OK Route 66 Association introduces “Flat Will,” honoring Will Rogers ahead of centennial

Oklahoma's favorite son can now tag along for all your adventures, as part of a new campaign celebrating the centennial of Route 66, next year.

The Oklahoma Route 66 Association is distributing laminated paper caricatures of Will Rogers that stand about 11 inches tall.

Q: What’s behind the idea of “Flat Will?”

A: The idea is a nod to "Flat Stanley," a book published in the 1960s that many school children have done projects with over the years.

The Oklahoma Route 66 Association is encouraging families to bring "Flat Will" on their travels along the Mother Road, and anywhere else they might go.

People are encouraged to take pictures along the way and share them on social media with the hashtag "Flat Will."

Q: What is Will Rogers’ connection to Route 66?

A: Rachel O'Donnell with the Will Rogers Memorial Museum said people may not realize that Route 66 was also called the Will Rogers Highway in its earlier days.

Combined with Rogers' love for travel, it seemed like the perfect fit to celebrate him ahead of the Route 66 centennial next year.

"So that's kind of the connection that Will has to Route 66, they say, because it followed his path from Claremore to Hollywood. So that's kind of why the Route 66 Association wanted to put this out, because they want people to remember Will and remember Will's connection to the Mother Road,” O’Donnell said.

Q: Who designed the caricature?

A: “Flat Will” was designed by Tom Farris, a Cherokee artist in Norman. Rogers was a citizen of the Cherokee Nation who was born in Oologah.

Q: Where can people get their own “Flat Will”?

A: You can get your own Flat Will from three different places: the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, the Cherokee Nation Anna Mitchell Cultural Center in Vinita, or the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

For more information, click here.