Dillon Works! Hard To Bring Fantasies To Life

NORTH SEATTLE

Mike Dillon likes to put the "fun" into "functional."

Dillon, a 32-year-old Lynnwood resident, runs a North Seattle business that elevates advertising to art and transforms ordinary people into performance artists. His business, called Dillon Works!, constructs costumes for walk-around advertising, creating such memorable personalities as the Mariners' moose.

The company also makes props, sets and backdrops for use in films, commercials, corporate videos, showrooms, amusement parks - wherever there's a need to liven up a scene.

Dillon Works!, located in a 10,600-square-foot space on Highway 99, employs eight full-time and two part-time employees who design, build, sew, paint and piece together each of the costumes.

Dillon, who said an average costume takes about 120 hours to construct, would not reveal specific prices. But David Knowling, a Fred Meyer spokesman, said the chain's popular Fred Bears now cost about $3,300. Dillon pointed out, however, that, in general, first-time costumes cost more because the design and pattern have to be created.

In the company's six years, the team has built more than 300 costumes for walk-around advertising - about one every five days. Among Dillon Works!'s walk-around creations are 75 fuzzy robins for Red Robin restaurants, 42 talking pancakes for the International House of Pancakes, three Professor Egghead heads and a Pepto Bismol bottle that's as pink as the real thing.

"It attracts attention, it brings personality to the product," said Dillon of the walk-arounds. "They add visibility."

Visibility they certainly have. Constructed out of materials such as fiberglass, foam, wood and cloth, Dillon Works! creations are heavy on color and big on gimmick. For instance, clam costumes he has made for Ivar's actually squirt water at passers-by. And a flamingo costume for a Seven-Eleven blinks its mechanical eyes.

One familiar costume that Dillon Works! constructs is the Fred Bear mascot for Fred Meyer stores. Originally, Fred Meyer hired an Oregon company to manufacture the bear costumes, which appeared nine years ago. But the company switched to Dillon Works! about four years ago, because it offered better costumes and workmanship, said Knowling, who has worn the Fred Bear suit as a mascot since it was created.

Knowling said Dillon Works!'s bears were much lighter and more considerate of the wearer than the previous company's had been. And the bear is an integral part of the company's community involvement, he added. Fred Bears make rounds at hospitals, visit schools and appear in commercials.

"We classify Fred Bear as what Ronald McDonald is to McDonalds, or what Mickey is to Disneyland," he said. "Fred Bear is the ambassador of good will for Fred Meyer."

Currently, employees are putting together costumes which depict Nintendo's video character Mario riding on top of his dinosaur Yoshi. Dillon Works! has already made five of the costumes for Redmond-based Nintendo, which have been shipped to parts of the U.S. and Germany. The two currently being produced will go to Germany and Spain.

Dillon said that the business has continually grown since its inception, posted a 25 percent growth in sales this year and registers six figure sales annually.

The company creates more than just the walk-arounds. It also builds props such as miniature Mario dolls for Nintendo magazine covers, has created foliage for Tokyo's DisneyWorld and made a couch with wheels to fly down a bobsledding course for a Rainier Beer commercial.

Dillon estimates 70 percent of his business is from Puget Sound clients. But many of the businesses, like Nintendo, purchase the costumes and ship them to branches around the country or overseas.

In the works at Dillon Works! are plans for functional furniture with an artistic bent. Just a couple of weeks away from completion is a coffee table; the base of which is a sculpture of swimming fish. One fish's head will poke through the top. Dillon said the table will probably sell for between $3,000 to $4,000.

Dillonformally incorporated as Dillon Works! in 1987.