Elephant Ed made his public debut on Sept. 9 at Ed Fest.
The playful and mischievous giant sauntered excitedly around Rotary Park and surrounding streets, accompanied by a team of flamboyantly dressed circus performers, who announced his arrival to passersby.
“Introducing our mascot, an elephant all the way from India.”
“Stay back, he’s very dangerous.”
“Oh no, no, nooooo. There he goes.” (Ed had just attempted to charge at a farmers market booth).
Ed trumpeted and waved his trunk excitedly at the cheering clapping crowd, as his handlers attempted to reign him in.
Ed is not a real elephant, but rather a 16ft puppet with a body made of tubing and skin made from burlap fabric. He is the work of local artist Marcel Dou Roig, who spent months designing and building him.
He was inspired by a real elephant of the same name, who escaped from the travelling circus in Cranbrook in 1926 and survived in the woods for a month and a half.
“It was an amazing experience. I was really moved seeing the reaction of the people. Everyone had big smiles and was taking pictures and videos, watching something that’s not usually displayed in Cranbrook,” said Dou Roig. “Street performance brings a different kind of art to the streets because there’s not that stage that separates you from the audience. It’s great to bring it to the streets and show it off.”
Ed came equipped with a few surprises. Dou Roig attached a CO2 bottle to a pressure washer handle so that steam would come out from under his trunk every time he snorted. A stereo attached to the base of the puppet played elephant noises.
“They communicate with this low rumble that’s sometimes really difficult to hear with our ear and I thought it would be really nice to have that rumble going all the time, as the sound they emit when they are comfortable,” Dou Roig explained.
Although Ed’s big performance is over, Dou Roig said Ed may come back for other community events in future.
READ MORE: Gentle giant will take first steps at Ed Fest
Key City Theatre’s latest arts season brings iconic elephant mascot “Ed” back to life
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