Little Ginger, a blue puppet with fiery red hair, is making waves on social media with its humorous yet insightful take on local issues in Asheville, from abandoned real estate to city council elections. This puppet’s musings are featured on the Instagram and TikTok page, Asheville Proper, which has become a popular platform with hundreds of thousands of views.
In one of Little Ginger’s standout videos, the puppet criticizes the real estate practices of the local grocery chain, Ingle’s Supermarket. The video, set in front of the old K-Mart building on Patton Avenue, features Little Ginger dressed in a black pinstripe vest and red tie, questioning why the space remains vacant rather than being repurposed as an ice cream shop or skating rink.
“This is a crappy, abandoned building. Gross, right?” Little Ginger states in the video. “Why is this here instead of an ice cream shop or a skating rink? I’ll tell you why, because of corporate greed!” the puppet asserts. The video has gained significant attention, helping to boost Little Ginger’s online celebrity.
Recently, Little Ginger stopped by the BPR studios to discuss its rising popularity and the challenges that come with being a well-known puppet. The puppet, voiced by David Mizne, voiced concerns about potential legal issues due to its outspoken nature, particularly regarding Ingle’s. Mizne often consults ChatGPT to ensure his scripts are lawsuit-proof.
“For example, I might ask, ‘Hey, here’s a script that I’m going to do for a local supermarket chain that has a lot of abandoned properties around town.’ If I say this, ’Could they sue me?’ And then the AI will help,” Mizne explained. So far, Little Ginger has avoided legal trouble, joking about its immunity due to being made of fabric.
However, being a puppet isn’t without its challenges. Little Ginger explained that it constantly needs a lint roller and occasionally requires a hot glue gun to fix a loose eye. The man behind the puppet, Mizne, shares similarities with his creation, including red hair and an interest in mindfulness practices.
Mizne received the puppet 12 years ago in California, where he was working at a tech startup. A friend sent him the puppet after a spontaneous puppet show, and Mizne quickly embraced it as part of his work environment.
“It was that kind of California vibe in Silicon Valley. We did breathwork classes in the morning on some calls and there was just an opportunity to bring your best self to work. And so my best self was a puppeteer,” Mizne recalled.
After moving to Asheville in 2019, Mizne shifted away from the tech industry. While he appreciates Asheville’s beauty and outdoor activities, he noticed underlying issues such as potholes and bureaucratic challenges. These observations inspired the creation of Asheville Proper to spark civic discussions on social media.
“I think that that’s the beauty of social media. You can find a problem, put it out there. And if people are interested and are commenting and there seems to be fervor around it, politicians take note,” Mizne stated.
Little Ginger’s videos often tackle local development issues, attracting numerous comments from citizens eager to see change. One viewer, Rebecca Ash, even reached out for help with her business plan for an indoor roller rink at a site owned by Ingles.
