Plug pulled on Don K's motorized mannequin

Meet Donna. She’s blonde, 6 feet tall and is turning the heads of commuters on U.S. 93 South. Donna is a mannequin being used by the Don K car dealership to promote their express oil change service. With the use of a battery powered motor, she can hold and wave a sign for hours on end.

She never needs a break or complains about the weather, jokes Don K service manager Greg Shaffer, who purchased the mannequin to help boost customer traffic. For about five days last month, Donna was placed in the back of a pickup parked in front of the dealership where she caught the attention of thousands of commuters — including a city employee responsible for enforcing Whitefish’s sign code.

The car dealership was recently notified by the City of Whitefish that the mannequin is an illegal use of a temporary sign under the sign ordinance. The mannequin is allowed to be displayed, but Donna must remain motionless. Animated and rotating signs are prohibited, as are signs mounted to vehicles or trailers, according to city code.

Shaffer takes issue with the city’s position and will address city council at their March 18 regular meeting. He questions why it’s OK for a real human to wave a promotional sign, but a motorized mannequin is consider non-conforming.

“I can get a human to hold and wave a sign, or dress a guy in a chicken suit, but a look-alike mannequin cannot move?” Shaffer asked. “Everyone thinks she’s real.”

Shaffer says a few customers have even attempted to strike up a conversation with Donna, noting that the mannequin is remarkably human-like from a distance.

City Planning Director David Taylor told the Pilot he isn’t aware of a city law that prohibits real people from wearing costumes or waving promotional signs, but did agree that according to code, an animated mannequin is an illegal temporary sign.

Whether the city allows the mannequin to be powered up or not, Shaffer says his goal when addressing council this month will be to convey one simple message.

“Businesses out here need to be able to market themselves,” Shaffer said. “If I don’t have something out here to let people know about our services, they’ll drive right past us.”

He says business was up by 30 percent on the days Donna was displayed and put into motion. When the mannequin was put away, business dropped.

“Out here we have traffic going 45-50 mph,” he said. “Sometimes we have to do something different for marketing.”