Auburn Art is a local establishment in Downtown Auburn that specializes in selling diploma frames, historic artwork and game day necessities. It is also home to a giant stuffed tiger named Charles.
Charles the Tiger resides outside of the shop every home football game for the enjoyment of customers and passersby. He stays outdoors from store open until close, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., allowing people the opportunity to see him throughout the day and snap a photo with him.
People also have a chance to spot Charles during other special occasions, including graduation, downtown events and holidays.
During the football off-season and quieter times, Charles stays inside Auburn Art, still modeling for pictures and greeting the shop’s guests. For many, Charles is an iconic aspect of the shop’s charm year-round.
Yet, they don’t know his history.
Charles first appeared at Auburn Art in the summer of 2013 when the previous owners, Cliff and Emily Hare, acquired him from AmericasMart in Atlanta through Hansa, a vendor at the wholesale marketplace.
The Hares were on a typical product supply trip when they saw the gigantic stuffed animal, and they instantly knew they had to get him.
Charles had his first game day appearance on Aug. 31, 2013 when the Auburn Tigers beat the Washington State Cougars 31-24. Ever since the historic 2013 football season, Charles has been a continual presence at Auburn Art.
Charles the Tiger got his name from an employee at the time who believed he looked like a Charles. The name stuck, especially since it relates to the renowned Auburn basketball star, Charles Barkley.
In the early days of Charles, pedestrians often passed him by. Yet more and more people started noticing the life-size tiger in front of Auburn Art as each football season began.
"I suppose people thought, 'Oh look, there's a giant tiger, let's take a picture with him,'" Emily said.
Charles ignited shock and interest within people, forming a legacy for the tiger.
Eventually, Charles was widely known by the public. Emily described him as “a tradition” which prompted “people [to] come downtown specifically to take a picture with him.”
As the popularity of the tiger grew, the “#SayCheeseWithCharles” campaign started on social media. The idea originated in 2015 to push customers to spread the word about Charles in the form of a picture and a hashtag.
By then, Charles had become an Auburn sensation. People would go to Auburn Art on game days just to see this mock tiger.
Kids in particular take quite a liking to Charles, and they enjoy sitting on him. Fortunately, a metal frame is inside the tiger, allowing him the ability to hold up to 200 pounds.
Due to the kids’ heart-filled passion for Charles, he grew decrepit and had to be replaced. He has been replaced twice, in fact, for a total of three Charles the Tigers. The third and current Charles was acquired in 2020 from the same company as the other two.
To maintain cleanliness, Charles gets a bath from Peaches N’ Clean, a carpet-centered cleaning company in Auburn, before every football season.
Young kids are not the only ones intrigued by Charles, however. Dogs too interact with the artificial tiger.
"It was always really funny because [the dogs] would bark at [Charles], or like, run from him," Emily said.
Today, Charles remains as popular as ever. During fall Saturdays, when Auburn plays at Jordan-Hare Stadium, the public visits downtown to see their favorite plush tiger.
Reese Hill, a current employee of Auburn Art, also commented that Charles is “[her] favorite thing in the store.”
When asked if she will continue the tradition of Charles, Teri Nix, the current owner of Auburn Art, said she will as long as she can.
Charles the Tiger will live on as an Auburn game day tradition for many years to come.
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Sam Bainter, freshman in English language arts education, is a culture writer for The Auburn Plainsman.
