Bringing Moe the Manatee Back to Life

When people think of Florida, they often picture a mix of sunshine, beaches, and a laid-back lifestyle. There’s the famous theme parks like Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, beautiful coastlines with white sandy beaches, and vibrant nightlife in Miami. Many of the world’s most famous celebrities are from there too, people like Ariana Grande, Pitbull, and Sidney Poitier were all born and raised there. Whenever we see Florida in the news, it’s usually something related to Hurricanes, Spring Break, or one of those meme-worthy “Florida Man” news headlines that always seem to always come out of The Sunshine State.

With all this going on, it’s easy to overlook one of Florida’s most beloved and iconic residents: the Florida manatee. Known for its gentle nature and curious, slow-moving demeanor, this remarkable creature has come to embody Florida’s wild side. Found in the warm waters along the state’s extensive coastlines, the manatee is an essential part of the local ecosystem. However, like many of Florida’s natural treasures, manatees face numerous threats, from habitat loss to watercraft collisions. That’s where places like the Manatee Center come in, working to educate, protect, and inspire visitors to play a role in preserving this one-of-a-kind species. To help achieve this mission, they use their mascot, Moe the Manatee.

Manatee Center – History and Purpose

The Manatee Center in Fort Pierce, FL, is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting environmental education and manatee conservation. The center itself has been around since 1996, buts its story starts much earlier. Back in 1912 the Henry D. King Power Plant was established and started energy generating operations through the burning of natural gas. Natural gas power plants require lots of cold water for cooling and when the water has done its job, it is returned to the same body of water from which it came. When this heated water is released back into the environment it raises the overall temperature of the water body, leading to what’s called “thermal pollution.”

While not an ideal scenario for the local water ways, this thermal pollution had at least one positive effect on the environment. The local Manatees LOVED it. The warm water from the power plant, the fresh water from the local creek, and the calm seas from the lagoon, made this area the perfect hang out spot for manatees from all over Florida’s coastline. This perfect trifecta of all the things manatees love made this spot the ideal place for the Manatee Center to set up shop. Even though the power plant was decommissioned and torn down in 2008, manatees are creatures of habit. Even in the absence of warm water they return to the Manatee Center on a regular basis, and can often be seen swimming up and down the lagoon!

In fact, environmental specialists recently analyzed and published the citizen science data that’s been collected by ManaTeam “Roving Naturalist” volunteers since 1996 in the article, “Persistent long-term habitat use by Florida manatees at Fort Pierce, Florida from 1997 to 2020,” published in March 2024.

Since its establishment in 1996, the Manatee Center has been hard at work spreading environmental awareness and contributing to manatee conservation efforts all along the coastline. Over the past 27 years, the center has expanded not only in size but also in its offerings to visitors. It features an outdoor classroom for hosting field trips, multiple exhibits on marine wildlife, and an expansive, beautifully curated gift shop filled with unique coastal-themed treasures, educational toys, local artisan crafts, and memorable keepsakes. Visitors also enjoy exploring the many fish tanks teeming with a fascinating variety of aquatic life.

Moe the Manatee

The first time we worked with the Manatee Center was all the way back in 2001. They commissioned us to make Moe, a blubbery Manatee with a cute little sailor hat and a life preserver. Moe served the Manatee Center for over 23 years in the hot and humid conditions that Florida is known for. To say that he had lived a full life would be a bit of an understatement! In 2022 his condition was noticed by Jessica, who recently started her new role at the Manatee Center’s manager. As cute and adorable as Moe was, he was clearly ready for retirement.

“I remember the first time I saw us put on our Moe… and God bless him, it was… ouch. He was kind of held together with duct tape, Velcro, and paper clips.”

Portriat photo of Jessica of the Manatee Center

Jessica Kadie Barclay

Manatee Center Manager

At the time, the Manatee Center was going through a rebranding process. While Manatee education and conservation would still be the primary focus of the non-profit, they also wanted to expand their focus onto the entire lagoon ecosystem. This rebranding would be the perfect opportunity to re-introduce Moe. He’d have a fresh look, a revamped website, and a whole new message to spread to the masses. As for funding, the publicly-owned Fort Pierce Utilities Authority provides administrative oversight for the Manatee Center, with additional support from the Treasure Coast Manatee Foundation. When Jessica approached them with the prospect of purchasing a new Moe, they fully backed her idea and started working it into their budget.

