curious, is a little snowman with an ice-cream cone hat. And sometimes little holly-leaf wings.)
It's Christmastime and you run a store and you want something to anchor your ad campaigns around to get people in there buying stuff? Make a Santa's Helper! Make some cartoons or puppet shows or whatever, make some window displays, maybe even dress someone up in a costume and have them hanging out in your Sit On Santa's Lap space as an adjunct to him or a full-fledged substitute. If people take to it then you can also sell all kinds of merch - toys, tree ornaments, books, songs, and so on.
In this age of "Black Friday" being hugely promoted, store Christmas mascots feel a little old-fashioned. There's no Azzy the Amazon Robot showing up in Amazon's Black Friday promotions, just a endless list of deals. Just c'mon in and buy shit so our books are in the black, guys. Consume. No need to put a cute face on it any more.
posted by egypturnash at 10:28 PM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Wikipedia page for Mister Bingle of New Orleans sums it up:
Alline became aware that other department stores had mascots around Christmastime, particularly Marshall Field's Uncle Mistletoe, and pitched the concept of a similar mascot to Maison Blanche executives Lewis and Herbert Schuartz as an advertising strategy.
(Mr. Bingle, if you are curious, is a little snowman with an ice-cream cone hat. And sometimes little holly-leaf wings.)
It's Christmastime and you run a store and you want something to anchor your ad campaigns around to get people in there buying stuff? Make a Santa's Helper! Make some cartoons or puppet shows or whatever, make some window displays, maybe even dress someone up in a costume and have them hanging out in your Sit On Santa's Lap space as an adjunct to him or a full-fledged substitute. If people take to it then you can also sell all kinds of merch - toys, tree ornaments, books, songs, and so on.
In this age of "Black Friday" being hugely promoted, store Christmas mascots feel a little old-fashioned. There's no Azzy the Amazon Robot showing up in Amazon's Black Friday promotions, just a endless list of deals. Just c'mon in and buy shit so our books are in the black, guys. Consume. No need to put a cute face on it any more.
posted by egypturnash at 10:28 PM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Interestingly enough, Wikipedia's category of "Santa's Helpers only includes three department store mascots: Mr. Bingle, Mr. Jingeling of Halle's in Cleveland, Ohio, and Montgomery Ward's Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Uncle Mistletoe doesn't seem to be wikinotable; this Smithsonian story on Marshall Fields discusses him, and also namechecks Weibolt's Cinnamon Bear.
Most of these characters showed up in the mid-1940s; Eggbert is a bit of a latecomer what with being built as an egg-promoter in the fifties, and repurposed as a store's Santa's Helper in 1971. Now I am curious as to what other store-spawned Santa's Helper characters are out there.
posted by egypturnash at 10:49 PM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Most of these characters showed up in the mid-1940s; Eggbert is a bit of a latecomer what with being built as an egg-promoter in the fifties, and repurposed as a store's Santa's Helper in 1971. Now I am curious as to what other store-spawned Santa's Helper characters are out there.
posted by egypturnash at 10:49 PM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Egg-xactly!
He really is el-egg-ant.
Can we have a m-ova-torium on egg-related puns before this gets out of hand? Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!
posted by TedW at 3:47 AM on December 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
He really is el-egg-ant.
Can we have a m-ova-torium on egg-related puns before this gets out of hand? Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!
posted by TedW at 3:47 AM on December 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'm somehow reminded of all the eggs being thrown at King Charles of late....
They're just trying to reclaim their proper throne!
posted by trig at 4:30 AM on December 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
They're just trying to reclaim their proper throne!
posted by trig at 4:30 AM on December 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
A good friend of mine was the voice of Eggbert during his high school/college years stint as a seasonal employee of Devitt's during the tail end of Eggberts first reign but kept getting in trouble for some of the , uh, "colorful" remarks he put in Eggbert's mouth. Ironically, when Eggbert returned to the throne several years back, Devitt's now partners up with Newburgh Brewing Company to do an "Eggbert After Dark" adult comedy act at the brewery taproom as part of the promotion for the annual seasonal release of Angry Eggbert IPA.
I haven't had a chance to visit Eggbert this year, either at Devitt's or Newburgh Brewing but they introduced a sort of Queen Consort for him this year named . . . Egg-Clair.
posted by KingEdRa at 7:39 AM on December 25, 2022 [3 favorites]
I haven't had a chance to visit Eggbert this year, either at Devitt's or Newburgh Brewing but they introduced a sort of Queen Consort for him this year named . . . Egg-Clair.
posted by KingEdRa at 7:39 AM on December 25, 2022 [3 favorites]
I'm somehow reminded of all the eggs being thrown at King Charles of late....
They're just trying to reclaim their proper throne!
The wars of the roe-ses?
posted by TedW at 11:32 AM on December 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
They're just trying to reclaim their proper throne!
The wars of the roe-ses?
posted by TedW at 11:32 AM on December 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
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