Eggbert is a talking animatronic egg. There were originally three Eggberts but one was destroyed in a fire. Of the two existing Eggberts, one is located at Devitt's Nursey & Supply onRoute 32 inNew Windsor, New York duringChristmas season fromBlack Friday untilChristmas Eve and the other is located at theNew York State Fair inSyracuse, New York.[1][2][3]
Eggbert was created byCornell University ProfessorRobert C. Baker, who also created thechicken nugget, to promote the poultry and egg industry in New York.[4][5] Eggbert has appeared since 1953 at theNew York State Fair, where he was first given his crown byGovernorThomas Dewey.[4][2][6] At the fair, he answers questions about egg production.[5]
Devitt's Nursey was founded by Clem Devitt in 1951.[7] Their annual Christmas displays began "because they had a greenhouse they couldn't afford to heat, so they borrowed some animals from some farmer customers to provide heat."[7] The also added some Christmas items includingSanta andhis elves and aNativity scene.
In 1971, Eggbert was purchased by Jack Devitt (1943–2010),[7] owner of Devitt's Nursery in New Windsor, New York. By the early 1970s, somewhere between 75,000 and 80,000 people visited the farm each year.[7] During this period, "for decades, many children in this part of the Hudson Valley bypassed Santa's lap, favoring the comapny of Eggbert the talking egg."[1]
Devitt sold his nursery toAgway in 1996 and the location closed in 2000.[7] Eggbert last appeared for Christmas 1999 and then put in storage and did not return until 2011, when new owners purchased the nursery.[8][1] Eggbert was refurbished in 2012.[9]
In 2015, approximately 10,000 visitors came to see Eggbert each year.[8]
Eggbert did not appear at the nursery in 2020 or 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[10][11]
In 2017,Newburgh Brewing Company created "Angry EggbertIPA."[12] In 2019 and 2022, Eggbert made appearances at Newburgh Brewing Company.[13]
Eggbert is made ofplexiglass.[7][8] He weighs 42 pounds, is 2.5 feet tall and 3 feet wide.[8]
An employee of the farm operates Eggbert's eyes and mouth and is able to speak to visitors through a remote system. He tells jokes and egg themed puns.[14]