Mr. Blue's birthday
Pam Pereira of Kinder Magic holds Mr. Blue as she chats with students, from left, Mac Dwyer, Trace Hagadone and Olive Villarreal on Wednesday.
BILL BULEY/Press
Pam Pereira of Kinder Magic holds Mr. Blue as student Mac Dwyer looks at the furry creature on Wednesday.
Pam Pereira of Kinder Magic holds Mr. Blue on Wednesday.
COEUR d’ALENE — Mr. Blue doesn’t say much.
He rarely appears in public.
And it’s not clear what he is.
But one thing is certain: Mr. Blue is loved.
“The kids adore him,” said Pam Pereira, an owner of Kinder Magic.
The kindergarten and preschool in Coeur d'Alene threw a birthday party Wednesday, complete with cake, in honor of their shy, furry friend who lives in a blue pillowcase under Pereira’s desk.
You guessed it. They wore blue.
Blue socks and sweaters. Blue caps and coats. Some colored their hair blue and one had a blue star painted on one cheek and the words “Go Blue” on the other.
A sign outside read, "Happy B day, Mr. Blue. We love you!"
It was a beautiful blue wave.
“They go all out,” said Pereira, a blue heart decorating her forehead.
And they do this because Mr. Blue knows people. He’s kind of a big deal. He has a hotline to folks like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, leprechauns, elves, angels and all creatures great and small.
Mr. Blue, sitting in Pereira’s lap with kids surrounding them, seemed to smile. He liked the attention.
“He has a direct phone line to all things magic,” Pereira said.
She came across Mr. Blue more than 30 years ago when he was hiding in a tree, and welcomed him into her home. He’s been attached to her since. Kinder Magic has been around 24 years and Mr. Blue has been here for every one. You’ll find Mr. Blue adorning the school’s yearbook.
“Everybody in the community knows him,” Pereira said. “He’s famous.”
And mysterious.
Mr. Blue emerges only a few times a month to help teach a lesson. But it’s not book knowledge he’s sharing. It’s more about all that is good and kind and wonderful in this world. With Mr. Blue, students imagine the possibilities.
“He helps them believe in magic,” Pereira said. “The world could use a little bit of that.”
While Wednesday was Mr. Blue’s birthday, his age is unknown. He’s at least 34, which is when Pereira had that chance encounter with him that led to their lifelong friendship.
“He will not tell us how old he is,” she said, smiling.
But what, exactly, is Mr. Blue?
That’s unknown, too. He’s not talking. In fact, he slipped back into his pillowcase and disappeared back under the desk. Maybe next time.
“You can’t really describe him as anybody or anything,” Pereira said. “He’s an entity all of his own.”
