What Does it Take to Be a Giant Blueberry? Ask Ima

IMA Blueberry

It’s been another busy year for Ima Blueberry – her 15th, in fact – and her partner, Ima Blueberry Too.
Ima participated in 45 markets, festivals and other events this year, while Ima Blueberry Too participated in about 20. “We receive a lot of appearance requests throughout the year,” she said. “Evidently, there is quite the demand for a giant blueberry… or two. We gave out a lot of stickers, tattoos, bookmarks and yummy recipes, too.”

Ima also quizzes people on their knowledge of blueberry trivia, a quiz that includes various nutritional facts about blueberries. “It is one thing to be given a sticker, but it is another thing to earn that sticker by being the first to answer a trivia question,” she said. “People always seem to enjoy the banter, as well as the competitive fun.”

For years, Ima said she would point out to people that she was a super food and should have a super hero cape. Now she does, as both Ima’s and Ima Blueberry Too’s costumes have recently been added to with “official” super hero capes, both with the insignia, “Super Food – Oregon Blueberries.”

“It is nice to finally be recognized and affirmed as a true cape-wearing super hero,” Ima said.

Ima noted she recently had the opportunity of hanging out at the Marion County Fair with real life first-responder super heroes, as well as with Iron Man and Dead Pool. “It was funny,” she said, “Deal Pool was so excited to meet a giant blueberry, he asked one of his fellow super heroes to take our picture together.”

Posing in pictures, Ima added, is a common occurrence for both Ima and Ima Blueberry Too.

Ima, who concentrates on events in the Willamette Valley but who ventured as far as Hood River this summer, said her season typically starts in April at Oregon Ag Fest and culminates in late September.

Fifteen years ago, she said, events took place almost exclusively on the weekends. Today there are several mid-week markets that she participates in.

IMA Blueberry

“People love to hang out at the markets,” she added. “It is almost an event as opposed to a farmers’ market. They love to listen to music and chill and just have fun.”

Ima said she never expected to be portraying a giant blueberry for 15 years when she signed on, but the experience has been enjoyable from day one.

Asked what it takes to be a giant blueberry, Ima noted that first off, you have to like blueberries.
“And we do,” she said. “In my family, we literally eat them every day.

“Loving people is also really important,” she said, “and I love people. I enjoy them and I love seeing them and I love talking to them. So, it is just great to have that connectedness, to be able to see the same people year after year and meet new people along the way. Plus, Ima Blueberry Too and I both enjoy making people laugh and smile. What we do seems to bring joy to people of all ages and every summer little ones look forward to the return of Ima Blueberry at their local market. So, every year we get a lot of laughs, a lot of smiles, a lot of ‘blueberry hugs’ and, of course, we pose in countless pictures.

“There just seems to be something special about a giant blueberry that brightens a person’s day,” Ima said. “I think it’s the antioxidants.”