Miniature gray and red creatures have been popping up around campus since last fall, tucked into nooks and crannies hard for the average student to find. Portrayed as a 24-millimeter-tall round creature with a devious face and two large feet, the TopperFella is a campus phenomenon growing larger by the day.
The TopperFella Instagram account, found on the bottom of every TopperFella’s foot, has more than 200 followers.
What is TopperFella?
When sitting down with the TopperFella creator, my first question was, “What exactly is this thing?”
“It honestly kind of started off as a bit of a joke,” the TopperFella creator said. “I do a lot of 3D printing and I was online looking for funny things to print and I came across this little model, which ultimately became TopperFella.”
The TopperFella creator said that what would someday become the iconic figure, started as a free Creative Commons model he printed out simply because he found it funny.
The tradition of hiding TopperFellas began once the creator took them into his office. After tucking them away into various spots around the office, the creator realized that people found the Topperfellas amusing. The creator’s coworkers started hiding the models around the office to prank each other.
“I was like, ‘Maybe there’s something to this,’” the TopperFella creator said. “My wife was actually the one that came up with the idea of doing the Instagram and putting the tag on the feet, and it all kind of spawned out of there.”
Soon, the TopperFellas transitioned out of the office and began to make their way across campus. The creator said anywhere between 20-50 TopperFellas a week find their way to various hiding spots around WKU.
The creator of TopperFella found himself incentivized to explore campus more once the idea took off. He said he liked that it gave him something to do.
TopperFella’s creator said he has printed anywhere between 400 to 500 of the figures since last fall. At first, he wasn’t sure how the figures would be received.
“‘Will people pick these up? Will people follow me? Will people hide them themselves? Will they collect them?’ That was kind of what I was wondering,” the TopperFella creator said.
TopperFella’s creator said there isn’t a specific motivation for keeping his identity anonymous.
“I guess it’s more for the allure of being anonymous,” TopperFella’s creator said. “I just kind of like the whole secret spy, sneaking around campus, hiding things, [aspects] of it.”
The creator said he has big dreams of what his little creations could turn into in the future.
“I would like to parlay it eventually into something a little more official by highlighting different services on campus that students might not know about and incentivizing students to go explore buildings and places that they’ve never been before,” the TopperFella creator said.
Showcasing student services across campus is something TopperFella’s creator is very passionate about. One of his favorite moments was when someone at the Talley Counseling Center found a TopperFella and created an Instagram post where the 3D-printed model went to therapy.
TopperFella’s creator said he also loves the creativity people showcase when sharing that they found the models. TopperFella’s creator frequently posts hints on Instagram as to where the figures would be and encourages those who find them to repost them on Instagram and tag the TopperFella account.
“Anytime anybody posts anything, I’m always super happy because some people will do really creative stuff like make a whole video and add sound,” TopperFella’s creator said. “Creative interaction of people finding them, really is the big thing.”
Continuing the Legacy
Following my interview with the TopperFella creator, he gave me six of the gray 3D printed models and left me with the challenge to become a TopperFella hider myself. I took a minute to mull over all the opportunities I had, before concluding that continuing the tradition of hiding them at student services would be the best course of action. I took to the WKU campus with Talisman photographer Gabriel Milby with that mission in mind.
Preston Health and Activities Center
The first student service we highlighted was the Preston Center, home to a fitness center, natatorium, gymnasium, and multiple other activities. According to their website, The Preston Center offers various classes five days a week in addition to intramural sports leagues. The Preston Center is the go-to complex to take care of your physical health. We decided to highlight the Preston Center because staying healthy in college is very important.
We hid three of the little gray TopperFellas around the complex. There weren’t many people around at the time, so we didn’t have to be too secretive. It was good practice before being surrounded by people. I surveyed the area for a minute before deciding on one of my spots, and Milby did the same. As we left for our next destination, I found myself feeling amused with the situation. No one knew I had six figures tucked into my pocket, ready to make their way to their new hiding spots on campus.
WKU Restaurant Group
The WKU restaurant group is the second campus service we wanted to highlight with TopperFellas. We stopped at one of my personal favorite places on campus— Starbucks.
According to their website, the WKU Restaurant Group includes over 20 restaurants across campus, providing meals for students on campus. We decided to highlight this service as a “thank you” to all employees who make it possible for us to stay fed.
We hid three TopperFellas around the Starbucks area of DSU. This location was much busier, making it harder to find secretive spots to hide the TopperFellas out of view of anyone. I was wary of being too obvious and my secret mission being uncovered. I found a few decent spots, even though I wasn’t completely satisfied with how hidden they were. It gave me a chance to see the world through the TopperFella creator’s shoes. I thought of how often he must notice strange spaces he can tuck the TopperFellas into.
WKU Student Activities
The Student Activities Office in Downing Student Union is the headquarters for student clubs and organizations located on campus. Student Activities includes more than 200 student organizations. We highlighted this service because, without student activities, our campus would look and feel a lot different.
We hid three TopperFellas in the Student Activities area of DSU. This was perhaps the hardest location to hide TopperFellas in, as there weren’t many secret spots we could find. I’m guessing our laughter and terrible sneaking skills drew people because as we were leaving, one of Milby’s TopperFellas was grabbed by a passing student.
Our Experience
After I left my last TopperFella, I found myself reflecting on the experience of the day. It certainly wasn’t easy being secretive and it gave me a new appreciation for the TopperFella creator. He must be particularly quiet, sneaky even, to be able to disperse the figures without being noticed. Even when I wanted to make them difficult to find, I felt the locations were still too obvious. I admire the TopperFella creator and how he must think out of the box to come up with such strange and creative locations for his figures.
Milby said he felt excited about the project and after becoming TopperFella for a day, has more admiration for all the hard work the creator puts into hiding TopperFelllas.
“It was a profound experience to be able to participate in an experience that hopefully will give people a chance to get off their phones and just enjoy what’s around them,” Milby said. “I think people in college need that.”
After it all, I felt a sense of pride knowing that we continued on the mission. We guided students to places of importance on campus, with the incentive being this strange collectible that I have come to love.
If you find any of our hidden TopperFellas, please share them on Instagram and tag us (@wkutalisman) and TopperFella (@topperfella).