If this ain't the okiest, dokiest thing. Ever.

I haven't seen it. Then again, I'm not in Somerville all that often. But I would love to come across it.

Maybe not quite as exciting as seeing the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, which I've been fortunate to have experienced a few times over the years.

But who wouldn't want to see the not-so-big yellow truck topped with a big ol' yellow pencil - all nine feet of it?

It's apparently been creating quite a stir. There's even a question posted on a Reddit forum, asking it locals could figure out wazzup with the pencil truck.

Turns out, it's the brainchild of artist Adam Zapotok. He's the manager of the Digital Maker Technologies Studio at Mass College of Art, where he's helping students create digital art. (Prior to that, he spent three years at my alma mater, Emmanuel College, where he was a technology and innovation specialist, managing the school's Maker-Space. This was a position that definitely wasn't around when I was a student. Other than making (good) political trouble, the only maker space I was involved in was a complete gut arts-and-crafts course I took second semester of my senior year. I made a Valentine box, hooked a 12"x12" "rug" with a floral pattern, and made a corduroy rag doll. I got an A.)

While Zapotok's teaching is in the digital fabrication space, he also makes actual physical art works, with a specialty in 3D miniatures. And one anti-miniature: the nine foot pencil.

The mystery surrounding the pencil truck was deliberate:

Zapotok said he had been “trying to drum up some confusion and wonder” around the truck before adding his business’s name, “Okiest Dokiest,” to it this weekend and then hitting the road this spring and summer to sell his artwork at fairs. Putting a hard-to-miss pencil atop his 1996 Ford Ranger, then painting the whole thing yellow, has certainly done the trick.

“It’s getting great reactions,” said Zapotok, 28, who specializes in illustrations and fabrications. “Everywhere I go people are waving to me or smiling, and people are stopping me all the time to ask about it.” (Source: Boston Globe)

Some parts of the pencil were created with traditional carpentry. Others were made with 3D printing. Zapotok also had to trick out the truck itself, which was a bland beige and didn't have a covering on the truck's bed when he acquired it. 

And now that he's added his business' name - Okiest Dokiest - to it, the "Magic Pencil Truck" is a rolling promotion for his work. 

I took a look at his wares over on Instagram, and those miniatures sure look like a lot of fun. Too bad I'm no longer in the market for fun little art thangs. 

As for the pencil truck:

“It makes everyone smile when they see it,” [Zapotok] said. “It brings joy to people.”

Given the times we're going through, we could use more of this. Maybe on one of my rambles, I'll ramble on over to Somerville to see if I can spot it. I could use a smile and some joy. (Couldn't we all?)