I'm still wondering if anyone even remembers their first Zulu coconut! I remember mine, and I still wonder why people made such a big fuss about the throws when I think back on it. They weren't all that, as the youngsters say! The one I got didn't even keep that long either but you also has to remember that I wasn't really into it to know what I should have done, either.

 Pictured: Presidential Seal engraved into coconut for Barrack Obama.  It never reached Obama. It was sent by a sitting U.S. Senator, but the carrier decided to take it for herself.

 Afterwards, I remember thinking, Zulu must have done a remarkable job of marketing these nuts, cause I'm holding one and I feel like I've been cheated. After all the hype, I felt like the biggest fool this side of the pond and I didn't like feeling that way! Scrambling around, yelling like a fool until I was hoarse, waving my hands, following the floats, thinking, I haven't gotten the good ones, yet! Then the parade ended and people started saying I got a good one.

 Disgusted, I was determined to "get a good one", so what did I do? I joined Zulu! It was then I discovered the horrible truth of it all! I really did get a good one and that was as good as it got! Shocker! Only to discover you couldn't even keep 'em to boot! The one I received leached oil as if someone was drilling a hole in one of Exxon's fields.

 Well I guess I went off the deep end because I was determined that I was going to never let that happen to anyone again! I brought a coconut out of a Sav-a- Center grocery store and set about bringing the coconut into the 21st century as a throw. I must have made it because I won the award for coconuts from the club that year and the title of Master Carver. I went to the Zulu board and showed off what new heights I had taken the art too and as they say the rest is history.

Pictured: Mr. Clark prepares every souvenir by hand, here he finishes one of his pieces

 Since then many things have happened to bring the art form to even higher levels and make some of my pieces one of the most valuable souvenirs around. Most left are in Museums and private collections across the country. Coconuts! Valuable!!?? Oh Yes.... my work has been sold for over $2500.00 for a single piece. You better not leave one in the car in plain sight, I've had my car broken into 4 times behind coconut souvenirs, I have had them disappear on route to their destinations, stolen from exhibits, used as currency and sold to make up for things. I even had one sent to Washington, D.C. , only to have the person who was the carrier keep the souvenir and not deliver it! Suffice to say, as long as I can make these souvenirs I will not go broke!

 Those are the specialty pieces, and I'm still carving some of those by hand and in great detail! Logos, portraits, city & country scenes, are among the pieces. It takes time, a steady hand and it does takes some respect for the art of the wood carver. I've seen bad ones , and good ones, works of art, and works of the devil.

Pictured: From his African Animal Collection, a finished African Giraffe.

Talk about being sure that others have been through what I went through is why I decided that maybe others needed answers to their experiences here in New Orleans after catching a coconut during the parade. So! That's why I'm here to answer all your questions about the coconut souvenir and even tell you what yours is worth to a collector, if anything at all! I'll show off some of my best work and we'll also give you a chance to ask and answer some of those as well!

Willie W. Clark Jr.                 

Master Coconut Souvenir Artist      

An Award winning coconut souvenir designer, who is also a  trained Engineer , Willie Clark  moved to his present home of New Orleans in 1995. He designed his first Mardi Gras piece for the Krewe of Zulu  and has been setting his sights and talents on preparing better styles of the throw ever since.  His work is well known in the Carnival industry, working with the event, "Evening with the Kings", which started in 2001.   Firsts include, production pieces for retail sale, TV art  auctions on WYES,  logo and custom pieces including the first ever Springtime Bride scene in the garden which sold for over $950. He presently has several pieces in the various Museums around town and the magic continues.  The original design which won the Zulu Award for the most powerful piece was very popular and after spending only 6 weeks in the Zulu hall, simply disappeared never to be heard from again! Willie Clark  can be contacted by email mgc@mardigrascoconuts.com or by telephone @ 504 - 756-9456. His address is P.O. Box 1772 Ponchatoula, Louisiana 70454