Gus the groundhog
Encyclopedia
Gus is the "spokesgroundhog" for the instant scratch-off lottery
games run by the Pennsylvania Lottery
. The original concept for the Groundhog was created by MARC USA, an Advertising Agency based in Pittsburgh, PA. The concept is brought to life as an animatronic groundhog
, created in 2004 by The Character Shop, Inc., a Hollywood creature effects company.
Gus is billed as the "second most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania
", as a nod to Punxsutawney Phil
. His tag line is "keep on scratchin'!"
Gus appears in television commercials at the beginning of every month, as well as throughout the winter holiday season, which are aired in all television markets in Pennsylvania, with overlap into portions of all of Pennsylvania's neighboring states where Pennsylvania television signals are available. As of February 2011, the Pennsylvania Lottery claims that Gus has appeared in more than 50 commercials. In 2008, a girlfriend named "Gabby" was introduced to the Pennsylvania Lottery commercials, and the two are shown visiting the Pocono Mountains every Valentine's Day, as a nod to the importance of romantic tourism to that region's economy. Other "family members" have also appeared in commercials.
Gus requires 5 puppeteers to operate. One operates his head and body, one does his arms, one for his mouth and lip-sync, and another 2 for the rest of his facial movements. His face is incredibly expressive, with dual axis ears, eyes up/down. eyes side/side, and blinks, 2-axis eyebrows, nose up/down, 2 axis jaw, smile, and 4 axis lip movement. Due to Gus's small size, many of the servos needed to provide his animatronic functions are mounted externally, with the cables running through spring housings on their way up to his head.
Gus, with his lovable, wise-cracking personality, has gained some popularity with Pennsylvanians; however, the Pennsylvania Lottery will not offer plush replicas of Gus for sale because that organization believes that such a toy would advertise the lottery (a game which is restricted to adult play) to children.
Gus has also appeared dressed in both Philadelphia Eagles
and Pittsburgh Steelers
uniforms with other similarly uniformed men in a licensed co-branding with those two National Football League
teams, as certain instant games are branded for those teams.
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
games run by the Pennsylvania Lottery
Pennsylvania Lottery
The Pennsylvania Lottery is operated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The lottery was created by the Pennsylvania General Assembly on August 26, 1971; two months later, Henry Kaplan was appointed as its first executive director...
. The original concept for the Groundhog was created by MARC USA, an Advertising Agency based in Pittsburgh, PA. The concept is brought to life as an animatronic groundhog
Groundhog
The groundhog , also known as a woodchuck, whistle-pig, or in some areas as a land-beaver, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Other marmots, such as the yellow-bellied and hoary marmots, live in rocky and mountainous areas, but...
, created in 2004 by The Character Shop, Inc., a Hollywood creature effects company.
Gus is billed as the "second most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
", as a nod to Punxsutawney Phil
Punxsutawney Phil
Punxsutawney Phil is a groundhog resident of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. On February 2 of each year, the town of Punxsutawney celebrates the beloved groundhog with a festive atmosphere of music and food...
. His tag line is "keep on scratchin'!"
Gus appears in television commercials at the beginning of every month, as well as throughout the winter holiday season, which are aired in all television markets in Pennsylvania, with overlap into portions of all of Pennsylvania's neighboring states where Pennsylvania television signals are available. As of February 2011, the Pennsylvania Lottery claims that Gus has appeared in more than 50 commercials. In 2008, a girlfriend named "Gabby" was introduced to the Pennsylvania Lottery commercials, and the two are shown visiting the Pocono Mountains every Valentine's Day, as a nod to the importance of romantic tourism to that region's economy. Other "family members" have also appeared in commercials.
Gus requires 5 puppeteers to operate. One operates his head and body, one does his arms, one for his mouth and lip-sync, and another 2 for the rest of his facial movements. His face is incredibly expressive, with dual axis ears, eyes up/down. eyes side/side, and blinks, 2-axis eyebrows, nose up/down, 2 axis jaw, smile, and 4 axis lip movement. Due to Gus's small size, many of the servos needed to provide his animatronic functions are mounted externally, with the cables running through spring housings on their way up to his head.
Gus, with his lovable, wise-cracking personality, has gained some popularity with Pennsylvanians; however, the Pennsylvania Lottery will not offer plush replicas of Gus for sale because that organization believes that such a toy would advertise the lottery (a game which is restricted to adult play) to children.
Gus has also appeared dressed in both Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
uniforms with other similarly uniformed men in a licensed co-branding with those two National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
teams, as certain instant games are branded for those teams.