Limo Bob
A gilded, bombastic manifestation of America's ideal self-made man, Limo Bob owes his reinvented identity to determination and decadence, qualities he’s leveraged in equal measure. Born Robert J Strauser in small-town Illinois, Limo Bob, the “Limo King”, has translated his ambitious craving for glitz, fame, and superlatives into a limousine empire whose fleet includes the record-breaking 100-foot limo, and another fashioned from a Boeing 727. In addition to renting, selling, and buying limos, his Chicago-based Limo King Enterprises, Inc will also custom build them from virtually anything with four wheels. Features include crystal chandeliers, Jacuzzis, queen size beds, and ample seating for up to 36 touring occupants (many of whom have been celebrities). For an additional rental fee, Bob’s “midget maître d’”, Shorty, will serve champagne and hors d’oeuvres, navigating comfortably through the limo party at his full height.
Predictably, the man is as ostentatious as his machine. Bob follows a daily fashion regiment that includes 33 pounds of gold, sunglasses day and night, shirts that glimmer like disco balls, and often a full length fur coat (a gift from Mike Tyson). On the weekend of June 22th, Bob will host 150-200 family and friends at Lake Geneva, WI for two days of celebration in honor of his 50th birthday. Guests will partake in the many amenities at the swank Bella Vista Suites, located on the lake shore. Birthday festivities will commence on Saturday, when Bob will blow out candles on two six-foot cakes sculpted in the likeness of his custom limo fleet (one of his record breaking 100-foot limo, and one fashioned out of a Boeing 727). He’ll shower guests with gold party favors (coins, jewelry), while a DJ plays and a film crew documents the event for his upcoming reality show. Ushering in his second half-century, Bob is planning a collaboration with a Hollywood automotive designer who crafts stylized cars for blockbuster movies (e.g. Batmobile). They’re planning a double wide limo fashioned from two Chryslers, and a 120-foot limo with a rooftop helipad. It seems that only Limo Bob can outdo himself.
Luring an audience that might not yet have their driving licenses, Bob has parlayed his decadence through his son, Bobby, who was featured on MTV’s My Super Sweet Sixteen, a reality show that films the 16th birthday parties of affluent teens. Bobby’s fête included a six foot tall ice sculpture of the birthday boy, a twelve foot long cake, DJs, Hollywood impersonators, paparazzi, and over 300 guests. Bobby’s MTV birthday has made him a minor celebrity, rivaling his father’s fame. "It was great, probably one of the best times of my life," Bobby said. "There was a lot of dancing. I kind of expected it. He's extravagant like that."