A unicorn with braces and a story joins Salem’s Riverfront Carousel
Mr. Sprinkles the unicorn joined the herd at the Hazel Patton Riverfront Carousel on Friday, welcomed at an unveiling event which included rainbows, cupcakes and some tears from the orthodontist who commissioned him.
It’s because Mr. Sprinkles is no ordinary unicorn. He’s modeled after a stuffed animal who has helped hundreds of Salem kids get braces for free.
Dr. Cole Johnson opened Johnson Family Orthodontics in 2011, with the goal of serving the community beyond what’s expected of the average orthodontist. Early on, he didn’t charge a 15-year old foster child who was pregnant and came in for a set of braces, which typically cost thousands of dollars.
Word got out, and donations from the community started coming in. Johnson began selling stuffed unicorns with braces on their teeth in exchange for donations to cover costs for children who are in foster care or have terminal illnesses.
For them, it’s more than straight teeth.
“Some kids who have cancer, even if they know they’re going to pass, they still want to have the same experiences that all their peers are having. Sorry, I’m going to get emotional,” Johnson said in an interview, voice wavering. “They’ll often be like ‘Hey, I still want to get braces, my friends have braces.’”
Johnson’s first “unicorn patient” was eight-year-old Spencer “Bubba” Enderle, who was diagnosed with a neurological condition.
Spencer helped spread the word about the program by being in videos for the office, and his parents and Johnson became friends. The boy’s mom, Tiffany Enderle, said it was special that her son was able to help launch the program.
“(Johnson) does an amazing thing for kids with disabilities and foster children. You can’t not be blessed by it. We have two children that have disabilities, so it was really nice to have somebody take us under their wings,” Enderle said.
Since the program began with Spencer, over 200 people have gotten free braces.
Spencer died seven years ago at age 14. He had visited Johnson’s office “many times,” Enderle said.
“He had a very big, infectious smile,” Enderle said.
Creating Mr. Sprinkles
Johnson’s office hosts an annual carnival at Riverfront Park which he said draws thousands. This year’s will be on Saturday, Aug. 12. Johnson also has eight kids of his own who frequently visit the carousel.
“Riverfront has just been kind of like our home,” he said, and honoring the program with a new addition to the carousel “just made sense.”
Adding an animal to the carousel typically takes two to three years and costs $15,000 to sponsor, said the carousel’s executive director, Marie Bradford-Blevins. The most recent addition before Mr. Sprinkles was a shark named Ramses added this winter, she said.
Johnson’s office posted a video on Facebook sharing the behind-the-scenes process of creating Mr. Sprinkles.
On Friday, the Enderle family stood with the Johnsons at the carousel. They unveiled Mr. Sprinkles to applause and a few excited squeals from children. Some kids wore shiny unicorn horns and colorful tutus for the event.
The rideable unicorn has a shiny blue horn, a rainbow mane and tail, and a full set of braces. The braces are 3-D printed by Johnson’s friend, who plans to change them out with themed colors for Halloween and other events.
“We can’t wait for the holidays. It’ll be like our personal Salem Barbie doll,” Johnson said. He said he asked the designers to make them chunky and cartoonish, and “they nailed it.”
Another feature is a heart-shaped name tag on the unicorn’s front, sharing his full name: Mr. Spencer B. Sprinkles.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story spelled Tiffany Enderle’s last name incorrectly. Salem Reporter apologizes for the error.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: abbey@salemreporter.com or 503-575-1251.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
