Bear Hugs Udderly Delightful: Meet the Alum Behind ‘CowParade’ Jerry Elbaum ’61, JD ’64, founded the organization that mounts bovine-themed public art shows in cities around the globe “Bear Hugs” celebrates heartwarming stories of Cornellians on the Hill and around the world. Have an idea? Email us at cornellians@cornell.edu! By Beth Saulnier The cows started parading back in the summer of 1999—and for more than a quarter century, they’ve pretty much never stopped. That year saw the debut of an outdoor exhibit in Chicago in which some 300 life-sized fiberglass bovines were transformed into works of art. It was a sensation, spurring tourism and raising money for charity. Since then, CowParade—the organization founded by Jerry Elbaum ’61, JD ’64—has spearheaded more than 100 such events around the globe. There have been exhibits on five continents—generating, Elbaum says, nearly $40 million for charitable causes, many of them children’s hospitals. “It’s a happy event,” says Elbaum, who’s married to a fellow alum, Judith Brody Elbaum ’62. “It brings smiles to people’s faces. And some of the art is just fantastic. It’s so creative.” Elbaum with wife Judy, a fellow Cornellian. There have been cows dressed like Harry Potter on a broomstick (in London); like Superman (in West Hartford, CT, where Elbaum lives); and as a scuba diver (in Denver, and punnily named “Jacques Moosteau”). A cow in Harrisburg, PA, sat upright on a park bench, wearing a business suit and reading the newspaper. In Chicago, a bright green bovine with two heads evoked Doublemint gum. It’s a happy event. It brings smiles to people’s faces. And in Costa Rica—where ziplining is a popular tourist activity—a cow was suspended high above the ground, clad in a helmet and safety vest. “The cow is common to virtually every culture in the world,” Elbaum observes, in answer to the oft-asked question of why the animal makes such an apt canvas. “It does good things for us. It’s friendly, it’s quirky—and artists love it.” A herd of bovine art in La Jolla, CA. For Elbaum, it all started in Zurich, Switzerland. An attorney, he went on a business trip there in fall 1998, when the city happened to be hosting an outdoor exhibit of artistically painted cows as a way to draw visitors downtown. It struck Elbaum’s fancy. And when he learned that a Chicago businessman was equally enamored of it and wanted to bring it to his home city—but didn’t relish organizing it—the former Arts & Sciences history major found his calling. The cow is common to virtually every culture in the world. While the original Windy City show was a massive hit, the project really got moo-ving in 2000, when an NYC version featured nearly 500 cows spread across all five boroughs. “It was such an extravaganza, and it required so much of my time that I had to leave the practice of law,” recalls Elbaum—who, at 85, has since passed much of CowParade’s day-to-day operations to his son-in-law. “It became a full-time commitment.” Cows on Parade In … London, Stockholm, West Hartford, CT, Prague, Denver, Chicago, San José, Costa Rica, Harrisburg, PA, and Rio de Janeiro. In the intervening decades, CowParade has held shows all over the world—collaborating with local partners and sponsors in countries from China to Mexico. (And there have been numerous copycat exhibits over the years, featuring a host of creatures: elephants, bears, dolphins, lions, dragons, and more.) Elbaum (far right) at a 2000 press conference led by NYC’s then-mayor, Rudy Giuliani. CowParade raises money for charity in a variety of ways, including auctioning off the sculptures—which have gone for as much as $150,000—and selling collectible figurines of some of the designs. The show even came back to the Big Apple in 2021, when its 78 sculptures benefitted the meal charity God’s Love We Deliver. As a New York Times headline then observed, wryly noting the fate that had befallen some of the artwork two decades earlier: “Cow Parade Returns to NYC, but Please Don’t Steal Them This Time.” Dorothy and friends in—aptly enough—Kansas City, which also hosted an Udderly Witched Cow sculpture. To participate in a CowParade show, each artist must submit a proposal detailing their design. The winners receive—among other benefits—an honorarium and a flurry of media attention for their work. And many artists are eager to be chosen: for an event in Old Sturbridge Village, MA, in summer 2025, nearly 300 hopefuls from throughout New England applied for 28 spots. CowParade has held shows all over the world—collaborating with local partners and sponsors in countries from China to Mexico. The project’s “blank” bovines are made of white fiberglass by a company in California. (Why do they have horns, if they’re female? As Elbaum points out, many breeds have them, but they’re generally