Old-school Knott's Haunt fan? Got a minute to help with a little history project?
Looking for #CutOurMeatJeff, or maybe #LetUsBounceJeff?
But *this* is my new thing for 2015 2021 - Mooooo!
The 'wampers are rounding up another herd for the Autism Speaks walk in Anaheim this December. Come roam with us (or just contribute a few bucks to the cause)!
We also, as of 4/23/18, have t-shirts available. All proceeds go to Team Catawampers in the AS walk. The "KBF" design (large front logo only), and a cool sticker are available at TeePublic (30% off 11/12-16). The "CGT" double-sided designs (and leggings - because someone asked for them) are available at Zazzle. On both sites, be sure to customize the default style/size/color to get exactly the shirt you want, and keep an eye out for their frequent discounts.
TeePublic "KBF" shirt
TeePublic "KBF" sticker
Zazzle "CGT" and "Moo Edition" double-sided shirts
You *do* know what the Knott's Catawampus is, right? If not, start here (or behold the mighty Protowampus!). And here are a great pair of articles on the Woodimals' ancestral homeland at Knott's, Jungle Island (courtesy of Chris Jepsen).
Why should those all those guys (and gals) down the road in Anaheim at the Other Park get to swagger around having all the vest-wearing Social Club fun? Old School Knott's fans ought to have a way to represent, too! I'd been thinking about this for a while, then last year Jeff not only provided me with Eric Lynxwiler's terrific artwork of everyone's favorite Ghost Town resident, but put me in touch with Aldo, who did a *fantastic* job of translating pixels into stitches and running up our first few prototypes. Then Neo took us to the next level by finding a shop that gave us a great price on our production vest runs. Huge thanks to all four of them, without whom I'd still just be thinking "Hey, wouldn't it be neat if..."
Knott's first (and still, so far as we know, only) Social Club - the Catawampers!
Embroidery by Stitchmania in Covina, CA.
I don't "own" any of this, in any way - I'm not even doing most of the work (thanks again Jeff, Eric, Aldo and Neo). I'm just a guy that grew up at Knott's, loves the Farm and its history, and wanted to wear one of these (and, ok, has a mildly off-beat sense of humor). There are no club rules, no membership requirements, no application process - if you're a Knott's fan that wants to wear the patch, welcome to the Herd! If you're interested, or have suggestions that might make it better, please let me know via moo@catawampers.com! We're @Catawampers on Twitter and Instagram, and Catawampers SC on Facebook.
One last thing, about that "no rules" statement. It's true that Catawampers have no hierarchy and no rules (like fences, rules are mostly just there to be broken anyway). We *do*, however, ask that members of the Herd keep in mind that they're representing all of us when they're wearing their vests out on the Farm (or anywhere else public). We exist because we enjoy spending (a lot of) time at Knott's, and appreciate the Farm's history - but we're just guests. The *only* difference between us and anyone else buying a ticket is that we might be able to share a little bit of that history with someone (or maybe just helpfully point to the nearest restroom).
We're not employees (not as Catawampers, anyway), we have no special authority or privileges. We're guests, and we want the reaction from both Knott's staff and our fellow guests to be a smile every time they hear "Moo!" And *that* depends on their memory of what happened the *last* time they heard it.
Pay it forward is all I'm saying, Catawampers.
Get out there, have some fun, and make some memories. Moo!
CATAWAMPUSII (SPECIES EX-EXTINCT)!
Catty's back - and she's not alone! We still don't know what happened to her over the summer - perhaps Knott's has a secret low-tech breeding (or would that be tree-planting?) program somehow involving lizard DNA? But all summer long we were chasing the Kittywampus all over Calico and now they're both back home under the Windmill (and their now somewhat misleading sign - wonder if we can squeeze an extra "ex" into "Species Extinct"?). And it looks like she had a bit of a makeover as well - check out those shiny new horns! Seriously, thank you Knott's for the effort to preserve (and propagate!) our favorite Woodimal instead of just planting another cactus in that spot - a change 99% of guests would never even notice. Our plans to make a proper ceremony of it fizzled, but we presented a 'wamper vest and this certificate of appreciation (designed once again by Eric Lynxwiler) to Ken Parks and Knott's.
9/21/17 - For Haunt this year Catty dressed up as Moovira, Mistress of the Park, and her um, Pumpkins.
12/8/16 - *Love* this shot from Elisa of her own little Herd.
9/4/16 - Given how visibly most candidates age during their time in office, maybe it's for the best that ol' Catty didn't win the Calico election.
On the left, Jeff's picture of Catty fresh out of refurb, 'way back in May 2011. Look at that hair! On the right, well, today.
8/25/16 - Herd photo at the 2016 Haunt Preview by Knott's Network - thanks Tim and Mary!
Update 6/6/16 - Talk about fence-jumping. Catawampers representing at Walt Disney World (and Legoland)!
Update 6/25/16 - I've created a Catawampers SC group for us on Flickr, as a place where we can all upload our Herd-related images, fence-jumping or home on the Farm.
If you don't have an account, Flickr's free - join up, and share your pics!
Update 3/20/16 - Some of the Catawampers assembled in front of our namesake at the Boysenberry Festival. He's kinda short, but was too shy to come up front - perhaps we should've left just a *little* gap for him to peer through. Moo?
Update 3/5/16 - On their first official visit to the Farm, the Catawampers had to corral some fence-jumping SCs from the Other Park they found grazing in Calico!
Lots more Catawampers pics on Flickr, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.