# Does your city have a "character"?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [August 11, 2026, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299 "2026-08-11T18:55:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/1 "2026-08-11T18:55:49Z")
In Memphis for the last 50 or so years it was Prince Mongo. He died today.
> [@](#):
>
> Prince Mongo, also known as Robert Hodges, is known for his rather eccentric public persona. The details of Prince Mongo’s life remain obscure or unknown, though he claims that he is an ambassador from (the planet) Zambodia where he was born 333 years ago. He claims that he was “sent by the Zambodian spirits” to “save the City of Memphis” and “protect it from natural disasters”. He always wears [steampunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk "Steampunk") [goggles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goggles "Goggles") and a long white [wig](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wig "Wig") in public, usually accompanied by flamboyant clothing. His reasoning for his seemingly odd appearance is that he just “damn well wants to”.[[8]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Mongo#cite_note-8)
>
> He first got attention after putting garbage-themed art on his lawn at his Central Gardens home. He decided to run for mayor of [Shelby County, Tennessee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelby_County,_Tennessee "Shelby County, Tennessee"), and performed well; he then, since 1979, ran for mayor of [Memphis, Tennessee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis,_Tennessee "Memphis, Tennessee") and has not performed well.[[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Mongo#cite_note-Williford-4)
He ran for mayor in every election in the 80s and 90s. I remember that my boyfriend’s mother actually voted for him once in protest, which I thought was great. He owned two nightclubs over the years. There was one in an old castle-like mansion that was cool and one that was Zambodian-themed which I wasn’t impressed with. He owned a house in Central Gardens, one of the oldest high-end parts of the city. The art in his yard was sort of a city attraction. RIP Prince. You were definitely a character.
[Prince Mongo - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Mongo)
So does your city have a character?
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### Author:  [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/2 "2026-08-11T19:17:41Z")
Toronto has (or had) “Zanta”, the shirtless guy in a Santa hat who does pushups all over the city. He got in trouble for harassing people, unfortunately.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwDTREMJT5U)
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### Author:  [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/3 "2026-08-11T19:33:42Z")
Portland has this guy:
> **[Unipiper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unipiper)**
>
> The Unipiper (born Brian Kidd; April 29, 1983) is an American unicyclist, street performer, bagpiper and internet celebrity based in Portland, Oregon. Brian Kidd moved to Portland, Oregon, from North Carolina in 2007. The Oregonian newspaper wrote in 2017 that he came up with the act that he would later name the Unipiper "shortly before he moved to Portland", but developed it in Portland, where he was influenced by the city's receptiveness to quirky characters. He named his character the Unipiper...
(Or did - I don’t go into Portland much these days, so it’s been several years since I’ve personally seen him.)
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnVjkE87FDY)
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### Author:  [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/4 "2026-08-11T19:52:52Z")
Athens had this guy:
[ ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Diogenes_looking_for_a_man_-_attributed_to_JHW_Tischbein.jpg)
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### Author:  [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/5 "2026-08-11T20:08:59Z")
Cambridge had this guy:
> **[Snowy Farr](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowy_Farr)**
>
> Walter "Snowy" Farr MBE (b. 1919; d. Oakington, Cambridgeshire, 8 March 2007) was a British charity fundraiser who mostly operated in the streets of Cambridge, England. Over several decades Farr collected many thousands of pounds for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. In recognition of his efforts, he received an MBE in November 1995. Farr was usually seen in eccentric clothing, often incorporating antique military wear, and accompanied by tame animals, including mice, cats, dogs and A...
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### Author:  [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/6 "2026-08-11T21:22:18Z")
San Francisco had [Emperor Norton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Norton) in the late 19th Century.
> Norton proclaimed himself “Emperor of these United States” in September 1859, a role he played for the rest of his life. Norton had no formal political power but was treated deferentially in San Francisco and elsewhere in California, and currency issued in his name was honored in some of the establishments he frequented. Some considered Norton to be insane or eccentric, but residents of San Francisco and the city’s larger Northern California orbit enjoyed his imperial presence and took note of his frequent newspaper proclamations. Norton received free ferry and train passage and a variety of favors, such as help with rent and free meals, from well-placed friends and sympathizers. Some of the city’s merchants capitalized on his notoriety by selling souvenirs bearing his image. He died January 8, 1880.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/7 "2026-08-11T21:25:19Z")
Chicago (at least downtown Chicago) had the Walking Man (a.k.a. Walking Dude, Walking Guy, Walking Yanni), a man with a distinctive hairstyle, mustache, and attire who was a downtown fixture, and who could be seen walked around the city every day.
