The award-winning Advance Media New York creative team was tasked to design Amtrak’s first ever mascot, Ollie, for the Missouri River Runner line! Our Amtrak client had a vision for the mascot – they knew they wanted an animal and were focused on male river otter, frequently found in the river running along the route. We took it from there bringing the fuzzy, friendly otter from idea to loveable mascot.
Connecting Ollie with the Rich History of Missouri
Missouri has a rich culture and connection to rail travel through the Missouri River Runner line. The incredible scenery of the Show-Me State allures travelers to visit major cities along the route. There were so many Missouri-specific features that we wanted to weave into the Ollie character. We wanted to make him more than a mascot – we wanted to make him a symbolic representation of the region.
Creating this adorable conductor gave us the opportunity to share visual hints from his home state such as a real gold pocket watch. We wanted to weave in lovable characteristics like raised eyebrows, bright wide eyes, and a shiny red tie all of which evoke an emotional connection with his audience.
Bringing Ollie to Life
Ollie, and all of this best features were brought to life through a series of sketches highlighting the river otter’s dimensions, best features and key details. From there, our team worked with a company who specializes in mascots to produce the costume – stretching our guidance and expertise to include color and fabric selection – making sure every detail of Ollie (including his sizing) was perfect.
Ollie hopped aboard as Amtrak Missouri’s newest conductor, bringing a wave of energy and enthusiasm to every journey. The river otter made his grand debut at the Missouri State Fair and brought big smiles to a lot of faces.
Ollie as The Face of the River Runner Rail Line
While Ollie certainly gives a personality to a beloved Amtrak rail line, his presence does so much more. The mascot brings a fresh awareness to the route through a friendly image attracts an audience of all ages, races, and places. He is recognizable and memorable – making the River Runner line recognizable and memorable by association.
He also provides a unique focus for upcoming campaigns – bringing this new fun image to life in new ways through promotional materials and campaigns. The future opportunity for Ollie both the animated and mascot versions are endless. It’s safe to say he’ll be building brand personality, adding recognizable value and increasing ridership for years to come.
Bringing Ollie to life was an incredible experience. It’s not every day that you get to create something so iconic for a great company. We look forward to working through many more new and exciting creative ideas for Amtrak and our other creative services clients.