removed in calfhood; CowParade depicts the animals in their natural state, and the horns offer another artistic element.) The blank cows come in two poses—head up or down—although some artists opt to alter their structure, as in the sculpture titled 1959 Cowdillac, whose tail end was transformed into classic car fins. A charity auction in Austin, TX. As Elbaum explains: while there was originally a third basic form—in which the animal was lying down—it was eventually phased out, for practical reasons. “We found that the reclining cows would get badly damaged,” he says, “because kids would crawl all over them.” Top: 1959 Cowdillac in West Hartford, CT. (All images provided) Published July 8, 2025 Comments Joseph Kirschner, Class of 1993 8 Jul, 2025 I had not realized a Cornellian founded this wonderful organization. I still have a 2002 “NYC Taxi” themed yellow cab figurine cow displayed in my house. I will appreciate it even more now. Reply Jerry Elbaum, Class of 1961 18 Jul, 2025 Hi Joe, Thank you for your comment. For your information, CowParade has produced over 600 figurines of different event cows since the “NYC Taxi” figurine was made in 2000. You can see many of them at http://www.cowparade.com and shopcowparade.com. Reply Lois McKennett Schneider, Class of 1973 18 Jul, 2025 fun! Is this a traveling exhibit? Might the bovines travel to North Dakota? Reply Jerry Elbaum, Class of 1961 18 Jul, 2025 Hi Lois, Each CowParade public art exhibit is all new art. The artists are selected from the event venue, which benefits a local non-profit. Google “CowParade San Antonio” and “CowParade Sturbridge Village” to experience two ongoing CowParade events. Why not CowParade Fargo? Reply Dr. Richard HOLSTEIN, Class of 1967 18 Jul, 2025 Super idea. We have many down here in Princeton, and they’re all related to me! Where can I purchase an unfinished one for my sculpture garden? Reply Jerry Elbaum, Class of 1961 18 Jul, 2025 you can purchase an unfinished cow from CowParade in West Hartford CT. CowParade manufactures them in California. Reply Marge Bayer, Class of 1977 18 Jul, 2025 As a math professor, my favorite cow was Cowculus, from the Kansas City Cows on Parade. I have a miniature of it. I don’t know if it is still on display at Johnson County Community College Reply Jerry Elbaum, Class of 1961 18 Jul, 2025 Hi Marge, Thanks for the comment. Cowculus was a great cow. The Kansas City exhibit was one of our best. The five Wizard of Oz cows were special. Reply Maria, Class of 2023 18 Jul, 2025 Unfortunately, this exhibit bears little resemblance to the reality of the dairy industry. In order to produce milk, cows must be repeatedly impregnated, only to have their calves taken from them shortly after birth. Once their bodies are no longer able to sustain this cycle, they are often slaughtered for low-grade meat or pet food. This is not a system of celebration, but of exploitation. I recognize that this comment may not be approved, given how deeply the industry depends on selective portrayals and public relations efforts like this one to maintain a narrative of contented animals and wholesome production. But it is precisely this disconnect—this “happy-washing”—that warrants honest and critical reflection. Reply Brent Woodward, Class of 1989 18 Jul, 2025 Well, I’ll give you credit for knowing a little about the dairy industry and maybe a little about animals; however, you may not understand that dairy farmers make money by selling the cows’ milk and the more milk they sell, the more money they make, or as is sometimes the case when the markets are not favorable, the less money they lose producing a wholesome product that is so important for growing children, and adults. Now, the only way for the farmer to have high milk producing cows is to manage the whole cow in such a manner that she is content, which means she lives in a comfortable environment, she has plenty of food and water, people are monitoring her health to ensure that she has the appropriate health care to be healthy, and that she is treated with the appropriate medicine if she is not well. That simplifies it but you probably get the picture. That probably sounds almost like what your father and mother did for you as you were growing up. At least, I hope you were lucky enough to have great parents like the vast majority of kids raised on dairy farms whose parents also take great care of the cows, as do the kids when they are old enough to help! P.S. Well done Jerry!! Reply Jerry Elbaum, Class of 1961 18 Jul, 2025 Hi Brent, I appreciate your comments. I grew up in Connecticut surrounded by dairy farms. Fresh milk, delivered to our house daily, was a staple of my diet as a child. Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. 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