This fun project was brought to us in 2010 by Foerstel, an advertising agency working with the Idaho Potato Commission. They gave us a computer sketch of a giant potato on a semi truck, similar to the Idaho postcards found in airports and gas stations, and asked if we could actually make it real. And we did. From there forward, our giant potato has travelled over 200,000 miles, back and forth across the U.S. visiting over 9000 cities for the last 7 years on tour. In 2018, the original potato is being replaced with a new fiberglass potato, which we are currently in the process of fabricating, and will last for years and more tours to come.
We enjoy working closely with our superstar tour manager, Laura Martin of Foerstel Design, and of course with Frank Muir, the president of the IPC who is quite proud of this Idaho icon. During the design process, we had to pay close attention to size restrictions allowed by the Department of Transportation! Since it’s primary use is traveling down interstates, participating in parades and being around crowds of people, we used a structural engineer for fabrication and safety advice. We worked with a few different contractors for concrete work, electrical mechanisms and professional auto painters for the truck. Each year, we have very specific deadlines to meet in order for the tour to make it’s planned events. Good communication to the tour schedulers (and our own subcontractors) is crucial to making everything happen on time. Follow along on it’s journey: www.bigidahopotato.com
this is big.
in the ribcage with the crew from Foerstel, a fabulous design team in Boise
