Story taken from the Boston Herald, originally written by Darren Garnick

Shop features kid’s book

It’s a cold and rainy Saturday afternoon on Prince Edward Island and tourists Hidemi Suyama and Min Yang have taken cover underneath straw hats and braided wigs. The friends, college students originally from Japan and China, are giggling at each other’s identical frumpy green dresses and marveling at their “transformation” into a Canadian icon.

This scene repeats itself hundreds of times each month at the Cavendish Figurines souvenir shop, where unsuspecting visitors are ushered in a back room and offered the chance to become “Anne of Green Gables,” the spunky children’s book character with a worldwide cult following.

“My parents are going to love these pictures,” says Suyama. “It’s a symbol of (Prince Edward Island) and this is the place they’ve always dreamed of.”

All tourists who arrive by car stream past the Cavendish shop, which is located in a minimall at the foot of the eight-mile Confederation Bridge – the “world’s longest bridge over ice-covered water” and the only way to drive to the island province.

Owners Jeannette Arsenault and Don Maxfield charge only $2 for the photo session, a fraction of the price charged at a typical theme-park photo studio (usually in the $30 range for an 8-by-10 picture). And they let cruise ship and tour bus passengers pose for free.

“They’re like a bunch of kids playing in the attic,” says Maxfield. “It allows people to show that they don’t take themselves too seriously.”

In the middle of the store, there is a “Wall of Fame” of silly customer photos. Families. Co-workers. Children. Senior citizens. Guys with beards. Although checkered shirts and overalls are available for visitors wanting to be Gilbert, the male protagonist in the story, few put them on. Perhaps a testament to author Lucy Maud Montgomery, more than 90 percent of tourists choose to be Anne.

The humble green frocks, custom made by a local seamstress, are not flattering to adult figures. In the book, the orphaned 11-year-old girl dreams of more fashionable dresses with puffy sleeves.

“Most times it makes people look fatter, but no one cares – they are Anne of Green Gables!” says Arsenault. “Some of the Japanese tourists don’t want to take the dress off.”

The photo booth is a not-so-subtle form of product placement for collectible Anne figurines, which are molded on site with red Prince Edward Island clay. The stage set in the studio features the same train station as one of the shop’s best-selling figures, which range in price from $70 to $300.

Outside the store, there is another popular photo-op that coincidentally has a strong Massachusetts connection. A life-size “Spirit of Anne” statue waves to the cars coming off the bridge, a gesture often mimicked by tourists. The statue was created by Haverhill sculptor Garry Sharpe, better known for his hometown’s bronze Korean War memorial and the large Jesus statue welcoming worshipers at Weymouth’s Holy Trinity Church.

“I understand why the Anne character is so popular,” says Sharpe. “She’s a fiercely independent woman who broke all the rules at a time when women were not supposed to be outspoken.”

Back inside the studio, Maxfield is comfortable answering the question few tourists dare to ask: How often are those dresses washed?

Once a week, he says, and the wigs are also rinsed in an alcohol-water solution. Customers concerned about hygienic issues are offered a sanitary cap to stretch over their hair first.

“In 20 years, we’ve had no problems with lice,” says Maxfield, who occasionally wears the braids at trade shows. “As for the hairnet, I’d say maybe only a half of one percent of people choose to use it.”

Apparently, most tourist minds prefer to frolic far away from the Land of Lysol.

“We make every customer a promise,” Maxfield adds. “We guarantee if you don’t look like Sweet 16 again, you’ll get your money back.”