How do you make a stranger smile? A creative Gisborne teenager has found just the right combination of silly, fun and lovable to do the trick.
He is the Giz Asaurus – determined to make your day, and he’s been doing exactly that for many residents with his sporadic appearances around Gisborne since January.
The ‘silly’ comes in the form of an inflatable dinosaur costume, the ‘fun’ are his adventures around town, and the ‘loveable’ is just his general nature.
So far, he has popped up at various roundabouts, New Gisborne Primary School, Swinburne Kinder and the Gisborne Market.
He is typically seen holding a misspelt sign with a heart-warming or cheerful message.
“We all have many opportunities every day where we can be kind, silly or unexpectedly joyful,” Giz Asaurus said.
“Finding and contributing to those moments can be so tiny, but the ripple effect can have a huge impact to make our world a gentler place to live in.”
Stepping into the Giz Asaurus role has been this teen’s way of interacting with the wider community – and his concealed identity is all part of the fun.
Giz Asaurus is a team effort – along with a teenager in the suit is also a parent assisting with transport, safety considerations and social media fun.
They said the community reaction had been “bigger than expected”.
“We are overwhelmed with all the love! We want to thank the community for being so engaged with this fun, silly idea.
“Giz loves all the honks from passing cars. We’ve also enjoyed reading all the positive and supportive comments on Facebook – some of the interactions have been deeply meaningful and we’re humbled that people have shared how a tiny moment in time has improved their day.”
The character was created when that loveable teen decided his fun dinosaur costume deserved more outings.
“It sat in my cupboard until my friend was going on camp and I thought it would be funny to surprise them on their way to school with a ‘good luck’ sign while in costume – it made both of us so happy that I decided I wanted to do this on a bigger scale,” he said.
Recently, that same friend has joined Giz Asaurus to double the fun. They go by New Giz Asaurus (will there be a South Giz Asaurus added to the herd? Maybe!).
If ever you think you have discovered who is behind the Gis Asaurus, they ask that you don’t reveal their identities so the mystery and fun can continue.
Giz Asaurus has been so popular the team behind is considering opportunities for fundraising for local causes like the Gisborne Food Bank. Details on this are expected to be announced soon.
Residents can follow the Giz Asaurus adventures via Facebook: facebook.com/TheGizAsaurusRawr
