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Passenger 'Puca' elicits smiles Donna Treadwell travels with stuffed pal for just that reason By MARK FREEMAN When Donna Treadwell and her little stuffed alter-ego motor around Medford, the inevitable snickers and finger-pointing are signals that Treadwell and her little "Puca" are doing their job. The 73-year-old Treadwell goes nowhere without the stuffed, bespectacled polar bear belted into the passenger seat of her old Toyota Corolla, together looking every bit the aging eccentric and the low-budget Harvey, the imaginary 6-foot rabbit made famous in a stage play and 1950 Jimmy Stewart film. And whether people are laughing with her or at her, doesn't matter to Treadwell - as long as they laugh. "This isn't a joke. It's my philosophy," Treadwell says. "If I can bring some pleasure, some happiness for people, even if I'm acting the clown, it's worthwhile. "And I benefit," she says, "as much as they do." This is the flavor of chicken soup that Treadwell dispenses daily to Medford souls who could stand to exercise their sourpusses with a little grin once in a while. For the past seven years, Treadwell has kept the stuffed bear called Puca - which is an innocently mischievous spirit in Irish folklore - riding shotgun with her in their crusade to lift people's spirits. She's gotten giggles from the forlorn, cackles from the cops and even drew a smile Friday from Jim Rice, a shirtless and tattooed man who slowed his bicycle along North Ivy Street to chuckle at the duo. "It looks stupid, but if she's trying to get people to laugh then, yeah, it works and, yeah, that's cool," Rice says. "But I wouldn't want my mom driving around with a stuffed animal in the car," he says. The stuffed-animal shtick actually started in 1994 as a way to combat a little personal loneliness. Treadwell had recently moved to a new apartment that did not accept pets, so she had to return her beloved German shepherd, Zack, to the Medford animal shelter where she had adopted it. Zack used to accompany Treadwell everywhere, sitting in the front passenger seat on drives. With Zack gone, she belted in the stuffed Puca and felt a certain solace. Instantly, strangers would stop and comment about the bear. "It was an ice-breaker, a way to have conversations with people," she says. Over the years, she's added the fedora, the goofy eyeglasses, the basket and even propped the bear atop a box so it stands out more in the parking lot. "People come out of the store looking grim and unhappy," Treadwell says. "Then they see my passenger and grin from ear to ear. And that is sweet." So go on and enjoy yourself for a moment at Treadwell's expense, she says. Everyone will be better for it. "This is a healthier way to look at life, with a smile," Treadwell says. "Do you need some of that? Well, I got it." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.