Deposit operations rep Debra “Jonesy” Jones plays Seymour at opening of the new Grafton branch in 2006, accompanied by daughter Kiley, who was 8 at the time.
Over the course of almost a quarter century, one North Shore Bank representative has taught thousands of children about the power of saving — without ever speaking a single word.
Seymour Savings was introduced in the year 2000, when we rolled out the kids’ saving account that bears his name. Since then, he has appeared at hundreds of events in the communities our branches serve.
Seymour at the Wisconsin State Fair in 2012.
“It’s hot, uncomfortable, and visibility is slightly limited,” says video teller Dan Timko when asked what it’s like to play Seymour. Dan has done so twice, most recently at the Fox Cities Kidz Expo on April 15. (“Dan is by far the best Seymour we’ve ever had,” Northland community engagement manager AVP Lacee Kalepp says. “He was dancing, playing drums, got on a motorcycle, and just had a great time with the kids.”)
He was in the costume for about four of the event’s five hours. “You have to take a lot of breaks due to the amount of sweating you endure,” he says. Because the bank’s Seymour costumes — we have two right now — are shared by branches, whoever wears it has to make sure it’s cleaned up afterward.
Seymour on Mascot Night at Candy Cane Lane in West Allis in 2011, joined by three of the Milwaukee Brewers’ Famous Racing Sausages.
While plenty of bank employees have donned the costume for events, it’s common for outsiders to play Seymour too. Southwest branch manager Joline Lazarski’s husband, Ray, has played him at Candy Cane Lane in West Allis. So have area manager Sharon Hack’s husband, Steve, for Green Bay Gamblers hockey games, and many others as well.
Temporary Seymour tattoos were all the rage at an event at the Urban Ecology Center in 2014.
“I was Seymour in a Howard Christmas parade and walked miles in the suit,” says Sharon, who hasn’t done it since that day in 2009. “I was exhausted from the weight of it, and very warm even in December.”
Besides his traditional baseball jersey, Seymour has a few costumes of his own. He dresses up as a train conductor — complete with hat, vest, and stopwatch — when he makes appearances at the North Shore Bank Safari Train at the Milwaukee County Zoo. He’s also got a hat, vest and boots when he transforms into his alter ego Ahorritos — which is Spanish for savings — who showed up when our El Rey branch first opened. He even has a tutu.
Our Seymour Savings accounts earn the same interest rate as our standard money market savings accounts, but carry no monthly maintenance fee as long as the account holder is under 21. There’s no minimum deposit required for a Seymour Savings account, and they can be accessed through the bank’s Mobile App and Online Banking just like our other accounts.
Checking services rep Kathy Wagner rendered Seymour in frosting for a cake decorating fundraiser in 2018.
And while Seymour is probably best known for appearing at local events where kids can play games and do activities to learn about saving, he’s also part of our online outreach. We currently feature him on 11 coloring pages that can be downloaded. Parents can also take advantage of our Banzai financial literacy content, which covers topics including “Teaching Children About Money,” the “3 Jar Allowance for Kids,” and the Banzai Junior course, which uses real-life scenarios to help kids ages 8 to 12 learn how to make smart money decisions.
Seymour wasn’t the bank’s first mascot — a flyer advertising Southwest’s grand opening in 1985 mentions Homer the North Shore Lion — but he’s almost certainly our most widely known. He even traveled to Italy with deposit services manager Natalie Canadeo in 2017.
Dan Timko says he plans to put on the costume again — but might not do all of the same things in it next time.
Video teller Dan Timko astride a motorcycle as Seymour at the 2023 Fox Cities Kidz Expo.
“The dancing was easy — it just made me hotter faster,” he says. “The drums I only really half played. The kids were all doing a nice little jam session, and I just joined in for a bit because I thought they would like it. The motorcycle was the hardest. Getting the leg over the seat was a real challenge. The guys working the motorcycle booth and Northland Char Schaible had to help me a lot. I thought it would make for a cool picture, though.”