'Banana Quest' Takes LI By Storm With Community Hide 'N Seek

LINDENHURST, NY — The Long Island community is having a blast this weekend in an elaborate game of hide 'n seek that involves hiding–and finding-a large stuffed Rasta banana dubbed "Benny."

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."

On the Facebook group, Rosetti wrote:

"Hey Moms! My kids are getting rid of this giant stuffed Banana. Instead of putting it on the curb or at a garage sale, they had a fun idea.

"COME FIND THE BANANA. Take it home and put it in your front yard, and post a picture with a hint as to where he is, and keep it going.

"Let’s see how far around Lindenhurst this guy can travel. Hint…he is somewhere between Albany and Buffalo Avenue."

Immediately, the banana was up and running and "Banana Quest" was in full force.

"I can’t believe how much attention our banana has gotten in less than 24 hours," Rossetti said.

Linndehurst mom Jennifer Mackey-Aulino and her children were the first to find the banana, she told Patch. It was so much fun, she created a Facebook page documenting his whereabouts.

"We thought it would be fun to create a group to track its journey through Lindenhurst. The group has since created a name, and Benny the Banana is now traveling," Mackey-Aulino said. "I hope this brings joy and fosters a sense of community happiness."

In less than 24 hours, the Banana Quest page garnered over 400 followers keeping tabs on Benny's location.

"This is such a fun way to get the community together. We love a good scavenger hunt," Jamie Sharkey told Patch. "My kids had the best time trying to find him and planning his next hiding spot."

Rossetti said Benny has a note sharing his Facebook page name with anyone who finds him, and he's already going viral on Snapchat.

"We still can’t believe how viral it went. We kept checking to see where it was and reading all the comments," Rossetti said. "Someone even decided to take a poll and name it. We’re so happy that everyone is having so much fun with it. We just wanted to give him a proper send off so he didn’t end up in the garbage. I think he got it."

A timeline of Benny's journey:

Saturday, March 8:

• 3 p.m.: Banana Quest begins with Benny in a tree between Albany and Buffalo avenues in Lindenhurst.
• 7 p.m.: Benny is found at his second stop between Hoffmann Avenue and Byrd Street.
• 9 p.m.: Benny is found at his third stop, location unknown.
• 10 p.m.: The banana is placed at "house number 4" between North Railroad and 109.
• 11 p.m.: The giant banana is spotted at the Lindenhurst Village Square.
• 12 a.m.: The banana is found hanging upside down in a tree at the Village of Lindenhurst Rainbow Center.

Sunday, March 9:

• 9:35 a.m.: The giant banana is spotted on a bench with "shore" as the clue to his location.
• 10:50 a.m.: Benny is seen hanging out at a baseball field.

Where will Benny go next?

Let Patch know and send your photos to jade.eckardt@patch.com