Dirk Hayhurst

A Garfoose ate my homework

It’s hard to explain how the Garfoose got started. He seems like one of those ideas that pops into your head when it’s late, you’re bored, and you’ve had too much sugar. Actually, that’s only part of it. The major impetus for the Garfoose’s creation was my wife.

The amazing Mrs. Hayhurst works with special needs kids for a living, and her selfless dedication has always been close to my heart. I wanted to support her and help special needs children understand that special isn’t a bad term, but a fantastic one that we can all be proud of. In leu of the more common athletic charity appeals, my support happened to come out in the form of a fire breathing, magically empowered, indestructible, wifi enabled, half giraffe half moose.

My intent was to create an animal as special and unique and wondrous as kids with special needs. I loved the idea, so did my wife, and I had every intention of writing a kids book staring this majestic creature, but then I made the mistake (or maybe genius move) of making the Garfoose known to the baseball world.

In the baseball world, it’s survival of the fittest. To keep up (and not get made fun of in the locker room), the Garfoose had to get a little tougher, a little faster, and a little more flammable. That’s how he got his fire breathing. In fact, he got a whole list of predatory upgrades (laser vision?). The Garfoose of today is ready and able to take the on AL East, yet still excited to read at school functions.

The rest, as they say, was history. Go figure, an eccentric reliever with an imaginary animal for a friend would become popular with baseball fans. Before I knew it, the Garfoose was synonymous with me. It didn’t help that  I was doodling Garfooses, sculpting them, referring to them in stories, and signing them on baseballs. In fact, The Garfoose currently accompanies my signature on books, baseballs, cards and all manner of things. Hey, I may not get to write CY Young next to my name, but Cy Young never got to draw a fire breathing giraffe with antlers next to his.

Over the years the Garfoose has gotten quite a back story. Did you know he protects the worlds secret baseball groves that only flurish deep in an uncharted Tibetan mountain range? It’s true. Did you know the Garfoose eats unruly fans? Also true, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I’ve even heard Garfooses can turn invisible… what was that noise?

The Garfoose made his first literary appearance in annals of Baseball America about two years ago. Since, he’s been a very popular topic of conversation. People commonly ask who or what he eats? What does he do for fun? Can I ask him to eat my college professors? Etc, etc, etc…  I don’t have all the answers, but I do know this: someday the Garfoose will get his own book and it will be for kids, or at the very least, the young at heart. Until then, look for the Garfoose silhouette on baseballs, cards, or books. That’s how you know an item has been Garfoose approved. As long as you have it in your possession, you don’t have to worry about being eaten, and, hey, isn’t that what we’re all afraid of when we stop to think about it?

Also worth noting, Garfooses are very charitable animals who care deeply about special needs and other fine charities. They are also fashionable and are working on T-shirts for their Garfoosey friends to wear.Finally, with their built in Wifi service, they’re very sociable. You can even follow a Garfoose on Twitter via @theGarfoose.