‘It puts a smile on people’s faces’: Spokane man shares joy on his motorcycle, dressed like a gorilla

“Gratitude for hope.”

These days, that’s what the sign reads on the back of Ira Amstadter’s motorcycle.

In it for the smiles, Amstadter suits up in his gorilla costume and rides around town with his two dogs in the passenger car.

As people are out watching the last licks of sun on High Drive, he rides up and down the road just to collect a few laughs.

“This is all pretty serious stuff,” Amstadter said. “But, you know, if I can get somebody to smile that maybe could use a smile …”

He started this mission over two weeks ago and logs about four hours of riding each day. He rides through Audubon, Kendall Yards, West Central, Comstock, Manito – and as many parks as he can hit in a day.

“It puts a smile on people’s faces and people really seem to appreciate it,” Amstadter said. “People thank you profusely. It just kind of lifts up spirits.”

Amstadter says he is respecting social distancing guidelines and doesn’t feel as though he is jeopardizing anyone’s health.

Being over 60 years old, Amstadter is working from home due to the coronavirus. However, he’s enjoying his new role in the community.

“I kind of look at it like it’s my job,” said Amstadter, who owns Express Employment Professionals, a local staffing firm.

Darien Buck and her two children were at Manito Park when they saw Amstadter ride by.

“I’ve got a son who is three and then my daughter is a year-and-a-half,” she said. “ First of all, my son loves motorcycles. So, to see a gorilla riding a motorcycle is really exciting for him. And then my daughter loved his dogs, so it was kind of fun. They’re two different age groups and interests and stuff and they were both just enamored by what was going on and they did not want to leave.”

Buck was impressed with Amstadter’s attention and care with her kids.

“He was not in a hurry,” Buck said. “My son was really shy at first and so he was just very patient and tried to just engage in conversation. Which I thought was super sweet, like he knows how to talk to kids and engage them.”

For kids with toothless grins and jobs as the big sibling, he has a special reward – $2 bills. He makes sure to keep the special bill stocked for little celebrations he finds during his rides.

“I tell the kids that I’m taking their smiles and redistributing them to people that need them,” Amstadter said.

As any kid with a loose tooth may have heard by now, Amstadter works for the tooth fairy – another accolade to add to his resume.

The 24-year Spokane resident was once a Peace Corps volunteer in Zaire, worked in Rwanda and Madagascar and was an elephant trainer at a zoo outside of Chicago.

He worked at the zoo after completing his undergraduate degree in animal behavior. At the zoo, he learned that people don’t tend to listen to you when you’re teaching them about ivory and recycling and other conservation efforts – unless, that is, you have a 9,000-pound elephant next to you.

The gorilla suit has a similar effect.

Amstadter is sporting his second gorilla now. His last suit lasted him 22 years and endured 18 Bloomsday runs, numerous parades and years of joy rides.

He bought his first suit when his kids were at Garfield Elementary and were having a school picnic. He and his friend wanted to surprise the kids at the picnic, so they went out looking for something fun. They found adult-sized gorilla suits.

“When you have a gorilla suit, you’re always looking for gigs,” Amstadter said. “It’s just fun.”