I worked at ad agencies in the Loop at the time, and everyone at the agencies knew about Walking Man, to the point that a few of my colleagues created a Walking Man fan page on Facebook. He kept very much to himself, and little was known about him for many years. He was apparently very surprised when he learned he was so well-known.
He was apparently a street peddler at one point, and became homeless. He was attacked on the street twice (once in 2016, a second time in 2022). After the first attack, which left him badly injured, he was the beneficiary of a big crowdfunding effort to help pay his medical bills.
In the second attack, he was [lit on fire](https://abc7chicago.com/post/homeless-man-set-on-fire-joseph-kromelis-chicago-walking-guardia/11909641/) and badly burned while he slept by a person who claimed he did it because he (the arsonist) was “angry;” the Walking Man died from his injuries a few months later.
[ ](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/migration/2023/05/15/EQFLSAUHF5FBVEKJSQKMZYAUL4.jpg)
> **[Joseph Kromelis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kromelis)**
>
> Joseph Kromelis (1947 – December 11, 2022) known as 'Walking Man', 'Walking Dude' or Walking Yanni was a Chicago-area homeless man and street vendor known for his physical appearance and for wandering about the city. He typically dressed in a v-neck t-shirt and a suit and kerchief, and had long, wavy hair and a thick mustache. Sources differ as to whether Kromelis was born in Germany or Lithuania. His family lived in Lithuania, and while Kromelis was still a child, moved to Chicago where they man...
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### Author:  [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/8 "2026-08-11T21:31:01Z")
We had this man, but he was harmless and quite well liked.
[https://www.wqad.com/article/news/local/vern-carpenter-mayor-of-gaines-street-passed-away/526-4052d4ad-ced0-4d4d-bcf6-cc15c7608285](https://www.wqad.com/article/news/local/vern-carpenter-mayor-of-gaines-street-passed-away/526-4052d4ad-ced0-4d4d-bcf6-cc15c7608285)
My old town, in rural Illinois, had a 70-ish man who would “jog” all over town, wearing a very distinctive shirt, and you never knew when or where he would show up. We all knew he was completely harmless, and I never to my knowledge saw him doing anything else. I left that town in 2011, and have no idea if he’s even still alive. Someone I knew, knew his name and where he lived, and said he was actually related to some of the movers and shakers in town, and was fairly successful in business in his younger years.
The city where I worked before that, unfortunately, had a self-appointed “character” who used our pharmacy, and people just wanted to get away from him as fast as possible. I don’t know how he found a woman to marry him, but he somehow did.
For a short time, my local newspaper had a writer who did stories about assorted “characters”, and I have a feeling that he got a lot of negative feedback, because none of them were people who had any kind of life that should be emulated.
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### Author:  [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/9 "2026-08-11T21:44:29Z")
My city had “pastor” Payne, a homeless meth addict who danced around shirtless, even in winter. He got trespassed a lot.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/10 "2026-08-11T21:45:10Z")
I lived in Costa Mesa for a few years, where we laid claim to Sid Soffer. There used to be a Wikipedia page on him, but now he’s just a mention on the page for Cafe Frankenstein, where he was once the manager.
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### Author:  [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/11 "2026-08-11T21:50:13Z")
> [@hogarth](#):
>
> Toronto has (or had) “Zanta”, the shirtless guy in a Santa hat who does pushups all over the city. He got in trouble for harassing people, unfortunately.
Back in the late 1980s/early 1990s, Toronto also had the “Blessing Lady.” Dressed in flowing white robes, she would stand on the Don Mills Road bridge over the 401, with arms outstretched, “blessing” the westbound traffic.
As I recall, she made the local TV news once or twice. I don’t know what happened to her.
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### Author:  [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/12 "2026-08-11T21:56:52Z")
I just remembered another one, from the late 1990s.
He was a man who lived as a woman, and wanted to be called Jennifer. The issue was that he was constantly suing businesses because he insisted on using the women’s restroom. I first heard of him because he attended my old Episcopal church a few times, at the 8am service, with his chihuahua. My pastor had heard that he was intersex; I have no idea if any of that is true.
He dressed as a woman, which included wearing a bra with nothing in it, but he certainly didn’t look like a woman.
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### Author:  [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/13 "2026-08-11T21:59:20Z")
Ronnie Woo Woo is a (probably unhoused) guy who is always at or near Wrigley Field on Cubs’ home game days.
> **[Ronnie Woo Woo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronnie_Woo_Woo)**
>
> Ronnie "Woo Woo" Wickers (born October 31, 1941) is a longtime Chicago Cubs fan and local celebrity in the Chicago area. He is known to Wrigley Field visitors for his idiosyncratic cheers at baseball games, generally punctuated with an exclamatory "Woo!" (e.g., "Cubs, woo! Cubs, woo! Big-Z, woo! Zambrano, woo! Cubs, woo!") Longtime Cubs announcer Harry Caray dubbed Wickers "Leather Lungs" for his ability to shout for hours at a time. Wickers grew up on the South Side of Chicago. Born premature ...
