Asharoken Avenue mailboxes bring whimsy
A string of unique mailboxes along Asharoken Avenue includes a dolphin, an orange stick figure, and a lighthouse. Credit: Newsday/Arielle Dollinger
A smiling dolphin holds a gray mailbox with a muted red flag.
A yellow-eyed purple octopus stands straight atop a metal mailbox that bears its portrait.
A sculptural zigzag wears a spring that hoists a silvery receptacle.
The string of whimsical mailboxes lines the asphalt of Asharoken Avenue — the only way into and out of the North Shore village of Asharoken. The mailboxes stand in stark stylistic contrast to the architecturally diverse homes painted in neutral tones that line the two-lane road.
"It's actually me, it's actually a caricature of me," said Stanley Browne, the owner of an orange metal stick figure holding a bright yellow mailbox. "It has my mustache."
Stanley Browne said a stick figure is a caracture of himself and includes his mustache. Credit: Arielle Dollinger
Browne's "Tube Man" sculpture clings to a bright yellow mailbox and was crafted by a Sarasota artist. Credit: Newsday/Arielle Dollinger
At previous addresses, Browne has had standard mailboxes; but in Asharoken, the unorthodox seemed ordinary. While he did not communicate with neighbors about his plans, he became one of many to install a mailbox that doubled as a work of art.
The stick figure has its origins in Florida. Created by a former ship builder who lost his job in 2008 and began welding sculptures from material he once used to make railings on yachts, the "Tube Dude" mailbox is one of a catalog of varieties produced by the Sarasota company.
"When we moved here in '98, there were a lot of curious mailboxes," said Browne, a retiree who moved to Asharoken from Plainview. "Everybody had nice mailboxes on Asharoken Avenue."
Candy and Peter Kirsch said their mailbox, which replaced a rusty anchor-chain mailbox two decades ago, stands as a landmark for neighbors directing visitors.
"We met that mailbox in Florida when we went there for vacation many years ago," Peter said. "We had to have it trucked up."
Credit: Newsday/Arielle Dollinger
Acquaintances have asked the couple where they could find a similar mailbox, Peter said.
He tells them: "Well, you're going to have to car-top it from Florida because that's the only way you're going to find them."
Over the years, Browne estimates a hundred people have stopped to take photographs with the stick figure. Some ask his permission.
"It's a pleasant place to live and I guess people are celebrating it," Browne said.
Arielle Dollinger joined Newsday as a staff reporter in 2022. Previously, she covered local and national news as a freelancer for The New York Times, Newsday and other outlets.
