Blobby tours Fairbanks in search of golden heart

Blobs have invaded Cabin #7 at Pioneer Park.

The colorful creatures are the invention of artist/author Juliana Miller, who has been doodling blobs since middle school. Now, blobs have taken on a life of their own and there are blob books, blobs you can adopt and blob attire you can wear.

There's even a new book about Blobby and his friends, who travel around the Tanana Valley, searching for the Golden Heart of Fairbanks. Twenty-five local businesses are included in the book, which is a delightful tour of Fairbanks and a perfect introduction to many of its local businesses.

This isn't her first book or first illustrating of a book. But it is her most ambitious project to date.

"Around Christmas time, I ran into Chuck Lincoln at a holiday bazaar," she said. He recently sold Advance Printing, his business of 42 years. Scouting about for his next project, he found it when he discovered Blobbify.

At the same time, Miller was a bit overwhelmed at the success of her business and was hoping to seek extra help and guidance, perhaps from a manager.

"Turn out, he loves blobs and was getting ‘fired up’ to help blobs broaden their audience," Miller said. "One of my more adventurous goals with the blobs was to take them on a tour around Fairbanks. He suggested that be a project I aim to have finished by the time the summer season began."

She began working on the storyline and he set out, with his blob sticker covered briefcase, to get local businesses on board.

"He went above our goal and managed to get 25 businesses in the book," she said.

She went on to develop a fun story about Fairbanks.

"I formed a story that wound Blobby throughout Fairbanks, as he visited different businesses and iconic spots, searching for the Golden Heart of Fairbanks," she said.

Businesses featured in the book include Advance Printing, Truehearts Blend, College Town Pizzeria, Sipping Streams, The Toy Quest, Pioneer Park, Little Richards Family Diner, Fairbanks Community Food Bank, Mt. McKinley Bank, Alaska Feed Co, LuLu's Bread & Bagels, Fairbanks Award Makers, Northern Freeze, Michelle Evans Realtor, Gold Daughters, LaRae's Alaska Auto Rental, Tommy Gs Meat & Sausage, Independent Rental, Meals on Wheels, Image Optical, River City Café, Arctic Sun VR, and North Pole Lakeside Cabin.

The blobs also visit Chena Lakes, Creamer's Field, Angel Rocks, Georgeson Botanical Gardens, Fox Spring, the pipeline and more.

"The inspiration of this book was to emphasize the best of Fairbanks — from small to big businesses — while highlighting the attributes that make Fairbanks the Golden Heart of Alaska," Miller said. "I wanted this to be something that people who live here, and those that visit, would want to take home to enjoy."

There is a tiny heart hidden on each page, and Blobbify will also sell blob stuffies and other figures from the book at the #7 Cabin at Pioneer Park.

A local Instagram influencer, Alaska Lizzie, serves as the Where's Waldo throughout the story, hidden in the background of many pages.

Tommy Gross of Tommy G's Meat and Sausage is one of the local business owners depicted as a Blob, selling a juicy steak to Blobby and Blobbett before their trip to Chena Lakes.

Of course, the book has a moral. The Golden Heart isn't really a shiny souvenir, it is the hearts of the people Blobby met on his journey.

The book is for sale at Amazon and also at #7 Cabin at Pioneer Park. There is hardcover, soft cover and a coloring book.

For more information see www.blobbify.com or visit #7 Cabin at Pioneer Park.

Reach columnist/community editor Kris Capps at [email protected]. Follow her at Twitter.com/FDNMKris.

"Let's look back at some of our history together."

Let us know what you're seeing and hearing around the community.

Photo by Aaron Woods

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular collections.