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This Colorado couple spreads joy by driving a stuffed giraffe in their backseat
A Colorado couple spreads joy by driving a stuffed giraffe in their backseat around their neighbourhood. They have been doing so for 15 years and going.
Sally and Larry McNabb have been driving around their stuffed giraffe Sprinkles on the backseat of their convertible for 15 years now. The couple spreads joy and brings a smile to the faces of people as they pause to wave or capture the moment on their phones.
When the couple leaves their home, people are waiting to take selfies with the giraffe. An incident that touched their hearts was when at a spotlight, a family leaving a funeral thanked them for the smiles.
"They said, 'We have been crying nonstop for three days. And today is the first day we've smiled,' " remembered Sally.
Story behind the giraffe on the backseat
15 years ago, Sally was redecorating her daughter's room and ordered a giant stuffed giraffe for the same. She unboxed the stuffed giant in her garage, just next to her convertible.
The giraffe seemed to be sitting next to the car and the hilarious ideas stuck in her mind. Next, she had tossed it on their backseat and was driving around their neighbourhood in Colorado Springs.
“The kids in the neighborhood were all laughing and waving and jumping and just having a blast seeing this silly giraffe in the backseat. That's how it started,” said Sally, a 66-year-old retired insurance agent.
After getting a positive response in her immediate environment Sally drove the giraffe to work and shared the response of the same.
"The next day I drove it to work and the reactions I got from people in the cars were just really funny. They were rolling down the windows and waving or taking pictures of it, and the rest is kind of history.”
Sally's husband Larry, who is a plumber of the same age, shared how he baulked at the idea of driving around with a stuffed giraffe in their backseat.
“I said, 'Sally we're not driving around town with a giraffe in the car.' And she goes, 'You've just got to try it. Try it one time.'
“We drove up the main boulevard in town, and like she said, the people were laughing and smiling, so I was hooked. It brings so much joy to people and they laugh and smile,” he added.
‘He sprinkles happiness…’
When asked about why they named the giraffe ‘Sprinkles’' they said, “He's here to sprinkle happiness."
“He gives people an unexpected reason to smile.”
Sally shared that she's battled depression her whole life, and making others smile with Sprinkles has made her happier.
“I found I felt more joyful because I was consciously doing something to help other people feel happy,” shared Sally.
“It's hard not to be happy when you're making other people happy," added Larry.
