Scott Swanson
The newest member of the Oregon Jamboree staff has, well, a bit of a kick.
Bunny McCoy came on board at the beginning of the year to serve as the festival’s mascot, by way of a local farm supply store.
The miniature Dutch rabbit, a striking blend of dark and light-colored fur, has his own Face page and has entered the chatter stream on the Jamboree’s Web site Social Bar.
Festival Director Erin Regrutto said Bunny McCoy has been an instant hit, prompting a surge in ticket sales after his Facebook page was launched.
“He’s just another face people can associate with the Jamboree,” Regrutto said.
She said plans are to have Bunny McCoy on site at the festival, probably in the information booth, where visitors can get photographs of themselves with him.
“They like him. He’s really cute. He’s photogenic,” she said.
After the young adult rabbit arrived at Jamboree headquarters, where he has a cage strategically located next to Event Coordinator Sarah Winslow’s desk, a contest was held to come up with a name for him.
The winner, Alex Kloewer of Albany, proposed “Bunny McCoy”– based on the festival’s most popular frequent performer, Neal McCoy. That’s when the tickets really started to flow, Regrutto said.
“We saw a real spike in sales.”
She noted that mascots are not uncommon in businesses, citing examples such as the Geico gecko.
“Bunny McCoy is appropriate for our festival because Neal McCoy is really popular,” she said.
The rabbit spends nights at Winslow’s home. She said he’s litter-trained and likes to chew on “salty fingers” and to explore the office, “although we don’t let him run around too much because he chews up cords.”
Promotions and Marketing Manager Shannon Thayer said staffers took Bunny McCoy to a recent nonprofit expo, where he was the star of their show.
“People would stop and look at him,” she said. “They’d ask us questions, but he was definitely a marketing ploy.”
Thayer said he’s more than just a mascot in the office.
“He’s a good stress reliever. When you’ve had a long, stressful day, you can just hold him and pet him.”