Unique Sponsorship Opportunity Now Available!

Introduction...

We have a very unique, one-of-a-kind exhibit that we have been showing for the last 14 years and are now in search of sponsor's.  It consists of an animated car that we call Stephen's Herbie - The Love Bug and a number of animatronic characters that interact with him and the public while putting on shows.  The car itself is known around the world not only by it's unique features but also because of it's appearance on a Walt Disney video   My name is Gail Love and I would like to tell you a little more about this opportunity.

First of all, a little about myself.  I am a retired engineer who has worked on everything from designing a key control system for manufacturing the External Tank of the Space Shuttle to being the Technical Director/Chief Engineer for the most advanced Fire and Forget Anti Tank Weapon the world has ever seen.  During this time, I also spent many years working in precision mechanical/optical design and advanced electronics.

I have been married to the same wonderful lady for 40 years and have two great children.  Our oldest, Stephen, was born with swelling of his brain which left him as a child with the characteristics of someone maybe 10-12 years of age, and that’s where this story really begins.

Stephen And His Car Herbie...

In 1997 we purchased a common 1965 VW Beetle for Stephen with the intentions of turning it into one of his favorite cars of all time, Herbie The Love Bug.  Work started off slow with some minor medications to the car including adding a simple control system to the car that would allow it to open and close his own hood, flash his lights, etc., along with duplication the ever so important racing stripes and gumballs that were used in the movies.  That was fine at the time and met the need of giving our son his own personal show car, something that he could be proud of.

Then in 1999 Stephen had some minor surgery performed in the hospital where he ended up with a very serious infection (MRSA) that literally put him at death’s door in a matter of hours.  He did survive after spending 3 months in the hospital but only after losing both of his legs and all of his fingers which had to be amputated.  Of course he had other life threatening concerns as well, but proved to be a real fighter when only after 3 months of rehabilitation, he actually danced the New Years in with a wonderful young lady DJ in Mississippi.

Anyway, it was about this same time that we decided to do something really special for Stephen once again.  We had started a restoration of Herbie prior to all of this happening and we decided to take it a step further.  We integrated a computer control for the car that would allow us to control multiple functions simultaneously along with a number of new features such as automatic doors that would open and close by themselves, moving eye’s (headlamps) that actually blink and more.  We also decided that Herbie needed some companions to keep him company while on the road so we added some animatronics, two large white bears named Beauregard (Bo) and Daisy along with their dog Duke (all from Stephen’s second most enjoyed program, the Duke’s of Hazard).  All in all, Herbie and his friends contain over 30 servo controlled mechanisms all which work together in programs that my wife and I have written and produced to help entertain the public while on display.

One-Of-A-Kind...

We are continuously told while at shows or while on display for charities that Herbie is the best thing they have ever seen.  We don’t know how true that is, however we often tell people that Herbie and his friends are one-of-a-kind.  Fact is, Herbie is the only animated car that we know of in the world that is computer controlled and can do all the things he can do even while being driven down the highway.  He is unique in many ways.  Out of only a handful of Herbie The Love Bugs that have been animated, I have personally designed and fabricated the kits for 15 of the cars (2 of them original cars from the Disney movies) which reside around the world including the US, Australia, Hawaii, Germany and Denmark..  And although they have some of the capability that Stephen’s car has, they simply do not have all the features and capability and are stand alone displays.  In addition, Stephen’s car is the only car that has ever been signed by the leading actors and actresses of each of the four full length Disney Herbie movies, a feature that will never be reproduced.  He has also been filmed by Walt Disney and used as a special feature on their re-release of Herbie The Love bug on DVD

Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane...

Then around 2005 we decided that we needed a special towing vehicle to pull him as we made out of state appearances.  The answer was a special 1973 VW Kombi bus that has been highly modified on a Chevy truck chassis with a 4.3L V6, cruise control, air conditioning and a special control center that allows us to operate one of our newest creations, Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane.  Sheriff Rosco is also very special.  He is a self contained animatronic brown bear that rides around on his own police Segway and is equipped with a wireless color camera and audio transmitter/receiver that allows him to interact with children and adults alike.   

Your Opportunity To Participate...

Well, that’s about it in a nutshell.  We have now reached retirement age and are looking for opportunities to share our creations with the world.  We believe we offer a real opportunity for a company that is looking for a positive way to advertise.  Our shows are always family friendly and are usually the biggest draw anywhere we go.  We  currently are regular attendee’s (and one of the longest ongoing displays) at one of the largest Saturday night car shows/cruises in the world at Old Town in Kissimmee, FL where thousands upon thousands of visitors come from around the world each week to see the fabulous collection of antique/muscle cars on display as well as appearing at special events such as Crusin-the-Coast in Mississippi where we put on yearly shows at Miner’s Toy Store in Ocean Springs and display at the Gulf Hill Resort, WFTV Channel 9 in Orlando and Jingle Bugs Rock where we actually organize a massive effort to collect toys each year for the US Marine Corps Toys for Tots campaign, and Nathaniel’s Hope in downtown Orlando that draws over 60,000 people annually. 

Of course with the right sponsor we would be willing to go anywhere the need may arise and are open to designing/creating new characters for our show as needed.  Imagine a cute little bear (or other animation you might have in mind) driving around in a baby blue convertible with your logo on the side, singing and interacting with the crowds!   The opportunities are endless.

We are looking for one major sponsor who would be willing to pick us up for at least a 2 year period to start with along with 3 or more minor sponsors who are willing to do the same.  Of course we would work with the major sponsor to assure no conflict of interest with the other companies and ensure that they have top billing.   You name/logo would be displayed at every show/event that we attend and would reach hundreds of thousands of people.  We will even customize our programs for you (the scripts for the animatronics) to maximize the exposure.

You can find out much more about Stephen and his car Herbie by visiting his webpage at www.stephensherbie.com and if you have an interested in this great opportunity, please go to our contacts page to leave us and instant message or to find other important contact information...