Peanuts the Elephant debuted on Friday at the Sussex County Fair. Watch video
A fake, 300-pound wisecracking elephant named Peanuts is stealing the show at the Sussex County fair.
Peanuts drew laughs, gasps and plenty of double-takes while moving throughout the fair on its first day Friday.
Peanuts the Elephant at the Sussex County fair on Friday.Hidden inside was David Feimster of Jackson, the creator, operator and voice of Peanuts. He was playfully dousing spectators with trunk water sprays, making elephant jokes and breaking away for funnel cake.
"It's a fun experience," Feimster said while briefly stepping out of character.
Peanuts is making his N.J. fair debut in Sussex County. The fake elephant is about 7 feet tall and 5-and-a-half feet wide, or the size of a baby elephant.
Feimster, the president of F & F Production, came up with the idea last year amid the growing opposition against using real elephants as entertainment at circuses and fairs.
He built the frame, and a factory in China added silicone and foam.
His creation provided a perfect fit for the 78-year-old county fair in Frankford, which was targeted by protesters the last time it hosted a real elephant, in 2015.
Cathy White, of Vernon, was among those bantering with Peanuts on Friday.
"I loved it. I mean, an elephant that tells jokes -- that I wasn't expecting. Corny jokes, but they were still jokes," White said.
The fair, whose full name is the New Jersey State Fair / Sussex County Farm and Horse Show, runs through Aug. 12.
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
