Publication:The Gazette; Date:Dec 26, 2003; Section:Section A; Page Number:1    

Text Box: ANDY ROGERS, THE GAZETTE JOKE’S ON YOU: Chris Ortiz, center, places plastic flamingos in the lawn of Chip Reinhard as “That Flamingo Gal,” Molli McConnell, talks to the Colorado Springs resident Christmas Eve. Reinhard’s brother hired McConnell to place 200 of the fake birds on the property as the latest in a string of practical jokes between the two. The pranks began in 1997, when Reinhard’s brother put a 50-foot-tall flamingo covered with pink lights on his property. “That Flamingo Gal” saw a newspaper story about the prank and contacted the brother to offer her services. In June, McConnell launched a business that places the birds, cows, American flags or dinosaurs on people’s lawns in the dead of night, giving them a humorous surprise in the morning.   LOOK WHAT SANTA BROUGHT

 

 

 

 

The Cheyenne Edition        November 2, 2006

Molli McConnell is That Flamingo Gal

That Flamingo Gal hatched from idea in Jersey

Molli McConnell hatched the idea for That Flamingo Gal in May of 2003. Looking for a unique gift for her sister in New Jersey, she stumbled across a unique alternative to the birthday bouquet – a lawn full of pink flamingos! “What a cool idea!” she thought.

After research confirmed this business idea hadn’t hit Colorado Springs, off she went to bring the happy birds to unsuspecting victims here on the Front Range. McConnell had read an article about two wacky brothers who had a standing one-up game going with each other involving flamingos. She contacted one of the brothers and said she had 200 pink flamingos to up the ante. He jumped on the chance to strike first. That Christmas Eve his brother was gifted the little surprise. For McConnell, the rest is history.

After three years in business, she has a steady list of customers who request flockings for every occasion from birthdays and weddings to business promotions and open houses. She typically strikes in the dead of night and the birds entertain all the next day until they fly away after sunset.

For a unique gift they’ll be talking about long after the occasion, remember – flock ‘em if they can’t take a joke!

Contact McConnell at 238-2535 or that flamingogal@msn.comailto:thatflamingogal@msn.com?subject=email from Woodland Hills news articlem. Visit her on the Internet at www.thatflamingogal.com.