With the upcoming rebranding in process and the financing taken care of, all that was left to do was find a company that could remake Moe. Luckily for us, Jess was able to find a copy of the original receipt from Moe’s 2001 purchase. Moe had held up so well for the previous 20 years, we became her top pick for bringing him back to life!

When we received the original Moe, it was clear that he was due for retirement. But even in his rough shape, he was still unbelievably adorable. Because his face, form, and figure was so loveable, the Manatee Center wanted us to replicate Moe’s original look to preserve the manatee that people had fallen in love with over the last 2 decades.

We keep records of every mascot we produce, and we still had the original design files that we used to make Moe back in 2001. All we’d have to do is upload the original measurements to our mold machine, source some fur patterns, match some colors, and we’d have a brand-new Moe looking just like he did in 2001. Our mascot designers and craftsman love these replication projects, having the original measurements of what we are copying makes the mascot creation process a breeze.

Moe’s Adventures

Since Moe has returned to the Manatee Center, he has been hard at work attending special events, visiting local schools, and participating in a lot of kid-centric programs. One such kid-centric program would be ManateeFest. Which as Jessica puts it, is basically a giant birthday party for Moe. There are lots of games to play and plenty of activities to do. A bunch of partner organizations show up, and after singing Happy Birthday to Moe everyone gets cupcakes! Another event that Moe was recently apart of was the Manatee Center’s 5K and One-Mile run. While he didn’t actually do any running (he is a manatee after all) he hung out at the start/finish line to give everyone high-fives and hugs.

Moe’s biggest event of the year though was his featuring in Fort Pierce’s Sights and Sounds Parade. In 2023 the theme of the parade was “Under the Sea” and the folks that organize the parade wanted Moe to be the Grand Marshall. Only trouble was, the Manatee Center got the invite one week after they had already sent the old Moe to us! Thankfully we hadn’t started looking over him yet, so we quickly shipped him back just in time for the parade. That was a close one! The parade had over 12,000 people in attendance, so it was a fitting last hurrah before he was officially retired. 2023’s Sights and Sounds parade was such a success with Moe at the helm, that the Manatee Center was invited back to this year’s parade. You can see the pictures below.

The Manatee Center in Fort Pierce stands as a symbol of Florida’s dedication to preserving its unique wildlife and fostering environmental education. For nearly three decades, this nonprofit has gone beyond simply being a gathering spot for manatees—it’s become a community hub, a conservation champion, and a place for visitors to engage with the lagoon’s natural beauty and inhabitants. Moe the Manatee, with his friendly face and endearing sailor hat, has served as the center’s beloved mascot, connecting people of all ages to the gentle giants that call Florida’s warm waters home. From school visits to annual celebrations like ManateeFest, Moe has brought the center’s mission to life, inspiring a new generation to care for Florida’s ecosystems.

As the Manatee Center embraces its new rebranding and expanded mission, Moe’s refreshed look and renewed presence will continue to be a centerpiece in its conservation efforts. His adventures at events, parades, and local programs will keep drawing people in, allowing the Manatee Center to build stronger ties with the community while raising awareness about the lagoon’s precious ecosystem. The story of Moe’s “comeback” really is a reminder of the center’s long-standing commitment to conservation, celebrating its role in preserving Florida’s natural treasures and inviting all who visit to take part in the legacy of protecting these pudgy and adorable, gentle giants. Thank you to Jessica, her staff, all of the center’s volunteers, and the Fort Pierce community for letting us play a small part in keeping the world manatee friendly!

We asked Jessica if she had any tips she could share since she started working with Moe. Here are the biggest things she’s learned about taking care of a mascot:

Key Takeaways:

Tip 1

During the Sights and Sounds parade we were unable to take Moe off to give our performer a break. Instead, we took off Moe’s shoes so he could get some airflow that way. His feet were obscured from view so nobody would notice. This is the kind of quick thinking you need to have as a mascot handler.

Tip 2

When you live in a hot environment, you have to decide whether it’s worth having your mascot outside or not. We only bring Moe out during the summer if he’s going to be in an Air-Conditioned environment. Otherwise, the performer is going to cook, and their excessive perspiration could cause increased wear on the mascot costume.

Tip 3

Get your mascot cleaned! We had no idea Olympus had a cleaning/maintenance service. If we had known, I’m sure we would have definitely used that service regularly to keep Moe looking his best over the last 20 years.