'Everybody knows Howdy Doody': The inside story of the viral bull riding shotgun in Nebraska

Pictures and videos have gone viral of a 2,200-pound Watusi African bull riding shotgun with his owner. The owner's car, a Ford Crown Victoria, is gliding down the streets of Norfolk, Nebraska, as the bull named Howdy Doody sits with its head and antlers on display.“My husband thinks he’s a movie star,” Rhonda Meyer said. “The real movie star is Howdy Doody." One-hundred and fifty miles northwest of Omaha, Nebraska, lies the town of Neligh. It's a small town of 1,599 people. “Everybody knows Howdy Doody,” Meyer said. “He’s been with us for 9 years now, ever since we went to Ohio and bought him when he was 6 months old.”Rhonda Meyer's husband Lee Meyer is 63 years old. He worked 31 years in steel manufacturing before he and his family purchased 15 acres of beautiful Nebraska farmland. “We have not only Howdy Doody, but a longhorn heifer and six bison,” Meyer said. “But Howdy Doody is Lee’s favorite, they are the best of friends. Lee takes Howdy Doody for walks all the time.”“Lee and Howdy Doody love parades,” Rhonda Meyer said. “They love to meet new friends, whether it’s at a parade or at the KFC or the Dairy Queen,” she added. The pictures and videos of Howdy Doody riding shotgun with Lee and getting pulled over by police happened as Lee and the bull were on their way to another small-town parade and drove through the town of Norfolk. “My husband was ticketed after being cited for two violations,” Meyer said. “Being ticketed for an obstructive view is one, thing, but having an overweight front seat?”Lee Meyer was given a few citations by police in Norfolk and politely asked to leave town. “Oh, we haven’t been back,” RhoMeyernda said. “Howdy Doody is back here on the farm with his other friends.”Rhonda Meyer did want to get a few more things off her chest. “We want the public to know that Howdy Doody loves getting into that car,” she said. “Our bull is not sedated and not drugged- we do not force him into the front seat. Yes, we do have a trailer that he rides in, but during parades, he enjoys sitting in the front seat- the kids love it. Think about it — if Howdy Doody didn’t want to get in the front seat, no one is going to make him do so." What does the future hold for Lee and Howdy Doody? Perhaps some more small-town parades. “We have a lot of money tied up in our animals, so they aren’t going anywhere,” Meyer said. “I’ve been wanting to remodel the kitchen for years. I guess that will have to wait.”