Stimulator
This is the third in a series of interviews with characters from the Olive books. If you’re already familiar with the books, you’ll know these “folks” being interviewed. If you’ve not yet seen the books, these interviews will give you some insight into the colorful cast of characters who help to make Olive’s adventures so engaging and fun.
Read the first interview here, and the second interview here.
Today, Olive welcomes one of her favorite friends from The Fly Box, the very lively Stan the Stimulator.
Olive: Hi Stan, thanks for taking the time to stop by today!
Stan: THIS IS AWESOME, OLIVE!!! YOU ROCK! THIS ROCKS! MAN, THIS IS SO COOL!!!
Olive: (laughs) Oh, man, Stan–I almost forgot how enthusiastic you are! Can you do me a favor?
Stan: SURE THING, OLIVE! YOU NAME IT, I CAN DIG IT!!!
Olive: (still laughing) Can you, um, use your indoor voice…please?
Stan: NO SWEAT, WOOLLY B! Sorry, I mean, sure– no problem! Sorry I guess I get a little excited when talkin’ fly fishin’! WOOT WOOT!!!
Olive: Well, let’s talk about that, then. So, you’re obviously a Stimulator. Tell the audience a bit more about yourself.
Stan: You got that right, Olive–I am a STIM-U-LATOR. I’m all about action…STIMULACTION!
Olive: (still laughing) What do you mean by that, Stan?
Stan: Well, you can see for yourself, I’m big and bright and bushy. I am the HACKLE MASTER! I’m all about getting fish excited. You can call me STAN THE FISH MAN…I am LARGE and IN CHARGE!!!
Olive: (rolls her eyes, smiling) Are all stimulators just like you?
Stan: Well, not exactly. There are different color variations, but I’m tied with a yellow body, so when fish see me, they see a big old golden stonefly, and anyone who knows fly fishing knows that fish go CRAZY for GOLDEN STONES!!! (hops up and down)
Olive: Well, I must admit, you are hard to ignore!
Stan: That’s right, Olive–not much about me is…um…
Olive: Subtle?
Stan: YEAH, that’s the word…subt– see? I can’t even SAY it!!! HA HA!
Olive: So, it’s safe to assume that you’re a dry fly, right?
Stan: ROGER THAT. Stan the Man is a Dry Fly Guy! I am ALL about the FLOAT, just like a BOAT!
Olive: So let’s talk about that for a minute. You do look like you would float really well.
Stan: WORD! I’m at my best in extreme water…you know, when the going gets ROUGH, Stan gets TOUGH!
Olive: Can you explain that to those who don’t know what you mean?
Stan: I’m built to float HIGH and DRY in fast water that would sink most other flies. I’m built like a TANK, but I bob like a CORK!!! You see, stoneflies skim along the surface of the water, in riffles and rapids where they lay their eggs. The best fly imitations are ones that can skitter and skate over fast water without becoming waterlogged or soggy. BADDA-BOOM, BADDA-BINGULATOR–it’s time for STAN THE STIMULATOR!!!
Olive: Oh Stan, you crack me up! But even though you kinda like to brag, I know that deep down you’ve got a heart of gold.
Stan: Stan is all about sharing the love. My heart is GOLD like a GOLDEN STONE, baby!!! I love EVERYONE!
Olive: And everyone loves you, Stan. You are a LOT of fun to have in The Fly Box. We’re all different, but that’s OK because we all do different things.
Stan: I KNOW, RIGHT?!! I think it’s SUPER COOL the way you can swim UNDER the water…I mean, WOW–I couldn’t do that even if I tried! Well, maybe if someone tied a boat anchor to my line, then I might be able to sink, but I wouldn’t know what to do if I did! IT WOULD STINK IF STAN WERE TO SINK!!!
Olive: Well, I don’t think we have to worry about that. It’s sure fun to watch you do what you do, and you always have a great attitude. I’ve only seen you discouraged once. Remember that?
Stan: Oh yeah, I remember. It was our first time at the Big Stream, and NOBODY was catching fish. I was beginning to think there were no fish in the river until you rocked that Rainbow–BOO-YAH!!! Score ONE for O the WOOLLY B!!!
Olive: Thanks, but I think I just got lucky that day. We’ve all learned a lot since then. OK, Stan–I know it’s hard for you to sit still for too long so I have just one more question. If you were in a movie and you could choose a famous actor to lend their voice talent to the role of Stan the Stimulator, who would you choose?
Stan: (silence)
Olive: Stan? This isn’t like you to be at a loss for words…
Stan: Sorry, my mind is SPINNING IT’S WHEELS…OK, I got it…definitely JIM CARREY!!! No, WAIT…ROBIN WILLIAMS!!! Oh MAN- this is SO HARD! Either of them would ROCK! Oh hey, look- a SQUIRREL!!!
Jim Carrey
Robin Williams
