A lion, tiger, elephant, and cobra were just a few of the 15 different animatronic animals set up behind the I Heart Cookies cookie food truck. Additionally, drinks, face painting, and souvenirs were available for purchase. 

I Heart Cookies is a traveling cookie company that has been everywhere across the United States, from California to Maine. 

“Instead of just setting up our cookie trailer and selling our cookies, we set up an animatronic zoo as well,” Treyton Cole, a worker for the event, said, “it brings something new to the community and something for the kids.” 

Traveling year round, I Heart Cookies prioritizes visits to small towns.

Tami Wesselmann and granddaughter Rylee Blackwell looking at the animatronics baby dinosaur on display outside Runnings. Photo by Dylan Jackson

“We only go to little, small towns,” Kavon Taylor, who has been with the company for four years said, “we try to give you something to do.” 

Originating solely as a cookie truck, I Heart Cookies began offering additional experiences such as the Wild Adventures animatronic zoo to draw attention and provide fun community events. 

The exhibit brings in something new each year. 

“It started out just being the cookies. Then it was strictly dinosaurs,” Cole said. Previous years featured appearances from Spiderman, Transformers, and Bluey characters. 

Cole and Taylor said the best part of the job was bringing joy to children in the communities they visit. 

Animatronic elephant on display as part of the Wild Adventures smart zoo experience Photo by Dylan Jackson

“We get to make kids happy every day, ” Cole said. 

The event was a success, with many happy New Ulm families in attendance.

Mike Kollmann brought his grandson Eddie Kollmann, who was a big fan of the giant smoke-blowing King Cobra. 

Skylar Odegard, who attended the event with his siblings and their children, enjoyed all of the animals, “I love seeing [animatronics] because you don’t really see them out anymore. It’s really cool,” Odegard said. 

Odegard praised the convenience of I Heart Cookies’ traveling setup and said that it beat having to go to the cities for similar entertainment. 

Skylar Odegard admiring the lion animatronic on display Wednesday near Runnings. Photo by Dylan Jackson

Tami Wesselmann and granddaughter Rylee Blackwell appreciated I Heart Cookies giving them a fun way to spend the day, “We wanted to go see the wild adventures, get a couple of cookies, and spend the day outside because it’s a nice day outside,” Wesselmann said.