Those of you who have attended Vertical Challenge events over the last month, or who have followed us on Facebook, have no doubt noticed a big new addition weโve made. Our friends at Stonyfield, in addition to sending out samples of their delicious organic yogurt products, have brought with them an inflatable cow.
She instantly became a fun addition to the tour, serving as a tunnel for racers to proceed to the starting gates. We knew she had to have one more thing to establish herself. She needed a name.
So we asked you, the Vertical Challenge fanbase, for your suggestions. Many of you have kids, so youโve been through this ritual before. Sure enough, you had some great suggestions. Weโll run through a few before we announce the winner at the end of this article.
There was a part of us that really wanted to pick one that Brian Wade and others suggested: โFrank.โ Lois Addison even added four exclamation points to indicate how much she loved that one: โFrank!!!!โ Ethan Levesque took it to another level with โFreaky Frank.โ The theme derives from, we presume, Vertical Challenge co-founder Frank Tansey. We would have been able to make jokes about that for years. Feel free to ask Frank to pose for a photo with you by the cow, though.
Some were puns, which is udder-ly fantastic. Oh, sorry, couldnโt resist. Just like Christopher McElhinny couldnโt resist โHolly Cowโ and Katie Sobieraj went with โVertical Cowlange.โ
Several drew from the Vertical Challenge and its traditions. KJ Serisky and Victoria Lehning, for instance, both suggested variations of Mooey Cow, hearkening back to the Chewy Dog stuffed animals we award.
A number of folks played off a dairy theme in honor of Stonyfieldโs tasty products. Buttercup, Buttermilk Betsy, Cocoa, Cookies-n-cream, and Milkway all poured out of the suggestion bottle. Our friend Meggie took it one step further, reasoning: โSince itโs the Stonyfield cow, how about โRocky.โโ She also contributed โโPierreโ (French for cow) or โChampโ (French for field)?โ Kyah and Ann Travers thought โCowabungaโ made sense for a cow adventurous enough to come to the races.
We had variations on the winter weather. Jenn Forest typed this one the way we all usually say it: โBrrrrrrtha.โ A number of folks wanted to call her โSnowbell.โ Lorraine Krochina suggested โSnowflake.โ Marge Serisky went with โMOOOO SNOWโ โ ALL CAPS were in the original, to be clear.
โMooโ riffs proved by far the most popular. Susan Hayden had โMolly Moo.โ Joanne Mason thought of โMaddie Moo.โ Rebecca Leonard thought our beautiful bovine was โMoovelous.โ Maddy Sheppard liked โWinnie The Moo.โ Healy Norton was in a big-time moo mood with โMoo-ey McMoo Moo.โ
As you can see, we had a lot of wonderful ideas from which to choose. So how did we ultimately decide to, you know, moove forward (sorry, more puns)? Well, we actually went back to the first thing people started to call her onsite and a name that was also suggested online by several people: โMooMoo.โ Part of its appeal is that itโs easy for kids to say and itโs also just plain fun. Plus it came about organically, which just seemed appropriate for a cow allied with healthy and organic Stonyfield yogurt.
Weโll draw three winners at random from everybody who submitted names and theyโll win lift tickets to Cannon Mountain, where MooMoo made her VC debut. And the next time youโre at a Vertical Challenge tour stop, take your photo with her or just say hi! Thanks to everyone who participated!
