ADORA-BULL THEY'RE COWING CUSTOMERS INTO BUYING.Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer VALENCIA - A flirtatious flir·ta·tious adj. 1. Given to flirting. 2. Full of playful allure: a flirtatious glance. flir·ta ``cow'' in a pink, holstein-print slip dress moo-walks most days on the corner of Valencia Boulevard and McBean Parkway, toying with motorists stuck at one of the longest red lights in town. ``See my moo-ves,'' said Ashlee Houston, 17, channeling the bovine spirit before donning the costume that brings in the crowds to MaggieMoo's, the ice cream parlor Ice cream parlors are places that sell ice cream and frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is normally sold in two varieties in these stores: soft-serve ice cream (normally with just chocolate, vanilla, and "twist", a mix of the two), and hard-packed, which has an assortment of just around the corner. MaggieMoo is just the latest in a tradition of such enduring restaurant mascots as Ronald McDonald or Jack of Jack in the Box. But when the cow with the puckered lips, a faux-pearl necklace and splashy splash·y adj. splash·i·er, splash·i·est 1. Making or likely to make splashes. 2. Covered with splashes of color. 3. Showy; ostentatious. See Synonyms at showy. eyelashes makes her appearance between 5 and 8 p.m., business gets a bump, said David Kimbrough, general manager of the Maryland-based ice cream chain's Valencia outlet. ``It's drive time,'' he said. ``They see Maggie, and they'll go home to their families and say, Let's go Let's Go may refer to: Television
These sidewalk theatrics the·at·rics n. 1. (used with a sing. verb) The art of the theater. 2. (used with a pl. verb) Theatrical effects or mannerisms; histrionics. , like the recent phenomenon of dancing human signposts pointing the way to new homes or car sales, help break through today's advertising clutter. ``People are so busy as it is, and they have such little time to focus on ads that companies resort to more point-of-sale promotions,'' said Gerard Tellis, professor of marketing at the Marshall School of Business The Marshall School of Business (also known as USC Marshall School of Business) is the business school at the University of Southern California. It is the largest of USC's 17 professional schools. The current Dean is James G. Ellis. at University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission . ``At one time, you have these huge blown-up animals and balloons on car dealerships,'' he added. ``But you get used to that. When I see someone on the street - well, partly I feel sympathy because I feel sorry for the person working out there. But there is still some novelty in it.'' The tactic appears to be working for Paul Hoover This article is about the poet. For the baseball player, see Paul Hoover (baseball). Paul Hoover (born 1946) is an American poet and editor born in Harrisonburg, Virginia. , 21, a student at The Master's College in Newhall enjoying a smoothie smooth·ie also smooth·y n. pl. smooth·ies Slang 1. A person regarded as being assured and artfully ingratiating in manner. 2. A smooth-tongued person. when Maggie made her entrance. ``At first, I just laugh,'' he said. ``But there's the mystique of it all - one day, I'll certainly have to try (the ice cream).'' His companion, Ryan Anthony, 26, of Newhall deconstructed Maggie with glee. ``It's a lady dressing up as a cow dressing up as a lady,'' Anthony, 26, said. ``It's awesome.'' Behind the heifer are such employees as Houston, who works as the cashier or builds sundaes when she's not boogieing in costume under the sun. ``Maggie is a happy cow,'' said Houston of Canyon Country, describing her alter ego A doctrine used by the courts to ignore the corporate status of a group of stockholders, officers, and directors of a corporation in reference to their limited liability so that they may be held personally liable for their actions when they have acted fraudulently or unjustly or when . ``Have you ever seen her eyes? Her eyes are like sapphire diamonds.'' Asked how she gets into character, Houston repeated the mantra: ``Sell ice cream. Make the kids happy.'' Houston sometimes teams up with Amy Heiden, 16, of Castaic. The pair trade positions every 10 minutes - the costume can be stifling despite the built-in fan and ice-pack jacket. ``I feel hot, and I feel good,'' Heiden said after her turn as Maggie. ``Inside, nobody knows who you are. You can just go all crazy.'' Their enthusiasm - and their act - can be infectious. ``The least I can do is buy a cup of ice cream,'' Anthony said. Eugene Tong, (661) 257-5253 eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1 -- color) MaggieMoo the cow, an ad mascot for MaggieMoo's, beckons motorists on McBean Parkway. (2 -- color) Nicole High, 19 months, hesitantly takes in MaggieMoo during a visit to the ice cream parlor with her dad, Steve. (3) MaggieMoo does the limbo under a sign held by Ashlee Houston at McBean Parkway and Valencia Boulevard. (4 -- 5) The MaggieMoo's worker inside the costume, left, gets help with the fitting from Ashlee Houston. Above are some of the dozens of pictures customers and their kids gets taken with MaggieMoo. David Crane/Staff Photographer |
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