Need a smile?
Then you need a Lyle.
Guardian of humanity, optimism and smileyness, Lyle exists to remind us that we can get through hard times. Some Lyles are solitary, others prefer to move in herds from 10-50, and can grow up to 8ft tall. Wherever they go they tend to make people smile and feel a bit better about things.
People from all over the world adopt Lyles. The babies are 7” high, the teenagers are 21” high, and the mature Lyles are 3 feet high.
BACKSTORY
So how did Lyle come to be?
In 2015 I made a small smiling monster on a piece of MDF. He lived in our kitchen. He smiled at people and they smiled back, so I made a few more and gave them away. My friend Lee asked what his name was. No idea. Lee said he looked like a Lyle. And that was it.
We live in Marin County, 20 minutes north of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. I left a few larger Lyles on Tamarancho, our local (legendary) mountain-biking trail. We’re lucky enough to live in the epicentre of mountain biking, in the place where the sport was invented. More and more people wanted Lyles so I started making more. A couple of local shops stocked them. People started leaving them on the trails. Lyle started becoming an unofficial mascot of local mountain biking. There’s even a 7ft Lyle in the Mountain Biking Hall of Fame.
In 2018 I took a large herd of Lyles down to LA to an art fair in Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar. Without permission I arranged the herd against the hangar’s huge doors. The show organisers thought they were part of the hangar, and the hangar people thought they were part of the show, so the herd remained in place. They were a hit. Everyone smiled, and even the LAPD took selfies.
As more and more Lyles were adopted, people took them traveling all over the world and the hashtag #lylesighting became a thing. There have been verified sightings in over 35 countries.
THE THINKING BEHIND LYLE
While initially casual, Lyle’s role became more sombre. 2015 saw him roaming the hills of Marin with not a care in the world. But in 2016 things changed. Lyle’s mission changed too. He became a silent reminder that decency and humanity still exist. Through 2017, 2018 and 2019, that role continued.
Now in 2020, Lyle’s role has evolved further. He’s here not only to keep you company, but to show you that normal still exists, that we can get through this. Lyle is telling us quietly: be careful, be patient and be positive.
And that’s it.
That’s Lyle.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smile.its.lyle/
Website: https://smileitslyle.com/
More info: smileitslyle.com
Crissy Fields, San Francisco
Pico Union, Los Angeles
Barker Hangar, Los Angeles
Muir Woods, Marin CA
Shanghai, China
Santorini, Greece
Jericoacoara, Brasil
Erg Chebbi, Morocco
Machu Picchu, Peru
Plettenberg Bay, South Africa
Kent, England
Pt. Reyes, Marin CA
Los Angeles
Forst Mason, San Francisco
Central Kalahari, Botswana
Oakland, CA
Nosy Komba, Madagascar
Downtown LA
Downtown LA
