The two snow minions waving to passersby in the 600 block of North Keebler Avenue in Collinsville may appear to be the result of inspired thinking, but to the creator, they were a last minute choice to continue a tradition.
Minions from Disney’s “Despicable Me” in a yard in the 600 block of N. Keebler / Photo by Roger Starkey
Minions from Disney’s “Despicable Me” in a yard in the 600 block of N. Keebler / Photo by Roger Starkey
Freddie Novosell Jr. and Freddie Novosell III, creators of the snow minions, from Disney’s “Despicable Me,” in their yard in the 600 block of N. Keebler / Photo by Roger Starkey
Freddie Novosell Jr. was searching for ideas to continue his longtime snow sculpture habit, when he finally shrugged his shoulders and decided to create the pair of “Despicable Me” characters because his 10-year-old son, Freddie Novosell III, is a big fan.
“I’ve been doing this for 25 years, I’m kind of running out of ideas,” Novosell Jr. said of his latest snow sculptures.
The Novosells spent about eight hours Saturday collecting snow, sculpting the two figures and applying six cans of spray paint. The Novosells sculpted the minions with their hands, a shovel and a large knife, used to add detail. A shovel and wheelbarrow were called into service to get the best snow.
“If you roll the snow up the traditional way, from the yard, you end up with leaves and sticks in it,” Novosell Jr. said. “The snow is clean when you shovel it out of the driveway.”
With the remnants of last week’s project, the Pillsbury Doughboy, lying in a nearly melted state on the front lawn, Novosell III produces a photo album with some of his father’s work. Several full-size cars, a larger-than-life Santa Claus sitting in a chair, a Tweety Bird and dozens of other sculptures have sat on Novosell Jr.’s front lawn in the past 25 years.
A full-size Volkswagen Beetle is Novosell Jr.’s favorite. Novosell III likes the Gene Simmons head the pair sculpted last year, which landed them on CNN.
There are many screeching tires along Keebler Avenue, and plenty of slow moving traffic, but there have been no accidents from people slowing or stopping to look at his sculptures, Novosell Jr. said.
Novosell Jr., who is a maintenance worker at the Gateway Convention Center, said his employers have approached him about the possibility of creating a large fish snow sculpture for the Let’s Go Fishing Show Jan. 3-5, 2014. If Mother Nature complies, visitors to the fishing show may find the boats inside are not nearly as interesting as the fish outside
