My first stop when I arrived at
Universal Orlando for my annual holiday visit wasn't to see Santa, the Grinch, or the troupe of roller-skating elves. I was on a hunt for the true icon of Universal's holiday celebration: a stuffed toy squirrel named Earl. Each year, Earl can be found hidden in the 80-foot Christmas tree in the New York area of Universal Studios Florida.
It wasn't easy to find him among the glittering ornaments and red tinsel garland, but eventually I spotted him and got entirely too excited for a woman alone at a theme park.
So, how did a squirrel become a holiday hero? A representative from Universal Orlando told Insider that many years ago as the technical-entertainment team was preparing decorations for the holiday season, they noticed the blue lights in a large section of the Christmas tree weren't working. After further investigation, they found that a squirrel had made a nest inside the tree and chewed the wires.
The squirrel was safe and sound and an icon was born in "Earl the Squirrel." Now, Universal's technical-entertainment team hides a small stuffed toy squirrel, complete with a strand of blue lights hanging from his mouth, in the park's Christmas tree. According to
Alicia Stella of Orlando ParkStop, the tradition officially began in 2015.
Earl's location changes from year to year, but he's always there somewhere. His appearance also varies each holiday season. Last year, for example, he wore a festive face covering to encourage mask-wearing during the pandemic. When I saw him this year, he was wearing a red and black buffalo plaid trapper hat.