Mr. Trash Wheel

WE CREATED AN INTERNET CELEBRITY, CULTURAL LANDMARK, AND BELOVED GLOBAL ICON FOR OCEAN CONSERVANCY

"Both Mr. Trash Wheel and Light City are two of the greatest stories to come out of Baltimore in recent years and neither would have been possible without What Works."

-Adam Lindquist, Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore

Mr. Trash Wheel was Discovery Channel’s #1 Story of the Year, had 1.2 million impressions on Twitter in a single day, achieved the #1 spot on the front page of Reddit during a viral AMA appearance, was featured in National Geographic’s print edition, has been touted as the "most beloved and sensible anti-plastic pollution mechanism in the country" by the New Yorker, and has become Internet famous while raising millions of dollars for the client.

When Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore launched the Inner Harbor Water Wheel, an innovative garbage interceptor that resides at the mouth of the Jones Falls, an early cell phone video of the device in action quickly gained traction on Reddit. Waterfront Partnership sought out What Works Studio for ideas on how to build on the momentum and further engage audiences online.

What Works Studio brought the Water Wheel to life, gave him some cute googly eyes and a clever and entertaining personality. We developed content around the life and times of the character we immediately named Mr. Trash Wheel and gave him a home on Twitter.

We imagined that if we personified the water wheel and added story elements, it would eventually develop an organic narrative of its own. (For anyone wondering, his father was a garbage truck and his mother was a riverboat.)

Mr. Trash Wheel has since become an international icon for global ocean conservancy.

What Works Studio conceptualized the Mr. Trash Wheel social media persona whose core function is to engage and entertain in order to build an audience. During the time What Works Studio was managing the Mr. Trash Wheel Twitter account, Mr. Trash Wheel became known and adored throughout the world.

Recently, Mr. Trash Wheel won the titles of “Unelected Leadership Figure” and “Best Twitter Personality” in Baltimore Sun’s Best Of Awards.

”Universally celebrated by scientists, and citizens, [Mr. Trash Wheel, Professor Trash Wheel, and Captain Trash Wheel] are arguably the most beloved and sensible anti-plastic- pollution mechanisms in the country.” - The New Yorker