'Banana Quest' Heats Up As Benny Secures Residency On Long Island

LINDENHURST, NY — After days galavanting around Long Island, the 5-foot tall Rasta banana known as Benny has officially gained residency on day 7 of "Banana Quest," the elaborate game of hide 'n seek that has adults and kids alike hiding–and finding-a large stuffed Rasta banana.

Town of Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer invited Benny to Town Hall on Friday for a ceremony to solidify his Babylon residency, Jennifer Rossetti, who launched Banana Quest, told Patch.

"This whole thing is still so surreal," Rossetti said, adding that someone from Schaffer's office reached out requesting his presence at Town Hall. "Rich thought he should definitely be a resident at this point."

So Rossetti picked up her son, Logan, who won Benny as a prize at Adventureland, from school so he could be there for the monumental moment.

"We got there and everyone was so nice and was asking tons of questions. He met a few people and took some pictures and we talked to Rich about the whole story," Rossetti said. "We weren’t there that long, but it was such a great experience."

It all began on Saturday when Jenn Rossetti's family was doing a little spring cleaning and decided to have some fun with a 5-foot tall stuffed banana her son won on a class trip to Adventureland.

"I told them it’s time for the banana to go. My son was like, 'noooo.' But he was just kidding, he knew it was time. It’s just too big and has moved all around the house," Rossetti told Patch. "My kids and I love a good adventure, so we came up with the idea to post it on Facebook with a picture and a hit to its location to see if anyone would take it and keep it going."

Immediately, Benny hit the road and "Banana Quest" was born.

Lindenhurst mom Jennifer Mackey-Aulino, who with her children were the first to find the banana, created a Banana Quest Facebook page tracking his whereabouts, that's garnered over 1,300 followers since it was launched.

Since then, Benny's made over a 100 stops around his hometown in Lindenhurst, including public appearances at several schools, beers with the guys, crashing girls' night out, the beach, art classes, fire departments, a quick trip back to Adventureland, and so many more.

On Tuesday evening, Banana Questers were on the edge of their seats worrying as Benny narrowly escaped a banana-napping to New York City. But like the Lindenhurst community always does in the face of adversity, they united, stayed strong and rescued Benny in the nick of time.

After the close call, Rossetti and Mackey-Aulino came up with a few rules to ensure the safety of everyone involved, including an 11 p.m. bedtime; anyone taking him home for the night must commit to getting him back out around 8 a.m.; no taking Benny out of Lindenhurst; and "handle him with care and make sure he has a great time."

"I am completely blown away. If anyone had told me a week ago that this was going to happen, I would have laughed it off," Rossetti said. "I've received so many messages and so many heartwarming comments, some of them have even made me teary. People telling me how this has brought their family closer, people saying they don’t remember the last time they had this much fun, kids that were getting picked on at school are now stars because they got to meet Benny."

For now, Benny is still going strong and bringing joy to the Lindenhurst community and doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon.

In just seven days, Benny has become Lindenhurst's icon. He's been nominated to be the St. Patrick's Day Parade's grand marshal, AI called him a "symbol of the community," Banana Quest merch is being made, and local businesses are offering incentives to anyone who brings him in, Rossetti said.

"The fact that my kids and I have unintentionally brought so much joy to so many people and the town is just overwhelming," Rossetti said. "We’re all about making memories and this one will definitely last a lifetime."