Hungry alien invaders

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT BEACH -- When giant aliens and their robotic dog head down

Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena on Saturday, there will be cheering, not

screaming.

The creatures are not extraterrestrials, but characters on the Tournament

of Roses Parade float sponsored by Newport Beach-based Ruby’s Restaurants

-- the only Orange County company to be represented in this year’s event.

This year, in keeping with the parade’s theme of Visions of the Future,

Ruby’s float depicts two teenage aliens and their robotic dog, Willy,

ordering shakes in a space-age restaurant.

“It’s a ‘Cosmic Malt Shop,’ a futuristic malt shop with a comic book

look,” said Michele Miller, a spokeswoman for Ruby’s.

Mingling with the extraterrestrials will be six Ruby’s employees who all

vied for the honor. One of the young ladies who won the distinction,

Kristine Arnold, lives in Newport Beach and works at the Ruby’s on 17th

Street in Costa Mesa.

“That’s the best thing I can possibly imagine doing at the turn of the

new century,” said Arnold, who’ll be making her second ride on a Ruby’s

float. “I love the parade -- the excitement of it. It is such an honor.”

To get that second ride, the 20-year-old had to fill out an application

with essay questions and interview with Doug Cavanaugh and Ralph

Kosmides, the co-founders and presidents of Ruby’s.

“Ruby herself was even there,” Arnold said. “She’s Doug’s mom.”

The idea for the float came from Tim Estes, president of Fiesta Parade

Floats.

“I thought it would be cool since we’ve had malt shops for ages and

probably will in the future,” he said. “I thought it would be cute and

clever, a funky malt shop.”

The funky malt shop is 17 feet high, 18 feet wide and 35 feet long. All

of the aliens are animated. The teenage aliens spin back and forth as

they eat their ice cream and the soda jerk turns from side to side as he

serves up the ice cream soda. Willy the dog even wags his tail.

The trademark chrome and red of the 1940s-style restaurant will be

depicted by carnations and shiny silver leaf protea.

When parade-ready, the float will have more than 150 different organic

materials covering its surface, said Beverly Stansburg, of Fiesta Parade

Floats.

Far from being just roses, or even flowers, the float will have such

material as black onion seeds, white shredded coconut and crushed poppy

and lettuce seeds. The aliens skin tone is a blend of split peas and dal

moong beans highlighted with yellow strawflower petals.

Parade rules dictate that every inch of the float be covered with natural

materials that have not been dyed or color treated in any way.

The cost of creating this vision, said Althea Rowe, Ruby’s marketing

director, was just under $100,000.

This is the restaurant’s fifth year sponsoring a float. They became

involved after opening a Ruby’s in Pasadena in January 1995, Rowe said.

Cavanaugh wrote to parade officials that year asking if they might get an

invitation to participate in the future, possibly 2000, she said.

Ruby’s was invited to participate that very same year.

“The first two years we won the National Trophy for the best depiction of

life in the United States,” Rowe said. “I guess we won’t win that one

this year.”

That leaves them with 21 other award categories, from best use of roses

to most whimsical to most patriotic, which they could win.

Ticket sales for this year’s parade are the highest in tournament

history, said Steve Leland, marketing director for the parade.

“I think people are looking for this to do on the first day of the new

millennium,” he said. “‘We’re expecting bigger crowds than ever for this

epic year.”