Magnet Business Makes Money Off Frozen Mom

July 12, 2005 — -- An attempted murder, a police standoff and a frozen human body in a basement freezer were enough to rattle a small Wisconsin town this spring. But for Dan Gabel, it also provided a great business opportunity.

In May, Wisconsin prosecutors charged French Island, Wis., resident Philip Schuth with eight felonies when he allegedly shot a neighbor three times with a shotgun. Schuth was apprehended after an all-night standoff with police and admitted to having stored his dead mother in a basement freezer since her death in 2000.

About a week later, Gabel, a local sign-maker, made a batch of joke car bumper magnets for his nephew. The novelty items showed a freezer with a human arm hanging out the side. Above the drawing he printed the phrase: "What's in Your Freezer?"

Gabel's nephew, John Wesley, took about three dozen of the magnets to work the next day to see if co-workers would be interested in buying them.

"He sold every one of them and started taking orders for more," said Gabel, 42.

Realizing there might be a market, Gabel made up another batch and began selling them to local bars and the Champion Auto Store in La Crosse, Wis., about five miles from French Island. New variations included "My Mom is Cooler Than Yours! French Island, WI" and "My Old Lady is Cooler Than Yours! French Island, WI."

The Champion store bought two dozen of each and displayed them next to the cash register priced at $2.99 apiece. The magnets became a hot seller and soon started popping up on cars around La Crosse. They have now sold about 500 and recently placed an order for 200 more.

"The sales have gone really well," said Michael Hunt, acting manager of the auto store. "We've stocked them since the week after the incident, but probably for the last month we've had a stream of people coming in just looking for the magnets."

Local Media Reaction Mixed

Word of mouth has helped, and local television and newspaper stories built interest. But the response has not been all positive. The newspaper has run some negative reader mail, and more than two-thirds of callers voting in a local television station poll said they didn't find the magnets funny.

But those facts don't bother Gabel.

"I have not had a bad response from anybody, including my mom, and she's the salt of the earth," he said. "If she's OK with it I figure I'm doing OK."

Though they only cost about 40 cents to make, the magnets haven't been a big money-maker … yet. Gabel started his own design business in January after getting laid off from a 20-year job with a screen printing company. His main work is creating banners and vehicle lettering for local businesses.

But he realizes the publicity won't hurt, and he might be on to something. He's planning more magnets playing off controversial topics like the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Ten Commandments and a local dust-up over naming rights to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse football stadium.

Even if they're not big profit-makers, the notoriety can only help his new business, he said.

Now all he asks is to actually see one on the road. Despite their popularity, Gabel has yet to see one of the six-by-eight-inch magnets on a car.

"The whole thing shocks me. I've produced other magnets that I think are a lot more interesting, but everybody seems to like them."