Dad Designs Shirts to Support the Dino

A father of five whose children just adore “Juan,” in San Juan Capistrano, was recently moved to create T-shirts in support of the gentle giant. 

Jason Pearson, a San Clemente resident and a graphic designer who works for nonprofits, decided to put his talents to use in support of the Apatosaurus.

The resulting design is now available on T-shirts, buttons, stickers and more through CafePress. Pearson is charging only the costs to produce the items.

While just 13-feet-tall, to his 2-year-old daughter, Juan the dinosaur “is bigger than life itself. In an age where we post Facebook photos of our kids for grandparents, this will become a photo spot for years to come and a place where scrapbook book pages will be filled,” Pearson said.

“History has to start somewhere. For Juan the Apatosaurus, it started last month. And years and decades from now, it will have become a favorite landmark for generations of kids in San Juan,” he added.

History is the operative word. Juan is TOO historical for some.

is located within the city’s , which has special design controls to preserve its 18th century charm and character.

Members of the  quickly filed complaints with the city when Juan made his unauthorized debut last month. Just last week, the city sent Zoomars owner Carolyn Franks a letter, asking her to either remove the dinosaur or go through the city’s planning and permit process and seek retroactive approval.

She told Patch she intends to follow through with making Juan legit.

Janice Pickartz, a spokeswoman for the committee, said her group will continue to maintain an active role opposing the dinosaur.

“Regardless of the choice Zoomars makes, we object strongly to the presence of the dinosaur and want it removed and will remain steadfast in that opinion,” she told Patch.

The item has yet to be placed on an agenda.

Pearson hopes other families will speak up.

“ ‘Daddy can we go see dinosaur today?’ When you hear that, you know that city bureaucracy needs to get out of the way,” he said.