I Can’t Be The Only One That Thinks Duluth’s DTA Should Do This

Alright, hear me out on this one...

I think the Duluth Transit Authority should explore adding some big googly eyes to the front of some of their buses.

You might say. "Why the heck would you think that's a good idea?!" Well, let me explain.

A brief history of googly eyes in the news lately

In the last year or so, there have been a handful of stories in the news about people applying comically-sized googly eyes to things out in public.

One example is a series of viral images from Oregon, where someone was putting giant googly eyes on public art installations. Now, to be clear, I am not advocating for this. In these instances, someone was using duct tape to stick these googly eyes to statues, which was causing damage and cost the city money to remove the eyes and repair the art.

READ MORE: Another state jumps on the bandwagon of a trend Minnesota set years ago

The internet got a good chuckle from this, but city officials had an issue with defacing public art and most taxpayers probably aren't a fan of the idea of having to pay for dealing with this.

Then, there was the inspiration for my ask from the DTA.

After a campaign from a group of locals, some Boston subway trains and buses are now sporting giant googly eyes on the front. I love when people come together for a cause. Hahaha

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Now, the issue I have with Boston's approach, is they didn't use actual googly eyes that move. They just painted them on the front. Lame.

Here's why I think Duluth should jump on this.

Why Duluth should introduce some googly eyes on DTA buses

First and foremost, it's funny! If you can't chuckle about a bus being made to look like a living thing by adding some googly eyes, you might want to get your sense of humor checked.

It also adds a bit of childhood whimsy to the DTA's fleet, kind of like vehicles in TV shows and movies. Thomas the Train, anyone? Why not have "Denny the DTA Bus"?

Think of the buzz it would create around the DTA! It might grow ridership, and it would surely be something that would catch media attention across the country. Two words: Phenomenal marketing.

Here's a big one for me. Anyone who's driven around in the Twin Ports area knows a lot of the roads aren't exactly...smooth. Imagine a bus hitting a pothole and the googly eyes bouncing around. Don't tell me you didn't smile imagining that.

Now, before the crabby folks out there complain "doesn't the city have better things to worry about or spend money on?" Yes, it does. But I mean, how much can a handful of giant googly eyes cost? Heck, I'd even start a GoFundMe to cover the costs. I am confident we could easily raise the money needed to make it happen with no cost to the city at all.

With the incessant crabbiness the world seems to be feeling these days, I feel like some well-placed googly eyes on some of the public transportation options in the Twin Ports area would bring a little levity to the Northland.

Who's with me?