Stew Leonard’s, the cluster of grocery stores in the tri-state area, has separated itself for years for its family-run feel, homemade prepared items, and petting zoos. But no element is as campy as its animatronics. Some are at select locations, like the Holstein Family Singers (cows with a jingle written by Stew Leonard Jr. himself); while others are at all stores, like the Chiquita Banana. No two stores are alike when it comes to the mascots. Recently, Diva Cheese — a provolone who wears a fluffy boa like a Vegas showgirl — has received such an outsized response that the company decided to invite her on tour, at Stew Leonard’s in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, like the musical star she born to be.
Rich Lung, the creative director of Stew Leonard’s who oversees the animatronics program (in addition to all the visual elements in the stores like signage), said that in his 40 years at the company, he had never seen so much excitement for one of its creations. In approximately 20 years of running their animatronics program in-house, it is the first mascot tour. Diva Cheese was initially slated to be in the performance line-up of Stew Leonard’s Clifton, New Jersey store, but as they finished the buildout, they realized they had too many acts — 15, while other locations have about 12 — and Diva Cheese would have to relocate.
Stew Leonard’s has long been known for its customer suggestion box. So when it came to where she should perform next, they did what they’ve always done: Asked their customers. In June, they wrote on Instagram: “Which location should get our New ‘Diva Cheese’ Show.” The comment section went nuts. One user wrote: “NORWALK is the very first location, we deserve first dibs! The ice cream counter lost its magic during the renovation.” Another wrote: “DANBURY!!!!! please danbury. sometimes i am very depressed and i go to stew leonards and i feel better. stew leonards in danbury saved my life!”
Everyone won out. From August 17 until September 1, Diva Cheese will be at the Yonkers location before continuing on her tour to other Stew Leonard’s this fall. The flier has all the event information for the groupies. There is, sadly, no red carpet. In November, a final vote will be called for Diva Cheese’s permanent stage.
“She’s very dynamic. And you come around the corner, and you can’t miss her,” says Lung.
As much as Stew Leonard’s can feel like a playground, ultimately, it is a business. Engaging customers in an era of grocery inflation — particularly one in which prices on produce have become a top issue for votes, according to a New York Times report — is as important as ever.
“It often starts at a sales meeting: All our animation shows support our top sellers,” he says. Sometimes, there’s a sponsor, like Cindy Celery who advertises Dole. Beyond just acting as marketing for the store and its products, mascots often provide a secondary educational function: Diva Cheese speaks about how calcium from dairy plays a role in nutrition.
“We’re all in such a digital world, and kids all have phones in their hands. A lot of retailers are thinking more about experiential shopping getting people driven to do real shopping instead of online shopping. And I think all our animation supports that so well,” says Lung. “When kids are dancing along in the aisles, there’s nothing more fun that puts a smile on your face.” Their focus lately has been making the animatronics at a lower height for that purpose.
When Lung started at Stew Leonard’s, the only animatronic was Sally the Piano Player, now retired. Over the years, Lung became instrumental in growing that arm of the business alongside Stew Leonard Sr. (and these days, with their animatronics specialist, Scott Pokorak.) If you’re wondering why so many of the characters are dairy-focused, Stew Leonard’s got its start as a dairy in the 1920s as a response to the precarious state of the industry at the time, Eater wrote in 2019.
“I had no experience… I really grew up with the company. It is a really niche job,” Lung, who started as a sign painter, says. “We visited Disney many times to get ideas and inspiration from them … but it also made us realize we could do this ourselves.”
“They are huge investments,” he says of the maintenance and build-out cost of the characters. It starts with sketches and then a 3D maquette version created by the team, before the final round. “And I’m so glad the company is still supporting it.” Still, he dreams of adding even more new characters. (He points to other businesses, like Chuck E. Cheese: In May, it was reported that the company was sunsetting its animatronics band. Since then, public outcry forced Chuck E. Cheese to recant.)
“This is probably the beginning of seeing a lot of our animation move from store to store,” Lung says. Next is Rich Milk, the lead singer of the Farm Fresh Five, who will “embark on a solo career this fall,” a Stew Leonard’s spokesperson shares his tour schedule.
With that, of course, comes opinions from Stew Leonard’s fanbase. One commenter wrote, unprompted, on Instagram: “If you take away Chiquita banana from Norwalk I will lose my will to live.” (For what it’s worth, no one was threatening to remove her).
Lung wants customers to know he and his team are listening. He recalls when Stew Leonard’s opened up in Paramus, New Jersey, and they relocated the Avocado Girls.
“Well, East Meadow was up in arms, asking us to bring them back — so we had to fulfill that,” he says. “That’s the danger — people enjoy them so much they don’t want to see them go.”