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### Author:  [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/14 "2026-08-11T21:59:55Z")
Seattle used to have Tuba Man, a very well known street performer. He was tragically murdered by a group of punks some years back.
> **[Tuba Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuba_Man)**
>
> Edward Scott McMichael (March 15, 1955 – November 3, 2008), also known as the Tuba Man, was an American tubist who became well known in Seattle for street performing outside the city's various sports and performing arts venues during the 1990s and 2000s. McMichael played outside the Kingdome, KeyArena, McCaw Hall, Safeco Field, and Qwest Field, among other venues. McMichael was known for playing songs appropriate for the climate of the venue where he was playing, such as "Happy Days Are Here Aga...
Now we have Jimothy.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/15 "2026-08-11T22:00:53Z")
Another Chicago character, Ronnie “Woo Woo” Wickers. He’s mostly known for being a Cubs fan, and, in particular, his…unique…style of cheering for the Cubs, interspersing each word of the cheer with “woo!” (e.g., “Cubs, woo! Win, woo! Cubs, woo!”)
He became well-known in the '80s, and still gets regularly featured on television and radio; Wickers attends most home games, and whenever there’s an important game, reporters seek him out for a sound bite, for whatever reason (probably for “local color”). He does personal appearances, and served as a spokesperson on some TV ads.
Cubs fans seem to see him as a beloved mascot, but to me, he’s a guy whose 10 minutes of fame should have been up decades ago.
[ ](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GoRwyFeIQqM/hqdefault.jpg)
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### Author:  [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/16 "2026-08-11T22:01:27Z")
> [@commasense](#):
>
> San Francisco had [Emperor Norton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Norton) in the late 19th Century.
And more recently San Francisco had the “Bucket Man”, Larry Hunt, a fixture on Market Street for decades playing his homemade drum set. Hunt passed away a few years ago.
> **[San Francisco's 'Bucket Man,' known for his drumming on Market Street, dead...](https://www.ktvu.com/news/san-franciscos-bucket-man-known-for-his-drumming-on-market-street-dead-at-64)**
>
> Larry Hunt was a familiar face who brought a special rhythm to San Francisco's Market Street. Known as the "Bucket Man," Hunt's drumming drew crowds to the Powell Street cable car turnaround for years.
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### Author:  [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/17 "2026-08-11T22:37:26Z")
My hometown had the “starman” who would wander around looking up at the sky. At night he’d point and look like he was counting stars.
My current town has too many to mention. David/Lisa to name one.
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### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/18 "2026-08-11T22:47:15Z")
Cool “Disco” Dan was a familiar tag all along the Red Line of the DC Metro system in the 90s and 00s.
> **[Cool "Disco" Dan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_%22Disco%22_Dan)**
>
> Cool "Disco" Dan (December 31, 1969 – July 26, 2017) was the pseudonym of American graffiti artist Dan Hogg. His standard mark, a particularly styled rendering of his name, was ubiquitous in the Washington metropolitan area, notably along the route of the Washington Metro Red Line. Dan was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1969. His mother and father moved the family to Annandale, Virginia, when Dan was a young boy. As a child, Dan was teased for being short; neighborhood children called him "Dis...
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2026, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/19 "2026-08-11T22:50:28Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#):
>
> Chicago (at least downtown Chicago) had the Walking Man (a.k.a. Walking Dude, Walking Guy, Walking Yanni), a man with a distinctive hairstyle, mustache, and attire who was a downtown fixture, and who could be seen walked around the city every day.
In Milwaukee, we have the Milveraine (Milwaukee + Wolverine). He walks, he’s _always_ walking. According to him, he walks about 40 miles a day. After a few years of being spotted walking all over town, to the point that there were regular “I saw him” type posts on facebook, a few journalists managed to talk to him. Turns out, he’s more or less a normal guy, he just walks, a lot. Plus he’s almost always shirtless and walks fast with a very distinctive gait that makes him easy to spot.
He has his own [wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milverine) page and even a bobblehead.
[ ](https://dailyreporter.com/files/2011/10/Milverine.jpg)
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### Author:  [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2026, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-city-have-a-character/1032299/20 "2026-08-12T00:33:05Z")
Although St. Andrews, Scotland is not my town (my grandson is a student there), Hamish McHamish was so well known that after he died they erected a statue to him. He spent his days wandering around town, getting fed and generally loved and cared for by the townspeople. Hamish McHamish was a cat: town cat of st andrews
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